I probably should’ve slammed the door shut, but I was stunned as I watched the second man shift the first guy until he was off the front porch.
“I won’t tell you again,” the second man said. “If I see you back here, Ms. Tinsley will be pressing charges.”
The guy with the cell phone camera smirked, but he walked away.
“Who are you?” I asked the other man when he remained on my porch.
“I apologize, Ms. Tinsley. He never should’ve gotten to your door.”
I lifted an eyebrow, waiting for an answer to my original question.
The man held out his hand. “My name is Zeke Lautner. I think it’s best if you close and lock your front door and call Trent. I’ll be right here if you need me.”
Rather than argue, I did as he instructed, then raced over to my phone.
“Hey, Mercedes. I’m gonna have to call you back.” I didn’t wait for her to respond before ending the call and dialing Trent’s number.
“Hello, sunshine,” he greeted. “I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”
“There’s a giant man.” I glanced at the front door. “He’s at my front door. Says his name’s Zeke something or another and that I should call you.”
Trent’s calm, laid-back tone shifted instantly. “Was there a problem?”
“Well, he just chased some other guy off my front porch. He was asking a million questions about you and me and—”
“Take a breath, pet.”
I snapped my lips shut and inhaled through my nose. “What’s going on, Trent?”
“It was bound to happen,” he explained. “It appears the paparazzi have gotten wind of our lunch meeting last week and now they’re interested in finding out who you are.”
I was pretty sure my heart stopped. My knees went weak and I dropped onto the couch. “That was a reporter?”
“Yes. Hence the reason Zeke’s there. He’s a friend of mine. I called in a favor this morning when I learned— It doesn’t matter.”
My brain was overloaded with so much information. “Who is Zeke?”
“He’s your new bodyguard.”
“My what?”
Trent
“YOU CAN TRUST HIM, CLARISSA,” I said as I steered my car toward the entrance to Devotion. “If you want to let him in, you can. Otherwise, he’ll remain outside to ensure no one else gets to your front door. If you leave, he’s going to follow you. It’s for your own safety.”
“Trent…” Clarissa sighed. “We really need to talk.”
“We will, sunshine. I’ll call you back in a bit, I promise.”
“You better.”
With a smile on my face, I punched the button to end the call.
As I pulled into Devotion’s parking lot, waiting for the security gates to close behind me, I subtly glanced over at the man sitting in the passenger seat. Troy had seemed shocked that I’d opted to pull this car out of the garage. Possibly more so than when I’d invited him to visit the club. Then again, he should know better by now. When it came to my cars, I didn’t sit around and stare at them. They were made to drive; therefore, I drove them.
Granted, I’d only had this one for a couple of weeks. I wasn’t sure what made me splurge on it, but I had. I figured it had more to do with that whole crossroads thing. I was trying to buy my own happiness and we all knew that would never work.
In fact, I found my assistant far more appealing than the car.
It was getting easier to admit my interest in him. At least to myself, anyway. I’d first felt it about a year ago, but I’d been pushing it aside, pretending it wasn’t real. The more time that went by, the stronger the urge was.
“Is Clarissa gonna be all right?” Troy asked, his eyes swinging over to me.
Realizing the gates had closed, I pulled forward and into the underground garage, parking near the back-entrance door.
“Yes. Zeke will keep an eye on her.”
“You think it’s necessary to have a bodyguard on her?” He sounded curious.
I glanced at him as I shut off the engine. “I do.” I smirked. “But don’t worry, you’ve got one now, too.”
“What?” He frowned, scrambling out of the car as I climbed out. “Why me?”
“Because it’s necessary,” I told him, not wanting to go into detail.
“Because of TMZ?” he inquired.
“Partially. Now, come on.” I motioned toward the door.
Troy’s gaze scanned the empty garage. I assumed he was looking for his new bodyguard.
“He’s not here yet, but he’s on his way. They flew in from Chicago a little while ago,” I explained, leaving him behind.
Troy was quick to follow, and I wondered why I hadn’t bothered bringing him into this side of my world sooner. He was a phenomenal assistant, but more so a trustworthy employee. In all the time we’d worked together, never had we dealt with any sort of scandal. I took that as a good sign considering I’d had plenty of those with previous assistants.
I guess that was why—before Troy—I hadn’t much cared for them. Oh, sure, they helped to make my day-to-day a hell of a lot easier, but in my experience, there were two types of assistants. Ones like Hilda, who had worked for me for four solid years, back in the beginning of my career. She was the type who made sure I was aware she was employed by me, not there to be my friend or to have casual conversation. It hadn’t been too bad, but considering the amount of time she spent with me, it got rather old talking to myself.
Of course, the media accused me of paying Hilda below minimum wage and abusing my power. When it came time for her to deny the accusations, Hilda had clammed up, insisting it was no one’s business. Although she could’ve easily cleared my name, I had respected her right to privacy. When she handed in her resignation because the media circus had become more than she could bear, I had accepted without argument.
Then there was the type like Jennifer, Suzanne, and Rachel, who each had lasted all of two months in total.
