Forever Yours, Sir (Doms of Decadence)
Page 1
Forever Yours, Sir
Doms of Decadence
By Laylah Roberts
Copyright
Laylah Roberts
Forever Yours, Sir.
© 2014, Laylah Roberts
Laylah.roberts@gmail.com
laylahroberts.com
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.
This story contains explicit sex scenes and light BDSM. R18
Cover Design by: Erin Dameron-Hill
Editor: Khriste Close
Dear Readers
This story was supposed to be based in Austin, with the other Doms of Decadence making an appearance. But Hunter wanted his own club, so this story ended on a different path entirely.
I hope you enjoy Cady and Hunter’s story.
Laylah
Chapter One
Hunter sat in the large, leather chair at the head of the conference table. Around the room his team stood talking, some with muffins in their hands. Tiny had been baking again. Hard to believe that a man who looked a boxer could bake. He’d taken over Jacey and Derrick’s kitchen, not that they were complaining.
Hunter took a bite of a lemon and cream cheese muffin, nearly closing his eyes in ecstasy, his taste buds dancing. Damn, that was good.
Not that any muffin was about to save Tiny from Hunter’s fury.
“All of you sit down, this isn’t a fucking PTA meeting,” he growled.
They all glanced at him warily and took their seats. Hunter wasn’t a friendly, easy going man. He had a temper and he wasn’t afraid to show it.
Gray Mathers, his partner in Black-Gray Investigations, sat to his left. Gray was dressed impeccably, as usual, in a white shirt and black slacks. Most people didn’t realize that beneath the calm exterior and expensive clothing hid a dangerous man.
Tiny sat across from Gray and took a sip of his coffee, quietly watching those around him. He was the shortest man in the room, but what he lacked in height, he made up for in muscle. His nose had been broken multiple times, lending him a menacing look.
Connor took a seat down from Tiny. Connor was their tech expert. A quiet, observant man who most people underestimated. But then most people didn’t know his background. He’d been recruited into the FBI at a young age for his hacking skills.
Jaron was the youngest member of the team, and perhaps the most personable. Hunter had hired him on last year when he’d been discharged from the U.S. Army Special Forces.
Two of the team weren’t here. Curt, who was also former Special Forces, was watching over Derrick and Jacey with Josh. Josh had been their first recruit after he and Gray had sent up Black-Gray Investigations. Like Gray and Hunter, he was an Ex-Navy SEAL.
“So someone want to tell me how the hell our client ended up in the hands of Evan Sanders when we were supposed to be watching her?” Hunter asked in a low voice.
Hunter and his team had been hired by Derrick Ashdown, Jacey’s fiancé, to protect her from Sanders and her ex-husband, Stephan Worthington.
Jacey had witnessed Worthington and Sanders murdering Worthington’s assistant, Gerry Lyons. She’d gone on the run, living on the streets, hiding from both of them. Then she’d met Derrick, a wealthy billionaire, and fallen in love. When Sanders and Worthington found her, Derrick had hired Hunter and his team to see to her protection.
Two days ago Jacey had been kidnapped by Evan Sanders. The team had gotten to her quickly and she was safe again, but it was unacceptable that she’d been taken in the first place.
Connor glanced over at Tiny before looking back at him. “We were protecting her the whole time.”
“Protecting her? How exactly? She was in a car with Sanders. She nearly died.”
“Under control,” Tiny replied. Tiny wasn’t much of a talker and he rarely spoke in full sentences.
Connor sighed. “Look, Tiny and I were in charge of looking after her, we had to make a decision when Jacey told us that Sanders had contacted her and that he was holding Derrick’s sister-in-law and her husband, that he would kill them if she didn’t go to him. We set the plan in place. She would pretend to play along with what Sanders wanted, while Tiny followed her and I tracked her through the GPS chip hidden in her necklace. If we’d refused to help her then she would have just snuck out, you know that, Hunter.”
Evan Sanders had been an evil fucker, with no conscience. He was Worthington’s half-brother and it looked like Worthington had used him to do all his dirty work.
He could easily have shot Jacey the minute she walked into that building. It could have gone disastrously wrong. It nearly had.
“They weren’t our responsibility,” Hunter growled. “Jacey was. She should have been protected at all costs. When she told you that she wanted to leave, you should have tied her up and watched her like a hawk, not helped her go to him and put herself in danger.”
“Helped us get Sanders,” Tiny interjected. Sanders had been killed as they rescued Jacey.
He glared at Tiny. “We would have gotten him eventually.” He’d made it his life’s mission to take down Evan Sanders and his half-brother, Stephan Worthington. But he would never do it at the risk to an innocent. Particularly a woman.
“Maybe,” Connor acknowledged. “But Brax and Holly Jamieson would be dead and Jacey would be a mess. It all worked out in the end, Hunter.”
Hunter stood, his fisted hands resting on the table. “It all worked out in the end?” he roared.
