Chapter One
Mitchell Bradford stared down at the phone and wondered if he could somehow manage to reach through it and strangle the man on the other end of the line. His office was cool, but he could feel the temperature rising with each word he heard. He was certain Kai Ferguson would tell him he had anger issues and should come in for a session. Then Mitch could kill the fucker in person. “What do you mean you paired Laurel with the new Master? Which Laurel would that be because you couldn’t possibly be talking about Laurel Daley, my paralegal. I believe I told Big Tag that she was to be refused admission to Sanctum.”
Kai chuckled over the line. “Oh, you know, Big Tag has a soft spot for a well-meaning sub.”
He took his cell off speaker and pressed it to his ear, as though bringing it closer would make his point more clear. “The only thing Laurel means by joining Sanctum is to push me into a jealous rage. She’s manipulating me. That means she’s manipulating Tag, too. Deny her application, Kai.”
Laurel Daley was rapidly becoming a pain in his…damn it. Thinking about the gorgeous, not even thirty-year-old brunette made his cock hard. She was stunning. Smart and capable, he’d thought about firing her more than once because his brain shut off the minute she walked in a room. He’d hired her sight unseen because she was his best friend’s sister. She’d needed a job and he’d needed help.
His best friend. There had been times Will Daley had been his only friend. Will had picked him up and dusted him off and made sure he didn’t kill himself with booze. How did he tell his best friend in the world that he wanted to fuck his sister so badly he dreamed about it every night?
He might have been able to deal with the entire situation if Laurel hadn’t lost her damn mind and decided she wanted him, too.
One of them had to be sensible.
“I can’t deny her application. She’s perfectly sane.” Kai was his other friend. He and Will and Kai had taken to hanging out together. Unfortunately Kai was also the gateway to Sanctum. He was the club’s resident shrink, with the power to approve or disapprove membership applications.
“You wouldn’t think that if you saw how pissed off she gets at fictional characters. The woman yells at her e-reader. She threw it across the room the other day and her only explanation was that someone named Joshua Lake was being a butthead.” He’d narrowly missed having his head taken off with the damn thing. Luckily, the e-reader seemed pretty tough. The thing hadn’t had a scratch on it and she was right back to reading after she’d finished the first draft of the contract she was working on.
Kai chuckled over the line. “Those women are serious about their book boyfriends. If that was a sign of insanity, I would have to get rid of most of the submissives at Sanctum. Face it, Mitch. You’re going to have to deal with her.”
Laurel would soon be running around Sanctum, likely wearing very little.
Sanctum was his sanctuary. It was a BDSM club, a very exclusive one. He’d had to pay through the nose and give Ian Taggart, the owner, a massive discount on legal services in order to get in. Apparently all his paralegal had to do was bat her eyelashes. His stomach turned and he wondered if he had any antacids. He wasn’t exactly sure what he would do if he couldn’t spend his nights at Sanctum. His friends were there. It was how he blew off steam.
So take her and train her. She wants to learn about D/s and you want to find out how tight her pussy is and how she’ll whimper when you fuck her hard. You can have her sign a contract. This is actually perfect, dude. Stop thinking so much and let me take over. Have I ever steered you wrong, buddy?
“Mitch, is your penis talking to you again?”
He should never have admitted that to a shrink. He tried to move the conversation back to the point. “Why did you pick Master T? He’s obviously wrong for her.”
He wasn’t going into the fact that his libido was sometimes a voice inside his head. And fuck you very much, penis, but yes, his dick had led him astray on numerous occasions leading to two disastrous marriages. Twice he’d been forced to start his life over again with nothing. He’d had to build not one, not two, but three businesses from scratch, and he wasn’t doing that again. No matter how well intentioned he would be going into a casual relationship with Laurel Daley, he knew how it would end up. It would start with amazing sex and end in divorce because the only thing stupider than his dick was his heart.
“Master T has become quite proficient at all aspects of D/s. I think he’s a good match for training Laurel,” Kai explained in a very logical voice.
Master T. They were all using the alias, but Mitch happened to know that Master T was actually Tennessee Smith, disavowed CIA agent in deep cover. He didn’t have all the specifics of Ten’s new mission. He only knew that the handsome agent was dangerous and that meant Laurel should stay away from him. Ian was planning to use Sanctum to run some kind of operation in the next couple of months, and Mitch didn’t want Laurel anywhere near Smith when he got to work. Hell, he didn’t want her anywhere near the handsome ex-agent for any reason.