Jennifer was of the variety who tried to slip into my bed in the hopes that I’d take the personal thing to a whole new level. Thankfully, I hadn’t been in my bed that night, so it had been fairly easy to fire her when my cleaning lady found her.
I’d caught Suzanne naked in my trailer, waiting for me to come back from the set. I’d turned right back around and sent the assistant director in to fire her.
Rachel had been the worst. She had insisted she was a submissive—after I’d hired her, mind you—and kept dropping hints that she was a bad girl and needed a spanking. Needless to say, I had fired her when the grocery delivery boy found her naked and presenting herself in my foyer.
So, yes, I had experience with both types.
In my defense, I’d only ever hired women. So, when Troy applied for the job, I had instantly jumped on the opportunity. Well, maybe not instantly. I’d checked his references. If it mattered, his father had said he was a great assistant, but good ol’ Franklin had wanted his son to do more with his life. After a nice chat with the old man, I’d thanked him, then called Troy and offered him the job.
We’d been going strong for three years. Sadly, as of late, getting him to show up had become an issue. While I was pretending not to be worried about it, I couldn’t keep from thinking that the repeat break-ins he had experienced were related to me. Although he didn’t seem to have associated them with me, I knew better.
Hence the reason I’d insisted he move into my house and hired a bodyguard to keep an eye on him going forward.
Of course, I’d used the excuse that I needed him at my side, twenty-four seven as the reason he was moving in. And I did, so it wasn’t too much of a stretch. Personally, I took offense when Luke McCoy called me a diva, but I had to admit, I was spoiled. I wanted an assistant who was willing to drop everything for whatever I needed, and I was willing to pay accordingly.
Troy was that guy.
Mostly.
For whatever reason, I’d kept him out of this aspect of my li
fe. I honestly didn’t know why that was either. I didn’t feel threatened by Troy. I knew he wouldn’t go to the tabloids and blast my personal business across the front page. But I’d still been hesitant to introduce him to this world.
In hindsight, I figured it had more to do with the fear of scaring him off. As I’d said, Troy was a great assistant. I’d come to depend on him, so I worried that he wouldn’t be able to handle the darker side of my world.
That wasn’t the case anymore. I was ready for him to be part of it.
In more ways than merely my assistant.
As I typed in the code to disengage the electronic lock, my thoughts drifted back to that incident in my office a short time ago. I had no clue what came over me or why I’d suggested I test him. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind Troy Shelton was submissive. Every bone in his body spoke of an inherent desire to serve, a deep need to please. It was more than obvious.
Yet I found myself wanting to see it for myself.
And I had.
What worried me most was my reaction to him.
Okay, fine. Worried probably wasn’t the right word. I wasn’t exactly worried that my dick had stirred when he had gone to his knees so easily. I was a sexual man. A dominating man. I was also a visual man. The fact that Troy had gone to his knees at my command… I was sure my reaction was completely rational.
However, the fantasies I’d been having of him and Clarissa for the past year were what had me worrying. I knew that these thoughts were a little more than mere curiosity on my part. For one, I’d never been with a man. Yet there was a very powerful need to dominate Troy, to strap him down and slide deep inside the tight depths of his body.
And sure, if the tabloids got wind of that, they’d no doubt have a field day, announcing I was confused about my sexuality. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I was confused. But if the press did get wind of it—and I suspected they would—then we’d deal. I wasn’t the type to shy away from my own desires. Not even if they took me by surprise.
“This does not look at all like I expected,” Troy announced when we walked into the main area of the fetish club known as Devotion. The lights were off, the bars shut down, the glass-enclosed rooms sterilized and waiting for their next guests.
“No? What’d you think? Maybe naked women sliding down poles?”
“I wasn’t thinking of poles,” he said, a grin on his face.
That right there was one of the reasons I liked Troy. It was rare to meet someone who didn’t walk on eggshells around me, scared to say anything except yes, sir or no, sir.
Although … I damn sure didn’t mind when Troy called me sir. Or rather, in his case, boss. I really liked when he called me boss. Too bad he didn’t realize I took it to mean something vastly different than a casual title. Although, if I was being honest, Master was what I preferred he call me. If all went well, he would. One day very soon.
“Is anyone here?” Troy asked.
I glanced around, somewhat surprised it was empty. “Doesn’t look like it.”
Then again, Luke spent less and less time at Devotion these days, choosing to share his spare time with his husband and wife and their brood of children.
I started for the stairs leading up to the second floor that overlooked the first. Troy fell into step with me.
“Those are private rooms,” I told him, pointing toward the opposite end of the hall at a line of closed doors. “One at the end is decked out with BDSM equipment. It took an act of Congress to get Luke to cave on that, but I finally wore him down.”
“And those glass things down there?” he asked, nodding toward the enclosures on the main floor.
“Scene rooms. For the exhibitionists.”
“Oh.”
I made it to my office, typing in another code to unlock the door.
“So, why are we here?”
“Need to check on something. Have a seat. I’ll be right back.”
I left Troy in my office and went to Luke’s. All of the member’s files were locked in the cabinets in his office and I had one members’ file in particular that I wanted to look at. A few minutes later, I found what I needed and carried it back to my office.
