Black Light: Exposed (Black Light Series Book 2)

by Jennifer Bene

  “Thanks, I needed one of those.” Jamar palmed it and then smiled at her. “So, you ready to meet the parents this weekend?”

  Just the mention of it sent Maddie’s stomach into knots. “Ugh, please don’t remind me, I want to enjoy my coffee.”

  “Come on, it wasn’t so bad when he met your parents.”

  “Correction – it was a nightmare. Having them show up here in D.C. because I didn’t come home when I told them I was going to, was not the best introduction.” She groaned under her breath as she pulled her coffee cup from the machine and started to stir the mixture together.

  “You said they loved him.”

  “Of course they loved him! He’s fucking charming, it’s what got him elected!”

  Jamar made a face as he stepped up and propped his mug under the spout to start his own cup. “I still can’t believe you’re with a politician. There’s a reason people think they’re slimy.”

  “This coming from the guy married to a bloodsucking lawyer?” Maddie asked, dropping an ice cube into her coffee so she could bring it back from the brink of boiling.

  “Hey now, that bloodsucking lawyer is carrying my beautiful child inside her.” He grinned at her as he put the single packet of Splenda into his coffee, stirred it for half a second, and then took a long sip just to torment her.

  “You’re going to have no sensation left to your tongue if you keep drinking coffee that hot.”

  “Nina never complains,” he replied calmly and she almost choked before she was able to swallow enough to laugh out loud.

  “Gilligan, that is so wrong.”

  “You don’t get to play the blushing game with me anymore. Not when you come in here with sex hair pretty much every damn day.”

  Maddie lowered her voice to a hiss, “I do not have sex hair every day.”

  “Yes, you do.”

  “No, I do not!” She huffed, taking another drink of her coffee, because she needed way more caffeine before she was able to deal with Jamar.

  “Listen, slimy politician or not, I’m glad you’ve got him. You’re happy, that’s obvious, and his parents are going to love you.”

  “We’ll see.” Maddie shrugged, still so nervous anytime she thought about meeting former Senator Hathaway and his still stunning wife, along with Thomas’ older brother and his wife and two girls. An entire family, from an entirely different walk of life than hers, who lived on a veritable estate in upstate New York. “I’m about ninety-percent sure I’m going to say fuck within the first fifteen minutes of meeting them.”

  This time it was Jamar who almost choked on his coffee. “Yeah, you might want to avoid that.”

  “I always do something stupid when I’m nervous like that. Did Brenda ever tell you about how I knocked over my cup of water in my interview with her?”

  “Leslie Knope would never speak ill of anyone on her staff,” he answered, but then he grinned. “I did have to bring her paper towels though.”

  Maddie groaned. “See? I’m going to do something ridiculous like that, and they’re going to question why on earth he’s slumming it with someone like me.”

  “Ginger?” Jamar said her nickname in a quiet way, and she forced herself to look at him. “They would be lucky to have you in their lives, if that’s where this thing ends up, but I can tell you one thing for sure… A man like Thomas Hathaway wouldn’t be bringing you within fifty miles of his parents if he didn’t have plans on keeping you around, and I mean keeping you around in the gonna-put-a-ring-on-it kind of way.”

  Oh.

  She swallowed slowly, suddenly feeling a little dizzy, and weirdly excited at the same time. “We’ve known each other a month.”

  With a big grin, he simply shrugged. “When you know someone’s the one, time doesn’t really matter so much. I knew I loved Nina on our first date, and the look you’ve had on your face lately tells me that you already know.”

  “This isn’t a fairy tale, Jamar. We didn’t exactly have the most perfect start to everything.” The memories of the dark week when she’d been without him haunted her. That horrible series of days when her lies had been uncovered and nothing seemed to matter anymore because Thomas wasn’t there.

  “All the greatest love stories start off messy. It’s the fact that real love can overcome anything, can carry you through anything, can forgive anything that makes it great.”

