by Maren Smith
“I have to go!” she exclaimed, gesturing toward Terri and Nick as she broke into a run. She sprinted down the hall toward them. “Help, help, help,” she whispered, grabbing Terri’s arm and all but ducking behind her. Seemingly for the butler’s benefit, she loudly stated, “We’ve got important, uh… you know… cleaning stuff to do.”
“Um,” Terri stammered, glancing back at Nick. She didn’t like being separated from her partner and, while she was certain Eden wasn’t the killer, she didn’t want to be dragged off alone to God knows where with her, either. But when the woman gave her a pleading look, shoulders slumping, Terri gave in. “I guess now’s a good time.”
So much for coffee.
“Thank God,” Eden whispered, pulling her toward the stairs.
For all his glaring and threats of just a moment before, Nick only watched her go, hands on his hips. He didn’t look away, either. Terri knew because she kept looking back. The weighted press of his grim promise for tonight kept burrowing into her back long after they climbed that topmost step and turned a distant corner. She lost sight of him after that, but not seeing him didn’t help. The memory of his threats continued to run through her brain on an endless repeating loop. And, damn if her body didn’t start to respond to it, just not in a sane way.
Nick seethed about Terri’s outburst as he followed Grimsley down the hall to the progress meeting with Marshall. There was no progress as of yet, so he was unsure this was necessary. He did, however, need to discuss an idea he had that would make it easier to screen luggage with guests being none the wiser and without having to spend hours going through each suite.
“How was 101?” the Master Butler inquired.
“Informative.”
Master Grimsley cracked a smile for the first time since Nick had met him. “I heard you had a little upset this morning in your room?”
Nick stifled a groan. One thing he was starting to learn about the Castle, it was an even bigger cesspool of gossip than public high school.
He didn’t bother with a verbal response to the butler’s line of questioning. A simple grunt conveyed everything he was feeling. They took the same path they had the day before, down a winding maze of corridors and finally into the dead-end hallway by way of the Employees Only entrance.
Out of habit, Nick scanned the corridor, searching for watchful eyes or anything out of place before following Grimsley. He could have used Champ and Terri right about now, but it had to be done this way to keep up appearances.
When he entered the short hall, Marshall and Jackson were already waiting.
To his dismay, they immediately started in on the very topic he was trying to avoid: this morning’s vegetable debacle.
“I heard that you have requested the use of a gag tonight.” Marshall’s eyes sparkled with dry amusement. “You are aware that any play with gags needs to be observed by at least one member of our security team, as a safety measure? Unless of course you plan to use the Rainbow Room or the Supper and Show at the Master’s Table for a more public arena in which to carry out the punishment you have planned?”
Nick’s jaw worked as he silently considered this possibility. The truth was, beside his hand on Terri’s ass he hadn’t given it much thought as of yet. A public punishment? Terri would have his head. It certainly went outside of the scope of her duties as a fellow officer. She would be humiliated to no end, but wasn’t that the point? She had certainly humiliated him this morning, and while he wasn’t the type to seek revenge, there was a lingering desire he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He wanted to break her, and he wanted her to like it. The best possible outcome of this entire experience, besides catching a bad guy, would be for her to choose to experience this lifestyle with him as her Dom, once and for all. He hoped for them to come out of it as a couple, knowing that this time, there were no more secrets and everything that had held them back was no longer an issue. It felt like an extreme long shot, but he was hoping for the best and expecting the worst. It was all he could do.
Marshall and Grimsley were watching him in silence, waiting for an answer. He hesitated for only a second longer before giving a decisive nod.
“Put me down for tonight’s supper. We will be there with bells on. At least, one of us will,” he added with a wink.
Before Marshall or Grimsley could respond, the single entrance door swung open, and a slim young man dressed in medieval servant garb strode toward them without hesitation.
Nick’s eyes immediately cut to Marshall. Part of the job was always being on edge. Especially in situations like this one, where there might or might not be a deadly assassin among them.
Marshall seemed to sense his unease, jerking his head in the man’s direction. “Nate, allow me to introduce you to Clinton West, our head porter. He’s been with us since the day we opened. I trust him, and you can too.”
Nick felt himself breathing a little easier when the man, who looked to be in his mid-thirties, stepped forward and extended his hand with a curt nod.
“You can call me Clint. It’s a pleasure, Officer, and I look forward to meeting your partner, Miss O’ Connor, as well.”
“You can call us Nate and Tara,” Nick offered, not leaving anything to chance.
“Very good.” Clint nodded. “I’m here so I can show you to the service entrance, back by the maintenance elevator. The buses usually unload the luggage at the front entrance while the guests are disembarking. So, if you show up every day right at ten o’clock, we can be inefficiently-slow unloading long enough for you to run through the luggage check right quick.” Clint paused and looked up and down the hallway. “I assume you’ll have your K-9 partner with you tomorrow?”
“Yes, Champ. He’s with Tara doing room sweeps right now, but he will be here tomorrow ready to work.”
“Very good. Follow me.”