A knock sounded on the door and he glared over at it, daring the person to enter, wanting someone else to vent his wrath on. He knew there was truth to Connor and Tiny’s words. Everything had worked out, but there had been too many unknown factors, too many things could have gone wrong.
Hunter didn’t work like that, especially not when it came to the safety of a client, a woman. He and his team had been charged with her protection and the risk she’d taken was unacceptable.
“Come in,” he roared.
Cady stepped into the room. His anger morphed into something else. Something hotter, wilder. Her dark hair was pulled back into a pony tail, making her gorgeous, brown eyes seem larger in her too-thin face. She glanced around the room warily. She was tense, poised to flee if anyone made a wrong move toward her. She was an enigma. Tough on the outside, but he knew there was a vulnerable side to her.
A man would have to work hard to gain her trust.
But it would be worth it.
Fuck, get it together, man. It had been too long since he’d taken on a sub. Maybe, it was past time he looked at settling down.
“Ahh, hi,” she said. She remained in the doorway.
“Good morning, Cady,” Gray said warmly.
He’d only met her twice, why did he sound so friendly? Hunter sent him a sharp look. What was his interest in Cady?
“Won’t you come and sit down?” Gray stood and pulled out a chair.
Damn it. He should have done that.
Cady looked at Gray suspiciously as he held the chair out for her, making Hunter feel better. She wouldn’t trust anyone easily, even Gray who had women throwing themselves at him.
After a brief moment, she took the seat offered.
“You’re late,” Hunter barked. Gray sent him an admonishing glance as Cady stiffened and looked ready to bolt.
Smooth move, idiot.
&
nbsp; “We hope you didn’t have problems finding the hotel, Cady,” Gray interjected.
They’d appropriated one of the hotel’s conference rooms for this debrief. Derrick and Jacey needed some time with their family without them all hovering around.
“I got held up,” she muttered.
“Can I get you a coffee?” Gray asked.
“She can get it herself,” Hunter said. “Her legs aren’t broken.”
Gray stared at him for a long moment. Yeah, he knew he was acting like an asshole. He didn’t know what was wrong with him.
“I’m fine, thanks.” She gave them both a wary look.
Hunter took a deep breath. He needed to get things back on track. This was why he didn’t like working with women. They were a distraction. A weakness. They should always be protected, never placed in harm’s way.
He’d been against bringing Cady into their operation, but they’d needed a woman to pretend to be Jacey. Cady and Jacey were friends. On the outside they looked similar, but they were two completely different people. Where Jacey was sweet and fragile, Cady was tough, abrasive, untrusting.
Hunter wondered about her past. Why was she homeless? How long had she been living on the streets?
Since the moment he’d met her he’d had problems putting her from his mind. He found himself awake at night thinking about her, worrying about her. He knew he had a soft spot when it came to women. It was his belief that women were to be taken care of and never, ever put in harm’s way. Which is why he’d been resisting Gray’s demands that they hire a female on.
Up until now that was.
Hunter turned his mind back to the issue at hand. “I don’t care that everything worked out; none of you will ever risk a client’s safety like that again, especially a female, pregnant client. It happens again and whoever fucked up is gone, got me?”
He looked around at each of his men. They were good guys and he didn’t want to let any of them go, but he wouldn’t stand for any fuck-ups.
All of them nodded.
“Are we going after Worthington now?” Connor asked.
Cady had remained silent, only speaking when she was asked a question. She sat up now and looked directly at him.
“You can’t let him get away,” she said. “He’ll keep coming after Jacey. She’ll never be safe.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” he drawled. “Worthington won’t get away with anything he’s done.”
She stared at him for a long moment, those big brown eyes watching him carefully. Then she nodded.
“If Jacey went to the police and told them that she saw Worthington and Sanders murder Worthington’s assistant, he’d be toast,” Connor pointed out.
“She’s scared,” Hunter asked. “If she goes to the police then Worthington has nothing to lose, he’ll become more dangerous. At the moment Derrick just wants her safe and relaxed. All this stress isn’t good for her or the baby. Which is why he’s taking her with him to Rarotonga. Until they leave, Jaron, Tiny and I will remain here to watch over her. Worthington would be an idiot to make a move right now, but we still have to be on guard.”
“Are you sure they don’t need anyone to go to Rarotonga with them?” Jaron asked with a grin. “My tan needs some work.”
Hunter sent him a quelling look and shook his head. “The rest of you will head back to Dallas. Connor, I want you to keep watch on all of Worthington’s communications and bank accounts.”
“Think he’s going to run?” Connor asked.
“No. He’s too arrogant. At the moment he thinks he’s safe. He claims that Sanders was working on his own. But I still want to be prepared. He’s not getting away with this.”
Not again.
Cady watched the men around the table surreptitiously. With the exception of Hunter, she’d only met the others briefly. She almost hadn’t come here today, until she realized she was letting fear dictate her actions.
There was no reason for her to be afraid. She wasn’t in danger. Plus, she’d told Hunter she would come; it was part of the payment he’d promised her.
But the main reason she’d come here was Jacey.
