by C. J. Thomas
“Take a look around,” I said, placing my hand on the small of her back, twirling her around. She needed to really see why she was brought here. This wasn’t just any old place. No, like everything I did, there was a method to my madness—even if I didn’t fully expect it to be her to bring me the package I knew the Madam was sending.
Kendra’s head swiveled back and forth, taking the time to really check the place out more than I already assumed she had.
The building was one of my favorites. An exclusive nightclub that catered to a certain clientele. Men like me, and women like her. It was why this place was born. Kendra might not know it now, but she would soon.
“Why this place?” Her hair draped over her shoulder as she spun around to look me in the eye. “I mean, you’re not denying that you requested me. So why did you want to meet me here?”
“It’s where I told the Madam I’d be.” My voice was deep and husky as a flood of old, suppressed emotions came to surface. Once, long ago, I was a regular to the club but hadn’t been back for quite some time, not having the urge to explore my darkest fantasies since the accident. I didn’t think I’d ever be back, and if I was being honest with myself, I wasn’t entirely sure why I thought Kendra would be the one to make me want to live that lifestyle once again.
Kendra shook her head in disbelief. “So why the secrecy? If there’s nothing to hide, then just come out and say it.”
“You should know by now.” I stepped forward, meeting Kendra where she stood. “Madam’s business is kept confidential for a reason. There is always something to hide when going to work for her.” I smiled, stuffing my hands deep in my pants pockets.
Kendra rolled her eyes and let out an adorable little huff through her pouty lips I wanted to seal with my own. I could understand her curiosity to want to know the details behind everything the Madam did. She was a woman of mystery and, naturally, that was what made her such an interesting figure.
“Besides,” I took one step closer, “how many dates through the Madam weren’t a surprise?”
“All of my dates are a surprise.”
“My point exactly.” I could see the pulse tick in her neck and I knew I had her right where I wanted her. “No different than this one.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear and was still throwing daggers at me with her eyes. I reached out and clasped my fingers around her forearm, smoothing her flesh until reaching her wrist. “This is different,” she said. “None of them was like this.”
“How so?” I cocked my head to the side.
“Delivering that envelope, for starters,” she said, holding up the now empty package. “You should have heard what Madam said about that thing. My head was spinning trying to decide if this delivery was a suicide mission.”
I tossed my head back and laughed, still playing with her fingers inside my hand. “Sweetheart, it wasn’t what was inside that was dangerous. No,” I dropped my chin and lowered my voice, “it’s me who is dangerous.”
Kendra shifted her feet and glanced around me to gaze at the soft glow coming from beneath the entrance door at the front of the building.
“Relax.” I squeezed her hands. “There isn’t anything you have to worry about.”
“I’m relaxed.” She openly stared. “I’m not worried.”
A chuckle worked its way up my chest. “Besides, you need a little adventure in your life, don’t you?”
Her eyes widened with surprise and darted across my face.
She couldn’t answer me because we both knew it was true. We’d known it the first time we locked eyes with each other and, ever since, our sexual attraction simmered hot enough to leave scars. She swallowed the lump in her throat and asked, “Did you have the Madam set this up?”
I bent over and placed my lips close to her ear. “I always get what I want.” She swallowed hard, her lids hooding her eyes. “You can deny you didn’t want this, but I can see it in the way you look at me.”
“I’m not denying anything,” she whispered.
“Good. Because the moment you do, I’ll have to punish you for it.” My voice was dark and husky, causing a shiver to work its way down her arms.
She turned away, slipping her hands out of mine, and pretended to study the walls. My dick was pressing against my zipper and I was close to taking her here, now, relieving the pain drawing my balls tight.
I knew she was wet, completely aroused by me. And as I watched her explore, it didn’t take her long to realize what type of club this was. It was dark and completely out of the way—the kind of place stories were made.
“Tell me this, Mr. Black.” She turned and glanced in my direction, holding her head high. “If this was Madam’s idea, why would she want me to be with you?”
“Because I’m the only one who can handle you.”
“You? Doubtful.” She huffed out a laugh, rooting her fist into her hip. “I’ve seen Madam’s client portfolio. There are plenty of men who would pay top dollar for this.” She lifted both her index fingers and pointed at her chest.
“You’re right.” I inched my way to her. “Madam has an extensive list of clients, however, none of her employees—and that’s what you are—would still be breathing if they made a client like Oscar Buchanan walk away from her services entirely.”
Kendra’s ears turned red with embarrassment.
“Everyone knows that you ditched Oscar for me.” I smiled.
“That’s not how it happened, and you know it!” She grinded her teeth, jabbing her finger into my chest.
“Imagine how it must seem to someone who wasn’t there.” The crinkles around my eyes deepened.
“You’re unbelievable.” She stomped her foot and growled.
“You see, it’s not what happened that matters.”
She gave me a questioning look.
“It’s how the story is told.” I placed my hands on her perfectly formed hips, smiling. “Remember that.”
“Maybe Oscar was right.” Her tongue wet her lips. “Criminal defense lawyers can’t be trusted.”