“What about the married Masters?” It was how things were done at Sanctum. The married Masters tended to be the most experienced. They and their submissives often trained both Doms and subs for several months.
There was a pause on the line. “She’s worked with Ian and Liam for six weeks. They think she’s ready to move on and so do I.”
He stopped, the phone heavy in his hand. “She’s been going to Sanctum?”
“She comes in on Thursday nights for training and works the nursery on Saturday nights.”
Well, that explained it. He didn’t go in on Thursdays and there was no reason for him to ever visit the nursery. “And no one thought to tell me my paralegal has joined the club I attend?”
Kai’s voice went a bit hard. “I’m only telling you now out of courtesy because Master T prefers to train on Friday nights. The confidentiality of our club members is very important, as you would know.”
“But she’s Laurel. You know what she means to me,” he rasped into the phone. Laurel was all he could think about half the time.
“Then you should have claimed her, Mitchell. She’s done waiting for you and I think it’s the healthiest choice she’s made in the time I’ve known her. I applaud her for taking control of her life and deciding what she wants. She wants to explore D/s. You won’t train her.”
“You know why I won’t train her.” He’d already fucked up his life beyond repair. Twice. He wasn’t about to screw up hers, too. He was too old for her. He was too rough and hard for her. She was a kid starting out and he’d run through all his chances.
“Yes, I fully understand all of your psychological reasons for pushing her aside. That is your choice. This is hers.”
“She’s trying to manipulate me. She thinks if I have to see her with another man, I’ll come around.”
A long sigh came over the line and Mitch could practically feel the weight of Kai’s disappointment. “Then this is your chance to prove her wrong, Mitch. You should thank me. Master T will be taking responsibility for her. I believe they’re signing a month-long contract. If it doesn’t work out, I’ve got a couple of Doms looking for permanent partners. You don’t have to worry anymore. She’ll be taken care of. She won’t bother you once she’s found a proper top.”
She wouldn’t bother him? Seeing Laurel was the best part of his day. He’d hired her six months before and every second of every day since had been about catching sight of her or arguing some point of law with her or trying to keep his hands off her. The idea of her with another man…
“Let me find her a Dom. It can’t be Master T. He’s too old for her. He’s too cold.”
“He’s too much like you?” Kai’s voice had softened, was almost sympathetic.
“She deserves better.” He was ten years older than her and about a hundred years wiser, though much of his wisdom was made of things a sane person would avoid. “She’s a bright light, Kai. She’s one of those people you can’t help but adore. She shouldn’t be with a Master who will grind her under his boot. She needs someone young and positive.”
“Does it help if I tell you her contract forbids sex for the first three weeks? They can decide afterward if they want to take the relationship further.”
Did it help? Not really. “She needs more. Even during training. Have you thought about Theo Taggart? I know he’s in the program. Or Michael Malone?”
He hated the idea of either man laying hands on her, but he had to stop being a selfish prick. She was lonely. He wanted her to be happy. Theo Taggart had a ready smile and a positive outlook on life and Malone came from a wealthy, loving, completely functional family. Neither man had been married before so they didn’t have three tons of baggage they dragged through life.
“Mitch, will you listen to yourself? This is ridiculous. She wants you. She’s made that plain.”
“She’s a little girl with daddy issues.”
A sharp gasp had him turning around pronto. Shit. Why hadn’t he closed the door? Laurel Daley stood there, a clipboard in her hand and her face about three shades paler than normal. “Kai, I’m going to have to call you back.”
“She’s listening, isn’t she?” Kai sounded almost excited at the prospect. “I can be there in twenty minutes for a session if you like. I think if we all sit down, we can find a middle ground…”
He hung up. Kai could go on and on about therapy, and Mitch wasn’t interested. He set the phone down. “You could knock, you know.”
Yes, arrogance worked in situations like this. No wonder his wives always left him.
Laurel’s jaw tightened. “Sharon was at lunch so I was watching the front desk. You have a walk-in. Do you want me to tell him to go away? He claims it’s urgent.”
Urgent was way better than dealing with her wounded eyes. “What’s his name? Or rather company name?”
