by Cassie Ryan
Dex motioned for her to go ahead, the concern etching his features showing her he was sincere. Normally, she would duck outside to make a call, but being rude was the last thing on her mind right now.
The phone rang, but almost immediately went to voicemail. Her chest tight, she left a quick message, even though her voice shook and cracked. She told Aunt Gloria that if she needed anything at all to call her immediately, day or night. She also told her she would keep them in her prayers, and added that she loved them both, before she hung up with tears streaming down her face.
Fear and frustration at not having any more answers than she had a moment ago constricted her throat. She looked at Dex. “Did they list a hospital on the news report?”
Dex studied her before closing his hand over hers in a silent offer of comfort that she appreciated and basked in.
He shook his head. “They didn’t, but I’m sure it will be a madhouse no matter where he is, with the press vying for a story.”
She hadn’t thought of that, but he was right. Not to mention that Carl and Gloria had several sons and daughters who had probably gone immediately to the hospital. She would only be in the way—a distraction Aunt Gloria didn’t need. So although she ached to see Uncle Carl and reassure herself that he was all right, it was selfish and wouldn’t help him recover. “You’re right. It was just such a shock.”
“I’m sorry, Kate. It sounds like you were very close. Would your father have more details for you?”
She shook her head as she brushed at her tears with the back of her hand. “Carl and my mother were good friends back before he was elected. He and my father had a lot of business dealings, but don’t like each other personally. Since my mother died, the only time I see Uncle Carl is when we meet for lunch every few months as his schedule allows.”
She took a breath, thinking about the last time she had seen him. Even in his seventies he still had salt-and-pepper hair—too stubborn to let it go entirely white, he would always say. Just like the man himself. He was healthy and strong, and her heart ached at the thought of anything bad happening to him.
Dex watched her, his expression compassionate. “Did he ever mention anything about work?”
She shook her head. “Not really. Did they say the shooting was related to his work in Congress?”
“They didn’t give many details at all.” Dex frowned. “I was just curious. I’m sure anyone who works in that environment makes a lot of enemies as well as friends.”
Kate nibbled her bottom lip as she thought back—a nervous habit that she was constantly trying to break whenever she caught herself doing it. “There were only a few times I ever remember him talking about work to me directly. Usually some frustration over riders being slid into bills before they were brought up for a vote. He said he was always careful to watch for those and would vote against bills that had what he termed ‘poison pills,’ even if the overall bill was good.”
Dex wiped his fingers before setting his napkin aside. “I think poison pills are par for the course in Washington, from what I understand. But the congressman must be doing something right. Hasn’t he been reelected several times?”
A slow smile blossomed across her face as she nodded. “It’s nice to know an honest politician. Growing up in the Fretwell house gave me a decidedly mixed opinion about them. But Uncle Carl has always shown me that doing it right is possible.”
She thought about all the meetings her father had with different senators and representatives when she still lived at home. There were quite a few times she saw money change hands and discussions become heated when her father thought she wasn’t around.
Her father had never met with any of the politicians she had been a submissive for—at least as far as she knew, though she realized there were probably some he had met without her knowledge, both before and after she had moved out. As she played with more of those in the political hierarchy, the chances that one knew her father grew exponentially.
She inwardly cringed at that thought and glanced up at Master Dex.
What would her father think of him, an analyst and part-time self-defense instructor? Kate didn’t think Richard Fretwell would be pleased. Which only proved to her that her father operated from the wrong set of criteria when judging people. People were more than just what they could do for you, and she hoped one day her father would learn that.
Chapter 9
Dex’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out under the table to see Shapiro’s name flash across the screen. Reluctantly he lifted the phone so Kate could see it. If the lead analyst on his case was calling this late, it had to be important. He cast her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. Work. I need to take this. I’ll be right back.”
She shooed him away with a smile.
He realized she was once again reading him well, and had picked up on his discomfort about answering the phone to talk business while he was with her.
He made his way to the front door and ducked outside into the parking lot, where there were only a few people left milling about and talking in between their cars.
He quickly answered before Shapiro hung up.
“Alexander.”
“Dex. I’m sorry. Tanner said you were meeting with Kate Fretwell. Can you talk?”
Dex glanced around, and seeing no one close by, returned his attention to the conversation at hand. “Yes, for a minute. What’s going on?”
“We’ve found some possible ties between some of Miss Fretwell’s graphic design projects and the amounts and locations of the large cash deposits around the country. But we need more information.”
Dex stiffened, and his stomach churned at the thought of Kate involved in this. His first instinct was to protect her, especially now that he was her Dom, but he bit that back and shifted firmly into field agent mindset. “What do you need from me?”
Shapiro cleared his throat, and Dex heard papers shuffling over the phone line. “Find out everything you can about her projects for Merestone Resorts, and what kind of work she does for them. We’re digging into them from our side.”
“That’s kind of broad. What ties have you found?”