I stared into her gaze, determined not to be the first to look away. She needed to know who the dominant one was. “Come. Let me show you something,” I said, taking her by the hand and leading her down the dark hallway and stepping into another room, needing her to see what a future with me entailed.
“So if you’re so good at telling stories, tell me this.” She threaded her hand around my waist, pulling herself up on me. “What were you doing at her office the other day?”
My hand cupped her face, brushing her cheek lightly with the pad of my thumb. She was so beautiful, she had no idea how dangerous it was. “I was there for the same reason you were.”
“Does Jerome inspect you for market, too?” Her eyes flashed with amusement.
I dropped my head and chuckled. “Not exactly.”
She pressed more of her weight against me, raking her eyes over my face as she played with my tie, tugging and pulling where she saw fit. “Are you her lawyer?”
“I’m lots of people’s counsel.”
She dropped her gaze to our feet and nodded. “So, what’s next then, Counselor?” She angled her head up to meet my gaze.
“Reach inside my jacket and find out.”
Her eyes danced with mine as she debated whether or not to trust me with my first request.
“It’s all right. I’m not asking for you to reach inside my pants.”
“Maybe you should,” she teased as she pulled out a perfectly folded piece of paper. “What’s this?” Her heels hit the floor as she stepped back to open it up.
“A contract.”
Her shoulders slumped. “Why?”
“Because, then,” I reached out to gently tug her hair, “you won’t be able to ditch me like you did Oscar.” I tugged again as my free hand came to rest on the small of her back. “Or sell anything you learn about me to the media.”
“I can’t even read it.” She looked down at the paper. “It’s too dark in
here.”
I reached behind me and flicked a switch, stepping away from her. Slowly, Kendra’s eyes peeled off the paper and widened into large discs as she took in her surroundings.
“Because dating me will be like dating no one else you’ve ever dated before.” I reached up and tugged on a chain hanging from the ceiling. “Once you agree to this,” I jabbed the contract she was holding in her hand, “there is no going back.”
“Kelly,” she mewed, “does the Madam know about this?”
“I’m not interested in only having arm candy for fancy dinner dates. I can get those without them signing their freedom away.”
“But you want me to lick your lollipop,” she said without thought.
Her response was pure, genuine, and how could I not laugh? Kendra had a way with words, and I knew she and I would make a great team. “I want you to be mine—fully.”
Her eyes dropped back to the document as I made my way to the toy chest. “But I’ve already signed a non-disclosure with the Madam.”
I reached down and picked up a wooden paddle, slapping it across the palm of my hand a couple of times, feeling the sting awaken my skin. Then I turned around and moved back to Kendra. Her eyes were glued to the paddle when I said, “That’s to protect her.”
“Then who’s to protect me?”
I slapped the paddle down hard across my hand again. “You’re looking at him.”
13
Kendra
“You told him you’d think about it?” Alex tucked her feet up underneath her and gripped her wine glass with both hands.
“Yeah. What’s wrong with that?” I gulped down a thick swallow of my own wine.
“No reason.” Alex averted her gaze. “It’s just, I thought you liked this man.”
“I do.” I peeked over my rim. “Like, a lot.”
“Then I don’t see what the big deal is.”
I lowered my glass. “You don’t see what the big deal is?” My neck craned out as I felt my eyes widen. “No. You’re right. It’s not a big deal.” I waved my hand through the air and dropped my voice down to more of a conversational and less accusatory tone. “Except for the fact that the moment I sign it, I’ll be his possession and I’ll lose all my cards.”
Alex stuck her tongue out at me. How could I not love her? She was my voice of reason and the one person I could trust when in need of life advice. And with Kelly wanting me to sign my life away, I was in desperate need of advice.
I set my wine glass down on the glass coffee table and picked up the contract again. Between the two of us, Alex and I must have read it a million times. But I read it again for the hell of it, pacing back and forth in front of the windows, thinking of a way to hit him back. I had nothing and was feeling defeated. I finally collapsed into the fluffy corner of the couch, letting out an exaggerated sigh.
“You know, Nash likes to be in control, too,” Alex reasoned, but I wasn’t listening.
It was impossible to not be attracted to Kelly. And that was half the reason why he was so frustrating. He was the type of man who commanded a room the moment he walked inside. Men like him controlled the conversation with style and grace, sprinkled with a dash of dominance that left me yearning for what it would be like to completely submit.
Alex kept talking about Nash and I nodded when it was appropriate but mostly I was stuck inside my own head.
Nash wasn’t all that different from Kelly. I’d give Alex that. They were both alpha males who would fight tooth and nail to get what they thought was rightfully theirs. Nash did that with Alex, and now it felt like this man, Kelly Black, was determined to do the same with me.
Except there was a difference.
I’d seen it in Kelly’s eyes. The dark shadows that glimmered against a moonlit night. That look he kept giving me made me both curious and terrified to know what the cause of it was. Kelly was damaged and I wasn’t sure that I was the right one to fix him.