He was an expert at corporate law. He’d specialized this time around, taking on no partners who could potentially fuck his wife and then take his business over. He was a high-priced consultant. His only real courtroom work anymore was when his friends needed him. He’d recently dealt with a tenancy issue for Sean Taggart’s restaurant, Top, and managed to get Case Taggart’s speeding tickets taken care of. Dude needed less road rage. So he didn’t get a whole ton of walk-in clients. It was usually Big Tag trying to get him to sue someone who had pissed him off. He only tried the lawsuits because his wife, Charlotte, had forbidden assassinations.
Yep, this was his world. He wasn’t sure sweet Laurel Daley fit into it. No. That wasn’t right. He didn’t want Laurel in it. She should be married with a few babies, depending on a husband who loved her and only her and had never made the kinds of mistakes Mitch had made.
“He’s with a firm called Dixon Technologies.”
It didn’t ring a bell, but he often dealt with tech firms. They constantly had intellectual property issues. “Send him in.”
“All right. I’ll try to put aside my daddy issues long enough to go out there and give him directions to your office.”
When she turned that smart mouth on him his cock pulsed, but then it pretty much did that whenever she walked into a room. He was thirty-eight. She wasn’t even thirty. Why couldn’t his dick pick a more appropriate focus?
Because I want that one. God, just fucking look at her, man. Look at those breasts. Firm. Round. So sweet. And that bratty mouth. Come on, hands. Aren’t you itching to smack that pretty ass?
“Laurel.” He put a little bite to his tone.
She turned immediately and her eyes slid to the floor before coming back up. She steeled herself as though she needed to remember not to defer to him. Yeah, his dick liked that, too. He’d realized his mistake about five minutes after she walked through his door. Laurel was a natural submissive. She deferred to those around her, sometimes to the point of burying her own needs. It was exactly the kind of thing a well-meaning Dominant partner could help her with. A Dom with good intentions, who loved and cared for her, would protect her and teach her how valuable she was.
“What?” Her chin came up and a stubborn glint hit her eyes.
He knew her well enough at this point to know this was Laurel trying to shove her emotions deep. He’d said something that hurt her. He should gather her up and put her in his lap and stroke her hair while he apologized. Unfortunately, that would lead to fucking her on his desk, so he settled for words. “I don’t suppose you heard the part of the conversation where I talked about how I wanted you to be happy?”
She was obviously unmoved. “Nope and I know you have a very creative mind so I’ll suspend my disbelief.” She stopped and her mouth softened slightly. “I take it you found out about me joining the trainee program at Sanctum.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea. I don’t think it’s professional for the two of us to be at the same club together. I count on that club, Laurel. The few friends I have in life are there.”
“All right. I’ll let them know I won’t be coming anymore.” She took a deep breath and there was a hollowness to her expression he despised. It was only there for a moment and then her face was a polite blank. “Do you need anything? Coffee? You skipped lunch. I could get you a sandwich.”
“Just like that? You’ll leave it like that? I expected more of a fight out of you.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t join to cause you harm or to take something away from you. I joined because I wanted to explore that side of myself. Since you’ve made it plain that my presence takes away from your enjoyment of something you need, I’ll leave.”
How did she do this to him? She’d had him in knots since the moment he’d met her. “Could you give me a couple of minutes to catch up? I didn’t even know you were interested in the lifestyle.”
Now her inner brat made an appearance, those pretty blue eyes rolling. “Of course you did, Mitchell. That’s a complete cop out and unworthy of you, counselor. If you’re going to defend yourself at least do it properly. You’ve known I was interested in D/s since the moment you hired me.”
He had. He’d found books by Sanctum’s resident authors, Amber Rose and Dakota Cheyenne. Silly pen names for Serena Dean-Miles and Laurel’s sister-in-law, Bridget Daley. Bridget was the one who had sparked Laurel’s interest, though he’d rather thought it had all been a means to an end. “I thought it was really me you were interested in.”
She stepped back in his office. The whole place had been redecorated. It had been a dull beige with brown carpets and fixtures from the seventies when he’d bought it and he’d done nothing to update until Laurel had taken the project over. Now the whole office was modernized, with the exception of his desk. Laurel had tried to get rid of it, but he’d put his foot down. His crappy old chair had been replaced with something ergonomic. A week in he’d noticed his shoulder didn’t hurt anymore after a long day. He’d also noticed how the brighter colors had livened up the place, given it an elegance and grace that matched the woman who had overseen its design.