  Maddie couldn’t help but smile at him. “Since when did you become a romantic?”

  “I’ve always been a romantic, you’ve just been cynical.” He winked at her, and snagged her left hand from where it hung at her side. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s already got a ring.”

  “Don’t be stupid,” she said as she snatched her hand back, but as Jamar laughed and walked back towards his desk she stared at the empty ring finger on her left, and she realized Thomas had kissed that very place in the car that morning. “No way...”

  Lifting her eyes, she saw Jamar laughing with someone as he sat down at his desk. He pointed at the little grainy photo with pride, and for an instant she imagined a little boy with Thomas’ brown hair running through the halls of the Georgetown house. A red-headed little girl propped on the counter in the kitchen as Thomas tried, and failed, to flip pancakes.

  Shaking her head, she tried to brush the visions from her mind, but as she walked back into the office she knew one thing for sure. If Thomas Hathaway asked her to be his, she’d answer like she always did:

  I’m yours. Always.

  THE END

  End Notes

  I hope you loved this new story in the world of Black Light. Before you go, it would mean the world to me that if you liked this book that you take a few minutes to write a review and capture how you’re feeling right now so other readers can find my work! Reviews are truly one of the most effective ways to help authors out, and I would be very grateful.

  Again, thank you for reading and if you enjoyed this one I hope you’ll check out one of my other books. They’re all listed on the last pages, but first I have a delicious sneak peek of the upcoming ‘Black Light: Valentine Roulette’ anthology which will come out in early February 2017! Eight of your favorite authors, eight very kinky stories, and you’re about to see the opening chapter that describes how it all comes about. Not to mention, a special scene with Jaxson, Chase, and Emma from Livia Grant!

  Enjoy, lovelies!

  SNEAK PEEK

  The incredibly hot anthology ‘Black Light: Valentine Roulette’ will be here soon! Don’t skip this sneak peek!

  Three hours. Four hard limits. Eight sexy stories.

  Early January, Runway Club Offices

  "All right. We've been at this for two hours and need to wrap things up." Jaxson Davidson tried his hardest to wrangle the vocal group of managers gathered around the conference table into some semblance of order. He'd purposefully hired strong leaders when he'd opened Runway a month ago, because after spending most of his adult life in front of cameras, he knew he didn't know enough about the dance club and bar industry, even with Chase and Emma at his side.

  The good news was that his new business was off to an overwhelming success.

  The bad news was that having all of these strong personalities in the same space was not working as the well-oiled machine he'd hoped for, yet, which meant he was staying more involved in the day to day decisions than he'd planned.

  "I'm sorry, but we still haven't nailed down the Valentine's Day ideas and since we're only five weeks out, we need to finish those plans, even if it takes another two hours." Maxine Torres, Runway's general manager, was the antithesis of Jaxson's style, but although he wanted to strangle her most of the time, he was grateful he'd hired her. He and Chase might pony up the bankroll and name recognition for the club, but he knew Maxine was the reason it was a runaway success. She was a damn fine bar manager.

  "Fine. What's still outstanding?" He impatiently tried to push her along.

  Maxine clicked away on the tablet she carried with her eve
rywhere.

  "We still need to decide on door prizes and gifts to be passed out to all attendees." Carrie Fung, their publicist and media specialist, rarely got a word in edgewise, but she sat at attention, ready to be heard. "It needs to be something we can put the Runway logo on and that people will want to keep and see often."

  "How about packets of condoms with our logo? We could add a comment wishing them a 'Happy and Safe Valentine's Day’." Their DJ, Marvin Washington, better known as DJ Elixxir, had made the same suggestion at their last staff meeting.

  As expected, Blake Howard, the head of security, shot the idea down. "I keep telling you that we have to break up enough couples having sex on the premises already without encouraging it by passing out rubbers."

  DJ Elixxir grinned. "I know, but it's so fun to look down from my balcony and watch people going at it like rabbits to the beat of my music."

  Blake shot back, "There's a place for that shit in this building, and the dance floor isn't it."