“There are changes she has implemented on the front pages of their sites at different locations around the nation that might correspond to amounts and locations of the deposits we’re seeing. It’s a tenuous connection right now, but I have a hunch it might be more solid than we realize.” The man paused for a moment as if catching his breath. “I don’t believe in coincidences. So far, we’ve identified eight over the last year, and are continuing to analyze for more. She does these changes for Merestone almost weekly.”
Dex took a deep breath, shoving aside his personal feelings and letting his logical side take over. “Give me a few quick examples so I know what kind of pattern to be on the lookout for.”
“Last month in Hawaii there was a change implemented that added five silver dollars to the front page of the site for the Big Island. Over the next week there was five hundred thousand dollars added across four accounts belonging to someone who lives on the island who we’ve had under surveillance on another case for having possible ties to recruiting for terrorist organizations.”
“Okay,” Dex said, waiting for more, since what he’d heard so far didn’t sound like much.
Shapiro drew in a heavy breath. “The month before that she added four cats to the front logo of the site for the time-share branch in South Dakota. Over the next week, four hundred thousand dollars was donated to two Super PACs of politicians who are from that state and are notorious for adding poison pills onto bills for special interests.”
A fire truck turned onto the street in front of the restaurant with sirens blazing. Dex waited until it was far enough away Shapiro would most likely be able to hear him again. “Sorry, go ahead.”
His analyst cleared his throat before going on. “I know it doesn’t sound like much, but we have things like this going back for over a year. In each instance, the change on
a certain city’s site for Merestone Resorts coincides with a dollar amount that flowed into that city in some very prominent way. And each one has a possible or definite money trail back to known or suspected terrorists. We’ve identified the changes made to the sites, and now that we have an idea of the pattern, it will take some time to track down the corresponding money connections.”
Dex scowled. He had done searches like that many times when he was an analyst. He understood exactly how much time it could take. But that didn’t make it any easier to be patient when he was the one out in the field.
Two men stumbled out of the restaurant behind him, obviously drunk and weaving unsteadily. Since Norms didn’t serve alcohol, they must have either gone in drunk or snuck in some of their own.
Dex moved off to the right of the entrance to avoid them crashing into him.
Like Shapiro, he wasn’t a believer in coincidence, but he would bet Kate wasn’t knowingly involved in this. If he was right, he had to prove it, and find out who really was responsible. “Thanks, Shapiro. I’m on it. I’ve got to get back.”
When the man mumbled a goodbye and hung up, Dex pasted a smile on his face and headed inside to Kate.
Before he reached the table, he could see she had been crying again, and she looked upset. He sat and then took her hand in his. “What’s wrong?”
She raised her large green eyes to his, still glistening with moisture. “Aunt Gloria called me back.” She looked down at her plate, not meeting his gaze as he squeezed her hand. “Uncle Carl is as well as can be expected. He’s stable, and his prognosis looks good. You were right. Besides their kids and grandkids, there are a ton of reporters as well as law enforcement and his protection detail milling around.”
She frowned. “I didn’t even know he had a protection detail. He didn’t the last time we had lunch.” She swiped at a tear that slipped down her cheek. Dex reached out and caught the drop on his finger before caressing her face. She leaned against his palm, accepting his offer of comfort, and laid her hand over his to keep it in place. He noticed her hand was trembling.
“My aunt said the security detail was a recent addition, so the Feds must have known something was going to happen. So why the hell didn’t they keep him safe?”
As her voice grew louder, people nearby turned to look. When Kate saw the increased attention, she ducked her chin against her chest.
Dex wished he could answer her question, but knew he couldn’t.
He squeezed her hand. “I’m glad she was able to get back with you. At least you know your uncle is all right.”
Kate nodded, her bottom lip wobbling a bit, showing she was still fighting tears. She had pushed her plate away unfinished. She had most likely lost her appetite as soon as she’d found out about the shooting.
Dex felt bad about that, but when he heard the news report, it had presented him the perfect opportunity to bring it up and gauge her reaction.
He wasn’t sure if the FBI had anything to do with the timing of the release of information. It had worked out well for the case, but the sadness that darkened Kate’s demeanor made his chest ache.
She sniffed, and her brows were drawn together as she struggled not to cry.
“Don’t be ashamed of crying, Kate. He’s like family to you. You have every right to be concerned, and allowing yourself to feel those emotions is better than stuffing them and having them explode on you later.”
She squeezed his hand and blinked rapidly to try to dispel the moisture in her eyes before she met his gaze. “Thanks, Dex.”
He noticed she didn’t use the honorific, and he was fine with that. They weren’t in a scene; they were out together as regular people, not as a D/s pair.
“Are you finished?” He pointed toward her plate. “Would you like a latte or anything?” He remembered she’d ordered a vanilla latte at the VIP lounge before their scene. “I’m not sure if they have them here, but we could find one somewhere if you’d like.”
She took a breath and let it out slowly before her lips curved in a forced approximation of a smile. “No. Thanks. It sounds good right now, but I think I’m more in the mood for hot chocolate heavily dosed with Kahlua or Frangelico. I can get those at home with Rusty curled on my lap.”