Marshall and Grimsley both nodded, as if this had been their plan all along.
“I will meet up with you after the tour to discuss tonight’s supper. I suggest a trip to the Castle gift shop to purchase the ball gag you mentioned,” Marshall announced. “Unless, of course, you brought your own.”
“The gift shop it is.” Nick was already making a mental list of the things he would need to buy as he followed Clint out the door. The Master’s Table was much more involved than the quiet affair in their room he had planned previously.
He couldn’t wait.
They were on the second floor and in the Royalty wing before whatever fire lit under Eden’s Little Maids skirt burned itself out enough for her to finally slow down. Terri’s fire was just getting started.
Eden glanced back at her, biting at her bottom lip. “Sorry about that.”
Conversation made a great distraction. One which Terri accepted gratefully. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Eden tried to laugh, as if to show she was fine, but it came out sounding a little forced. She knew it too, because she dropped the smile and changed the subject. “Tara, right?”
Even knowing they were the only two people in this particular hallway, Terri almost looked around before remembering that was indeed her fake name. “Me? Oh, yeah. Sorry. I’m still not used to the new name.”
“That’s okay. I wouldn’t be either, if I had to use one. I’ve only been here for a couple of days.” She looked down at the German Shepherd, walking in step with his human partner. “Who’s this, then?”
Terri couldn’t help answering with a touch of pride and a pat, lovingly caressed down the back of her K-9’s head. “His name is Champ.”
“He’s your partner?”
“Two years and counting,” Terri confirmed, also with a touch of pride. “I got to be a part of his initial training.”
Pausing as they came to the first door in the Royalty wing, Terri turned expectantly to Eden, who looked helplessly up and down the hall.
“So, um,” the Little Maid who was supposedly her escort said. “How do you think Champ wants to do this?”
For the first ti
me since undertaking this job, Terri felt back in her element. “One door at a time,” she replied. “Maybe we could pretend to be stocking the rooms—condoms, lube, water bottles, you know, those kinds of things. It’ll only take a second for Champ to check what he needs to, then we’ll move on to the next room until we’re done.”
“Right. Okay…” Chewing her bottom lip, Eden left Terri where she was, walking a short distance down the hall to another door. She dug a keycard out of the bust of her maid’s costume. It must have been a janitor’s closet, because she disappeared inside only long enough to wheel out a supply cart. “For cover,” she said, rolling it back to Terri.
It was a convincing one, too. The cart was full of little bars of soaps, lotions, lubricants and, crowning the pile, a box full of individually wrapped condoms. For any one person, that would have been a lifetime supply. That cart had three of those boxes stacked on it.
Raising her hand, Eden knocked on the door. The two women listened, but when no muffled sounds of movement came from inside, the escort looked at Terri and Terri nodded. She also unclipped Champ from his leash, freeing him to do his job.
From the moment Eden pushed open the door, he searched the perimeter, then zeroed in on the luggage. Terri watched for any of his tells, but there was nothing. Room one cleared. God only knew how many more there were waiting still to be checked.
“How long does it take?” Eden asked as they moved on to the next guest room. “You know, to learn how to do this?”
“Search rooms?” Terri asked, a little surprised. She shrugged. “For me or the dog? I can’t speak for Champ, but I promise I picked it up a whole lot quicker than I will all this.” She twirled her fingers in the air, not sure what words she could use to describe any part of what she’d experienced at the Castle so far that wouldn’t risk insulting her companion.
Far from insulted, Eden offered Terri a sympathetic smile as she opened the next room. “Not a lifestyler then?”
Terri sighed in relief. “No, not in the slightest, I’m way out of my comfort zone here.”
“Me too. Not that I didn’t know what I was getting into, I did. But still, the reality has been kind of overwhelming for me. I can see how it might be even more so for you.”
Settling into a comfortable conversation, the girls moved room to room with Champ clearing each one. When they reached the end of that hall, they moved on to the next. By the end of the third, the women had settled into a routine. Eden manned the keycard and the cart, and the only signal Terri picked up from Champ was the one that said he could use a break.
“That’s it for this program,” Eden said. “Littles are in the next wing over. We could probably clear all those before lunch, if you want.”
“I need to get Champ out for a walk first.”
Her companion nodded. “I could use some fresh air, too.”
“You don’t need to get back? Check in with Master Grimsley or something?”
“Probably. Then again,” she muttered, letting Terri know there was far more to the story than she really wanted to ask, “he’s probably grateful for the break. Besides, he might still be in the meeting.”
Terri blinked twice. “What meeting?”
“The meeting with Master Marshall and all the other law enforcement officers.”
Terri tried hard not to let her eyes grow any wider or to reveal just how angry she was becoming. “All the other law enforcement officers?”
It was Eden’s turn to blink. “Yeah, um… I saw it on Master Grimsley’s itinerary for today.”
Terri rolled her eyes. The damn eavesdropper had been told more about what was going on than she had, which was bullshit and pissed her off. Nick had told her to go straight back up to the room when she was done with room checks and she was simply supposed to do as she was told or her ass was on the line, literally. Well if he wanted to play that game, she could do it, too.