  Jaxson shot his head of security a warning glare. Most of the people crowded in around the table were not privy to the fact that a top-secret BDSM club was one floor below the dance floor and Jaxson wanted to keep it that way. Knowledge of the secret club was on a need-to-know basis, and blabbermouth Elixxir certainly did not need to know.

  Carrie interjected with a thankfully better idea. "I was thinking we could buy small tins of breath mints with our Runway logo on it and pass those out. And maybe for the women… long-stemmed roses with a Runway ribbon. And as always, we'll have the step and repeat with the red carpet where the photographer will take commemorative photos – at a hefty profit for us of course."

  Jaxson jumped in, "I love those ideas. Let's make it happen."

  Maxine glared at him for his continued rush job, but didn't interrupt.

  Blake gave a warning, "We've been turning people away at the door every night since we opened so I know it will be a madhouse on the weekend before Valentine's Day. Just a reminder that I'm gonna be riding my boys at the door hard to avoid getting dinged by the fire marshal again. We've already had one warning that we were over our approved capacity, the next one's going to come with a big ass fine."

  "Well that's your department so you'd better watch that closely. I'm gonna kick your ass if you get us shutdown." Jaxson meant the warning.

  Sensing the meeting was wrapping, Maxine took charge as she always did to recap action items and decisions. She ran a tight ship and as annoying as it was, he knew they needed her.

  "So to recap, we'll have the Crushing Stones back again for a concert on that Saturday night. The show will start at 8pm. Doors will open at 6pm and we'll be selling limited VIP tickets in advance at six times the door ticket price."

  "Holy shit, that would be $120 bucks," the stage manager, Arianna Esposito, squeaked.

  "Yes, and a bargain. Their big arena shows have tickets going for twice that and they'll get an up close and personal view of Cash and the boys here at Runway," Maxine countered before continuing. "We'll pass out the roses to the women and the breath mints to the men as they arrive. Noah, remind us again what you've got planned."

  Their head bartender, Noah Garner, piped up, "I've got two thousand glasses ordered for that night with the Runway logo on it. We'll be serving a new drink I've created called a Runway Love Potion and they'll keep the glass as a souvenir."

  Jaxson had almost forgot Chase was in the room, sitting on the couches behind him with Emma, until he piped in, "They are fucking awesome. I think we should keep them on the menu year round."

  Jaxson hadn't tasted the drink yet, but he'd been the beneficiary of a pretty tipsy Chase and Emma the week before, when they'd come home frisky as hell after acting as guinea pigs for Noah's experiments for just the right recipe. He could attest that the cocktails had worked as a very effective love potion that night.

  "Alright, that's it for now. We'll have one more staff meeting in two weeks to nail down any last minute items. Everyone have a great day and get back to work." Jaxson dismissed them, anxious to get on to the second and more important meeting of the day.

  Most of the occupants of the room stood and headed for the door, chatting amicably. As expected, the head of his security – and the only man who had sat completely silent in the first meeting – Spencer Cook, remained behind. Unfortunately, so did Maxine.

  As soon as the door closed on the office, Maxine spoke up, "Okay, it's time I find out what the hell is going on around here."

  Jaxson had known this day was coming. He'd been dodging her prying questions for weeks. "Maxine, it's best if you just get back to work. It's getting late and I know you have to pick up your kids after school soon."

  She grinned triumphantly. “Not today. I told Eric he had to pick them up because I had to stay late for a meeting.”

  Blake piped in, “Your meeting wrapped on time.”

  “Not that meeting. THIS meeting. The one you guys always have without me,” she glowered.

  The serious looking man in the sharp suit, who’d sat silently for two hours, finally spoke. “You’re not invited. Out.” Jaxson’s friend, Spencer, had always been a man of few words. He was used to dealing with women who were the antithesis of Maxine Torres. As a result, Jaxson’s top two employees were like two sheets of sand paper when they got close enough to rub each other.