“Do you spend much time here these days?” Troy asked when I walked in.
“Not so much now that Dichotomy is open.”
“So, when you tell me you’ll be at the club, you’re referring to Dichotomy.”
“Mostly, yes.”
“This place isn’t as hard-core as I expected.”
I met his gaze and grinned. “You don’t know how many times I told Luke that.”
It was true. I’d wanted Luke to venture over to the darker side of kink, to incorporate more BDSM. Regrettably, Luke was more of the fetish variety, seemingly content with the voyeuristic aspect versus the kink. We’d butted heads on that so many times. Which was why I’d opted to open my own club, wanting to cater to those who were interested in the same things that I was.
While I had also invested in Alluring Indulgence—a fetish resort owned by the Walker brothers—it wasn’t mine to do with as I pleased. Considering my vast need for control, the only way I had found to soothe that urge was to build something of my own.
I sat down and began skimming the papers in the file. I’d just finished going through the first page of details when my cell phone rang. I glanced at the screen and smiled when I saw who it was. I punched the button and put the phone to my ear.
“Took you longer than I thought it would,” I said by way of greeting.
Xander grumbled, “Yeah, well. Wait until you have a sassy wife. Then you’ll understand that sometimes things come up that have to be dealt with.”
I chuckled. I could only imagine how a Domme who’d transformed into a submissive could test the waters from time to time. Some might call Mercedes a switch, but since she did not play with anyone other than her husband—and she only submitted to him—she technically wasn’t.
“I want to talk to you about Clarissa,” Xander stated, getting right to the heart of the matter.
“I figured as much.” I leaned back in my chair and unabashedly stared at Troy while I talked. “But I’ll tell you right now, if you’re looking to warn me off her, Xander, it won’t work.”
Troy’s eyes met mine and I could see his curiosity.
“Warn, no.” Xander took a deep breath. “However, I’m going to insist you proceed with caution.”
“Insist?” I had never been good with authority.
“Yes. I heard you had lunch with her again today.”
“I did,” I confirmed. “And what? She’s appointed you as her guardian now?”
“Not specifically, no. However, you don’t know her like I do, Trent, and I thought it only fair to give you a heads-up. She’s not a play toy you can toss around, then forget about.”
“And you don’t think she’s capable of telling me this herself?” I had to wonder if Xander knew the woman as well as he thought he did. Sure, I had sensed a certain level of submission in Clarissa, but I got the feeling that underneath all that was a woman who knew exactly what she wanted. My experiment today had proven I was right.
“She’s had some bad experiences,” Xander went on to say. “Nothing traumatizing or scandalous, mind you. But she’s looking for something more than most Doms are willing to give.”
“Full-time submission?” I already knew this.
“Yes and no. Clarissa’s issue comes when she’s at the club. Something clicks off in her brain and she transforms into … I don’t know. A doll, I guess you could say. She tends to block out her own desires and focus on her Doms.”
That surprised me.
“In case you don’t know, most of the men she’s dated in the past are ones she’s met at the clubs. They’re generally looking for a brief encounter and she tends to settle for that, which, as you and I both know, won’t satisfy someone looking for the whole package.”
“I talked to her about it. In case you’re confused, I’m not
new to this, Xander.”
A lot of people thought I wasn’t capable of handling my own life, but I’d made it this far without help, so I had no idea where they came up with that notion. When it came to my lifestyle, I’d been accused of acting the role. I damn sure wasn’t acting. I was a Dominant through and through and I’d known it since I was too young to truly understand what it meant.
“Talked?” Xander questioned.
“Yes.” I sighed. “It’s what I do.”
Xander chuckled. “I’ve seen you jump to conclusions a time or two.”
Fine. He had a point. “Who doesn’t? But you forget I’m not new to this scene.”
“But you like to push buttons.”
“I do.” It was true. I loved pushing buttons. I also wanted things to go my way. I had a knack for making my true feelings about a situation known. Xander would’ve seen this firsthand by the way I interacted with Luke McCoy. But, in my defense, that was a power play between me and Luke, something that kept us on an even keel.
“Be careful with her, Trent.”
“Did you give Shane the same warning?” I countered, trying to rein in my anger.
“What Clarissa had with Shane was … different.”
“Different how?” I didn’t want to know the details of her past relationship with Shane, but I found my curiosity piqued.
“Shane wasn’t interested the way you are,” Xander explained.
The man sounded as though he knew me. Which, in a sense, he did. However, I tended to keep my thoughts to myself.
Xander sighed. “Just be careful with her.”
“Can’t make any promises. Clarissa doesn’t need to be coddled. She needs a Dom who understands her. Maybe that’s been the problem all along.”
I noticed Troy was watching me intently, as though trying to hear the other side of the conversation. He would’ve been disappointed because there was silence on the other end of the line.
I didn’t feel the need to fill it with mundane chatter, so I waited Xander out.
“Perhaps I underestimated you,” Xander finally said, his tone subdued.
“Don’t feel bad about that,” I told him. “Most people do.”
Their Famous Dominant (Office Intrigue, 4) Page 12