After losing Rusty, Cady had rejected all her friends, pushed them away. She’d been determined to keep herself apart. If she didn’t let anyone close then she didn’t have to care. So how the hell she’d ended up friends with Jacey, she didn’t know. The other woman just didn’t know when she was being pushed away. She’d kept coming back until Cady had caved in.
She’d met Jacey in a homeless shelter. The other woman hadn’t belonged on the streets, that had been painfully obvious. She’d had easy mark written all over her. Cady should have minded her own business; truthfully, she had no idea why she hadn’t. Keeping her head down and not bringing attention to herself was how she survived.
So getting involved in Jacey’s issues hadn’t made much sense. But she hadn’t been able to stand by and watch the naïve girl get taken advantage of. Cady had tried to toughen her up.
How was she to know that Jacey would take that as a sign of friendship? Damn woman hadn’t left her alone after that. Always smiling at her, saying hello, trying to draw her into a conversation.
When Hunter had asked for her help she should have turned him away. Instead, she’d found herself agreeing. Not because of the money, but because she wanted to help catch the asshole threatening Jacey.
So she’d pretended to be Jacey, attending some sort of charity dinner with Derrick, Jacey’s lover. It had been a test of her endurance, all that smiling and being polite.
But she’d gotten through it and now Evan Sanders was dead. Jacey’s husband was still a problem, but if the look on Hunter’s face was anything to go by, Worthington wouldn’t be an issue for much longer.
She watched as Hunter handed his team their asses for allowing Jacey to go off and meet Sanders by herself. Even though everything had worked out, she couldn’t help but agree with Hunter.
She didn’t know Brax and Holly and she could care less about their lives. Jacey should have been protected at all costs.
Cady answered any questions directly aimed at her, but otherwise she was happy to blend into the furniture. She didn’t belong here. This wasn’t a really expensive hotel, but it was a lot nicer than the places she was used to. They hadn’t wanted to let her past the front desk; it had taken a lot of fast talking and a few false threats. Even after that one of them had escorted her to this room.
She didn’t think she looked that bad. She had clean clothes on, sure they were a bit worn in places, but they covered everything they needed to. Still, the front desk employees seemed to think she was some sort of petty thief.
Dumb asses.
“Okay, that’s all for now. You can all go. Cady, can you remain please?” Hunter turned his icy blue gaze on her.
Fuck. Why? He’d given her the money she was owed. She’d turned up here this morning, far as she was concerned her job here was done. But she waited until everyone had left and it was just the two of them left.
Hunter stood and moved toward the side table. “Coffee?” he asked.
“No thanks,” she replied stiffly, disliking the fact that he was standing behind her, but refusing to show her nervousness by turning around.
A plate of muffins was placed in front of her as Hunter took the seat next to her. She had the urge to move over and put some distance between them. He made her nervous. Not because she thought he’d hurt her, although she had no doubt he could. Without even breaking into a sweat.
But she knew he wouldn’t. Cady had good instincts about people and she didn’t think he would physically hurt her. But that didn’t mean that he wasn’t a threat. There was something about him that intrigued her. She’d actually found herself dreaming about him. She’d wake up in a light sweat, her pussy throbbing with need.
She’d never reacted this way to a man before. Just having him close enough to catch his scent, to be able to reach out and touch his skin was torturous. Her nipples hardened. Luckily her
loose shirt hid her reaction. She resisted the urge to squirm and press her thighs together as her clit swelled.
Christ, she had to get over this. It was ridiculous. She barely knew this man and after today she’d never see him again.
“Thank you for your help, Cady,” Hunter said. The words sounded slightly awkward. She’d bet he wasn’t used to thanking people.
She shrugged. “You paid me.”
He tilted his head to one side, studying her and she resisted the urge to look away. His gaze narrowed.
“That wasn’t the main reason you did this, though, is it? There was a fair amount of risk to you, but that didn’t bother you, did it? Why not?”
What was this? Twenty questions?
“Everyone was at risk,” she replied. “I got paid for a job, I did it. Just like everyone else.”
“But this is what we do, what we live for. I was impressed with how you handled yourself.”
Cady snorted. “I pretended to be Jacey. I ate some food, made small talk and tried not to show how bored I was. Not that hard.”
“You’re sensible, you’re a good shot and you can keep your cool. Gray has been at me for a while to hire a woman. There are often situations like last night that call for a woman.”
“So why haven’t you hired someone already?” Where was he going with this?
“Because I’ve been resistant to the idea. I’ve always been against putting women into dangerous situations. It goes against who I am. But with the right training, I think you’d fit in.”
“You’re offering me a job?” she asked, incredulously.
“Yes, I am. Before you reply, though, I should tell you that there would be conditions you’d need to fulfil.”
“Like what?” she asked, suspicion clouding her mind with possibilities. If he was about to ask her for a blow job she’d kick his balls so hard…
“So suspicious,” he said. “Do I want to know what you were just thinking?”
“Probably not,” she admitted. “Tell me your conditions.”