  Maxine didn’t back down, instead she put her high-heeled shoes up on the now vacant chair next to her as if to convey she was settling in for the long haul. She stared Spencer down with her best glare before responding, “I’m the manager of this club. That means I need to know everything that goes on here.”

  “You know everything you need to know.”

  “Apparently not, since I don’t have a clue what the hell you guys are up to.”

  Spencer broke into a threatening smile that Jaxson had seen many times before. “You couldn’t handle it.”

  “I’m a married mother of three kids; one a teenager. We have three dogs, two cats, and one rabbit. My seventy-three year old mother lives next door and I’m the president of the PTA. Not to mention, I put in fifty hours a week making Runway the premier club east of the Mississippi. I can handle anything,” Maxine countered with confidence.

  “Well, this meeting has nothing to do with Runway, pets, or families, so you are excused,” Spencer answered in his condescending way.

  Maxine crossed her arms with a humph showing no sign of backing down and Jaxson wasn’t surprised.

  “Maxine, Spencer is right. It is best if you head to your own office now.”

  She changed tactics, turning to look back at Chase and Emma still sitting on the couch to the side. “Why do they get to stay and I don’t? I’m the manager.”

  “Of Runway, yes. The following meeting is about another venture we have invested in that is not under your control,” Jaxson argued more sternly.

  He saw her eyes widen a sliver, excited she had him talking. “But it is under the same roof, which means I need to know about it. Don’t think I don’t notice you all disappearing down the back hallway every night around ten when you think I’ve gone home for the night.”

  She’d hit a sore spot with Jaxson. He hated to admit it, but he’d been trying to sneak down to Black Light without Maxine noticing and it was quite frankly pissing him off. He resented having to curtail his movements in his own club because he didn’t want to make waves with an employee.

  I’m the boss, dammit.

  “Maxine, don’t forget that you work here. We own the place. Chase, Emma, and I can come and go as we please.”

  “That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it. There is something fishy going on around here and I don’t like it. If you guys are selling drugs or running some other secretive underground illegal business, I better damn well know about it. I didn’t sign up to be involved with anything like that.”

  Spencer barked an annoyed laugh. “Oh for Christ’s sake, there is nothing illegal going on here.”

  “Pro
ve it,” Maxine shouted back.

  “I don’t need to prove shit to you. You have your job. I have mine and God willing, never the two shall meet,” Spencer’s voice was rising. Jaxson knew his friend would blow soon if he didn’t get Maxine under control.

  She barged ahead with her next argument. “Then why is he even here during the Runway meetings? If I don’t get to come to his meetings, he shouldn’t be at mine,” the manager reasoned.

  Jaxson had wondered himself why Spencer chose to come. His friend’s answer only increased the tension in the room.

  “I need to know everything that goes on in this building.”

  “And I don’t?” Maxine countered. “And what’s with that anyway. Blake here is head of security. If anyone needs to know what is going on everywhere in the building, it’s him, not you.”

  “Which is why he is allowed to stay.” Spencer’s normally unreadable face was turning a bit red as Maxine continued to challenge him.

  “Just tell me what is downstairs and I’ll leave.”

  “You couldn’t handle five minutes down there.”

  “What, you have a built-in torture chamber?” Maxine chuckled.

  “Something like that.” His reply startled her into silence.

  Jaxson had had enough. “All right you two. You are both important to our success here. I think Spencer is right, though, Maxine. I can assure you there is nothing illegal going on. I think you’ll be happier staying in the dark.”

  “And I know I won’t rest until I know.” She changed tactics. “He sat silently for my meeting. All I’m asking for is the same courtesy. I want to sit silently during his meeting.”

  Tit-for-tat. That was the game she was playing. Spencer’s eyes lit up with a dangerous twinkle at the thought of shocking his counterpart.

  Jaxson relented. They were barely a month in and Maxine was already acting like a sleuth. They might as well cut her in on their little secret. “Not one word out of you, got it?”