“You know what,” she said, abruptly making up her mind. “Let me grab his ball from my room and maybe you can show us around the grounds?”
“I only got here yesterday.” Eden shrugged. “But I’ll do my best.”
Champ’s ears perked at the word ‘ball’ and he danced in a circle around both girls.
Cracking a smile for the first time all morning, Eden crouched to give him some love. “He is such a cool dog.”
“He’s the best. Everyone says I’ve spoiled him and should force him to be more professional, but the rules for these dogs are ridiculous. He is damn good at his job without having to be a soldier all the time. Right, boy?”
Champ got into a pouncing position and let out a playful bark.
“See,” Terri announced. “He agrees. Well, buddy, I think you deserve a nice long walk and playtime, you worked harder than we did.”
Chapter 10
As she and Eden reentered the Castle, Terri couldn’t help but notice the other girl had gotten more and more distant and far less playful as the day wore on. There was definitely something going on between her and that oaf of a Master Butler, Grimsley.
“Well, um, I guess I’d better find Grumpy Butt and see if he’s come up with any new ways to torture me,” Eden stuttered as she pulled the door open, leaving Terri to wonder if Eden was looking forward to a similar fate as she herself was.
“Yeah,” Terri sighed, looking at her watch and grimacing when she saw just how much time had passed. “I better go find Nate before he has a conniption.” Knowing Nick, he was probably well past that point by now. She had originally left the Castle to make a point, but she certainly hadn’t planned to be gone as long as they had.
“Okay.” Eden turned at the main hall and disappeared around a corner, giving a little wave in Terri’s direction as she went.
“Shit, shit, shit,” Terri chanted under her breath as she turned in a circle. She needed to get back to their room, but which way did she go? She had a terrible sense of direction. Thank God for Champ. He would save her now, just as he had many times in the past.
Swallowing hard, she turned to the dog, ready to give the command that would guide her in the right direction, but before she could, a large hand clamped over her shoulder from behind.
“Aah!” she shrieked, before she could stop herself. Tightening her grip on Champ’s leash, she noticed the wagging tail and happy panting. Her stomach sank as she turned to face her attacker, knowing full well that it would be Nick.
Her partner did not look happy. No, scratch that, he looked downright furious. His entire face was tight and hard, there wasn’t a trace of mirth or amusement on his features as he wordlessly grabbed Champ’s leash from her hand. “March, now,” he growled in her ear.
“I… I would, but I don’t know the way,” she squeaked, looking down at the ground in shame and then back up at her partner.
His face went from angry to incredulous and back to angry in the flash of a second. Her mouth opened, whether it was to form an excuse or an apology, she wasn’t sure, but before she could decide, Nick scooped her around the waist and hefted her over his shoulder in one fell swoop.
“Nick—Nate!” she cried, recognizing her mistake a split second too late, just in time to be answered with a resounding swat to her upturned backside. Thank goodness for the ruffled lace panties that were part of her maid’s uniform, she thought. They actually added a nice layer of padding between her ass and his hand, a provision she was sure she wouldn’t be allowed much longer. Not if he truly intended to make good on this morning’s threats.
There were people bustling about the corridors, but none had seemed to notice her blunder or even looked in their direction and, if they did glance their way and happen to notice a red-faced butler carrying a scantily clad Maid over his shoulder, flashing her panty-clad ass to all and sundry, they didn’t bat an eye. Of course they didn’t. Bunch of sexual deviants.
Her gross faux pas sent her into a paralyzed silence. Beyond what Nick would say about it, she was disgusted with herself. Such a careless and thoughtless mistake
could have catastrophic consequences in a mission like this. She was usually much more conscientious. This place and Nick had her tied in knots. For the rest of the short trip up to their room, she remained silent, the only noises she made were soft gasps of air as she attempted to stay in a relatively comfortable position, while Nick jostled her with every step on his way up the long staircase and down the winding corridor to their room.
Her view of his backside might have been a pleasant one if she didn’t know she was about to get an ass-chewing the moment they stepped into the privacy of their room. When he paused in front of their door to swipe the keycard, her stomach jumped into her throat.
As soon as they crossed the threshold and Nick closed the door behind them, he crossed the suite to the large, king-size bed in the middle of the room. Grabbing her around the waist, he hefted her off of his shoulder and all but threw her down on the bed. The breath left her in a huff of surprise as her back connected with the firm mattress. She sat there, breathing deeply, fighting tears as she gazed at her partners. Both of them. Champ, the traitor, had done a cursory sniff around the room as soon as Nick had dropped his leash, stopped at his water bowl, and finally settled down onto the massive dog bed Marshall had provided. The look he gave her when she sought him out was one of bored contentment.
Nick, on the other hand, was a bundle of angry nerves as he paced the floor in front of the bed. Every few seconds he would open his mouth as if to speak, inhale deeply, shake his head, and close his mouth. There was nothing she could do but watch with a mixture of fear and inexplicable excitement as she waited to see what he would do and say.