Dex motioned for the waitress to bring the bill, wishing the night hadn’t ended as it had. His gut reaction once again told him Kate didn’t have anything to do with his case. He shoved that feeling aside and reminded himself that even if she was involved, she could still be devastated by having a close family friend caught up in the events she was embroiled in. But it didn’t ring true.
He draped his arm protectively across Kate’s shoulders as he guided her to his car. She immediately winced away and sucked in a harsh breath before relaxing and stepping close again. Dex studied her critically and took her hand instead, worried about her reaction. The first few days after a good flogging, the area would be sore as it healed, but she shouldn’t be in as much pain as she had just shown him so soon.
“How bad are you hurting?”
She turned to look at him, as she seemed to think about his question. “I’m usually a little sore for a few days afterwards. No big deal.”
He stopped, his grip on her hand keeping her by his side. He raised her chin with his finger until she met his gaze. “Kate. I need to know the truth. How bad is it?”
She glanced away and then slowly back to meet his gaze. “It’s only two areas, and those have gotten worse over the last few hours. All the pain endorphins have probably flushed out of my system faster than I’m used to. But then, I’ve never had such an amazing flogging.” She swallowed hard, her gaze intense. “And it was amazing. I don’t want you to think I’m some fragile flower and never do it again.”
He caressed her cheek and then leaned down to brush a kiss across her lips. “You’re definitely not a fragile flower. Let’s get you home and I can take a look at your back.”
She allowed him to help her into the car and close the door behind her before he went around to the driver’s side.
When they pulled up outside Kate’s building, Dex got out and walked around the back of his car to pop the trunk and grab a jar of liniment he’d had specially made for Club Desire, and kept on hand. He closed the trunk and opened the passenger-side door to help Kate out.
She remained quiet on the way to the entrance, and then upstairs to her door, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. As soon as they walked into her penthouse, Rusty made a beeline for Kate. When he skidded to a stop in front of her, she scooped him up, holding him close. The cat purred loudly enough for Dex to hear.
Kate stepped into the kitchen and punched in the code to turn off the alarm before returning to the entryway where Dex waited.
A genuine smile bloomed across her face for the first time since she had heard about the shooting. “Rusty always knows when I need cheering up, or when I don’t feel well.”
Dex ran his hand across the tabby’s soft side. “Animals can usually sense when their humans need them.”
He brushed his fingers over her full bottom lip and then cupped her cheek in his palm. “I know you agreed in the car, but I just want to make sure. Are you all right with me taking a look at the marks? We’re not at the club. This is your personal territory, and I won’t intrude if it’s not welcome. But I’m concerned about your level of pain.”
She glanced back over her shoulder. “The bedroom is this way.” The sinful smile she flashed before turning to head deeper into the penthouse made Dex’s cock ache. He hadn’t planned on coming inside tonight, but he needed to make sure she was all right.
He had flogged many women during his time as a Dom, and they all reacted to it differently. He had learned early on to watch for those reactions, and to make sure the women were okay and healing well. Even though impact play was highly pleasurable for them, the aftermath was still an action of the body healing itself.
When they reached her bedroom, and Kate flipped the light switch to illuminate the
room, Dex smiled.
A large four-poster bed with a cream-colored bedspread dominated the room, and forest-green sheets showed where the comforter had been turned down. It had a large custom-built headboard done in the same wood as the living room, with built-in cabinets and cubbies. It was cluttered, but not messy.
There was a nightstand and an entertainment center that held a TV and stereo along one wall, and a large, comfortable-looking leather recliner next to the picture window, which was most likely where he had seen Rusty’s silhouette when he’d first arrived. He could picture Kate sitting there with her laptop, working and glancing out the window while thinking.
A large floor-to-ceiling built-in bookshelf took up half of one wall next to a door that he assumed led to the bathroom.
He bit back a smile. More green highlights were scattered throughout the bedroom. Everything was loosely arranged and organized, except the headboard and where books spilled off the bookshelf in seemingly haphazard piles. The thing that caught Dex’s attention to detail was that the books on the floor or stacked in front of the shelf appeared to be about an arm’s length from the bed.
Most likely, Kate read before falling asleep. If the book was finished, he guessed, she reached out to add it to the growing pile, meaning to put it away the next day and never getting around to it.
Two more books sat on her nightstand with frilly green bookmarks sticking out of the tops, which only reinforced his impressions about the finished pile in front of the shelf.
“This room is definitely you.”
“I know. More green.” She laughed as she gestured around her. “I think I’m something of an addict.” She set Rusty on the bed, then turned back to Dex. “I’ll be right back. Have a seat.”
Dex crossed to the recliner and sank into its butter-soft leather. He didn’t bother raising the footrest, but used the time to study the room and Kate’s belongings on the shelves and hung on the walls.
Everything about her living space told him she was organized where she needed to be, but relaxed or haphazard where it wasn’t a necessity—like the books in front of her bookshelf and the slightly cluttered headboard. Her living room was clean and organized, but she would meet guests and entertain out there. This was her inner sanctum, which she most likely organized only if she knew well in advance that someone might come into her bedroom during their visit.