Nash didn’t have that extra baggage. Or, at least, not that I knew about. And what was with the Madam contradicting herself? Was Kelly really as dangerous as she made him out to be? And if he was, then why would he admit it himself? Maybe he was a dangerous man, but not in the ways that I should be worried about. He was a lawyer. Weren’t all lawyers dangerous?
“Are you even listening to me?” Alex said.
I glanced at her and she was pretending to not be staring a hole into the side of my head. “You remember when we thought Nash was cheating on you?”
“I’d like it if we didn’t talk about that. I’m still embarrassed by it.”
I dropped my feet to the floor, leaned forward, and rested my elbows on my knees. “Just hear me out.”
“Fine,” she said, hiding behind the rim of her glass. “But only because I love you.”
“So, we thought he was cheating only to find out that it was his daughter kissing his cheek.”
“I still can’t believe I overreacted like that.” She cleared her throat. “Thanks for reminding me how pathetic I am. I don’t deserve him.” Alex glanced at the calendar with a longing look on her face and I knew she was counting down the days until Nash was back home, tucking her away safely inside his arms. “What’s your point?”
“Maybe we need to do some research on Kelly.”
Alex tossed back the rest of her wine, set her glass down, and pranced across the room to take her laptop between her hands. “On it!”
She was way too excited for this, I thought as a small pang of regret twisted my gut.
“Do you think we’ll find something juicy?” Alex wiggled her brows.
All the warning signs were there for us to find something on him. Hopefully it wouldn’t be something that I didn’t already know. Kelly Black was dark, precarious, and completely mysterious. “Doubtful,” I said, snuggling up next to Alex’s shoulder as she typed his name into the search query.
Kelly’s face populated the screen like a billboard advertising his services. Next came his law firm website. Information about him or his firm came up as some of the top results. We skimmed a click here, a click there, and he was clean as a whistle.
“Has Nash taken you to Mint yet?”
Alex snapped her head in my direction and gave me a look. When my eyes widened, her cheeks flushed and she said, “No. He hasn’t.”
“Oh.” I frowned. “Was that not an okay question to ask?”
She turned back to the screen. “I prefer the softer side of romance.”
I laughed. “And what the hell does that mean?”
“You know … vanilla.”
I clutched my stomach and fell back laughing. “You’re so full of shit.”
“Okay. Maybe a part of me is interested in exploring more of that lifestyle.”
I pointed at her. “I knew it!”
“What about you? Why are you asking, anyway?”
“I know we followed Nash there that one night, but I guess I’m just curious to know if that’s the only location or if there are others. I thought maybe you would know by now.”
Alex’s head slowly rolled back to me and knitted her brows. “More than one location of Mint?”
I nodded. “Do you know? Is there?”
“What’s going on? Are you getting into the lifestyle?”
I didn’t want to answer that right now so, I thought it best to deflect her question and get on with our internet search. “Here, type Kelly Black tabloid news.”
Alex’s fingers tapped away and, once again, our internet search produced nothing worthwhile. “I don’t know.” She cocked her head. “I think you might have found a winner. He seems pretty boring.”
Alex didn’t look too closely at the face I saw. Besides, the Kelly I knew in person versus the Kelly on the internet looked quite different. And maybe she was joking, but I knew that Kelly was a catch.
She nodded as she read the site she opened up. “He’s an incredible defense attorney. Looks great in a suit. Oh, and look here—” Alex angled the screen so I cou
ld see, “—he even drives a fancy car.”
“This is worthless,” I said, falling back into the couch. “He’s squeaky clean. At least on the internet, and even that should make me suspicious enough to question his intentions.”
Alex pushed the laptop forward and said, “I say sign it.”
“I can’t.”
“Why? He’s perfect. Look at him.”
She wasn’t even looking. This was just her ploy to get me involved in experiences worth gossiping about. I was all she had left now that Nash had her on lock down. And with Nash out of town, it was up to me to bring home the stories. “None of this adds up. I know there must be some kind of dirt on him.”
“Not everyone is like you.” Her lips flattened.
I shot her an arched look.
“Besides, what’s the worst that can happen?” The lines on her forehead deepened when she raised her brows.
My body lurched forward, swiping the stupid contract off the table in front of us, and I said, “The Madam’s agency already has this kind of paperwork in place.”
Alex’s chin scrunched into her neck as she leaned away from the flailing papers I had stuffed in her face.
“Okay. I get it.” She swatted the papers away from her face. “Why the need for his own unless he’s into some really kinky stuff? Is that what you’re asking?”
I bit the inside of my cheek and shrugged. “Yeah. I guess so.”
“Oh. My God.” She gasped. “That’s why you were asking about Mint.”
“I was set up.” I stood, needing to work the adrenaline flowing through my veins out of me. “The Madam set this all up, and he told her where I should meet him.”
“So they were both in on it?”
I crossed my arms, thinking. “It certainly seems that way. But I don’t think she knows about this contract he wants me to agree to.” I turned to face the window, unfolding one of my arms and bringing my hand to my mouth. “I don’t think I was at Mint—” I pinched my bottom lip, “—but it certainly was a place just like it.”
“Are you interested in that stuff?”