“You’ve made it very clear that you’re not interested in pursuing a relationship with me, Mitch. You made it clear that night. I’ve stayed away since then.”
The night he’d gotten slightly drunk in Hawaii and kissed her. It had been her brother’s impromptu wedding that had done it. He’d been Will Daley’s best man and watched as his friend married the woman of his dreams. Sure Will had some surly, mouthy and bratty dreams, but Bridget was also creative and funny and kind.
A lot like Laurel.
Watching Will get married made him wonder what it would have been like if he’d met Laurel before. Before his divorces. Before life had ground him down. When she’d joined him on the beach, he hadn’t been able to resist pulling her into his arms and finally tasting her mouth. He could still feel how soft she was, how her body had fit perfectly against his. And he could still see how hurt she’d been when he’d pushed her away.
“That night was a mistake. I shouldn’t have kissed you.”
Her eyes slid away from his. “Yes, you’ve mentioned it a couple of times.”
“So why join my club?”
“Because it’s the only one I’m allowed to join. I tried to find another one. My brother took exception.”
Mitch felt his stomach drop. “You went to another club?”
She shrugged. “I knew you wouldn’t like me going to Sanctum. Honestly, I thought it was weird going to a club with my brother, too. So I found another one out in the suburbs. Horrible, actually. Anyway, I went twice and Will found out and he showed up and hauled me out. It was horrifically embarrassing. I spent some time on a website, but nothing panned out. Bridget invited me to Sanctum and then I think with all the babies they needed subs who were willing to work the daycare, so I signed on. I might still offer to work with the babies. I’ve grown quite fond of them.”
He was stuck on the fact that not only had she gone to some club he knew nothing about, but she’d spent time on the Internet. “What did you do, Laurel? Did you upload a profile at FetLife? Maybe advertise on Craig’s List for a Dom? Do you want someone to murder you? Because that’s pretty much what you’re asking for.”
Her jaw firmed, eyes flashing, and he was pretty sure this was one of those times it would have been better to take a step back and measure his words. “I wanted to figure myself out, you giant ass. What right do you have to tell me what I can and…” Another deep breath. “It no longer matters. I’ll let Mr. Dixon know you can see him now.”
“Laurel, we’re not done discussing this.”
Her eyes narrowed and he was sure she was about to tell him where he could shove it when a thin man with wire-framed glasses stepped into the doorway.
“Mr. Bradford, thank god. It’s imperative that I speak with you.”
He wasn’t done with Laurel. He needed to make her understand that the way she was going about this wasn’t good.
And how should she go about it? He’d told her she couldn’t go to the safest place. Then told her she couldn’t go anywhere else either. She was trying to figure herself out. If she meant those words, how could he hold her back? Didn’t she deserve the same chance he’d had?
No. Laurel is supposed to be normal. Laurel is supposed to not need the rough stuff because she’s a sweet princess. Wake up. This is what you do. You put a woman on a pedestal. You aren’t sexually liberated. You’re still the same pathetic boy who wanted his father to take two seconds with him.
Now who had daddy issues?
“Mr. Bradford?” the man asked.
“Laurel,” he said, more softly this time. “Can we please discuss this further?”
She shook her head. “There’s no need. I’ll keep my private life private from now on.”
“Hey, I’m serious about needing to talk,” the man said, his shoulders straightening.
“In a minute, buddy.” He needed to talk to Laurel. He didn’t like the look in her eyes. In that moment he realized the only thing worse than having Laurel around was not having her around. If she quit, he wouldn’t be able to watch out for her. He wouldn’t know where she was or what she was getting into—like offering herself up on the fucking Internet. “Laurel, let’s talk.”
“No. I need to talk, damn it.” The thin man had turned a brilliant shade of red and sweat had broken out on his forehead. “You have to listen to me, Bradford. My brother is going to kill you. Harvey has sworn to not stop trying until you and everyone you love is dead.”
The room seemed to chill.
“Okay, then. Why don’t you sit down?” It looked like his talk with Laurel was going to have to wait.
* * * *
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