Devoted: A Masters and Mercenaries Novella (15 page)

But one in particular was amazing.

Was she going to have to choose between her career and Flynn?

“And Val? What’s up with the ‘Ms. Slaten’?” She’d never asked her assistant to call her that. She was much less formal than her father. The only time Val called her Ms. Slaten was around clients.

Val huffed slightly. “That man doesn’t get to call you anything but Ms. Slaten. I don’t think he should be allowed to hear your first name. Ever.”

At least she had allies. “I was named after that man’s mother.”

“I hope she was nicer than he was.”

Her grandmother. She’d been a lovely woman who lived out her last years in a gorgeous beachfront house in Malibu. When she was well she would bring Amy and Bridget out to visit.

The one thing you can’t ever give up on is yourself, my darling.

Those had been the last words she’d heard from her grandmother. She took a deep breath.

“Val, I’m going to need you to call a few people in. We’ve got some work to do. Bring my lawyer in first. And get me everything we have on Padraig and Seamus Clannahan.”

There had to be something she could do. She couldn’t win a money battle with Glendale, but sometimes these small family companies valued other things. If there was a way in, she was going to find it.

It was time to get ready. She was going to war.

She had to wonder what price she would be forced to pay to win.

Chapter Six

Flynn frowned and set his phone back in his locker.

Bear, who had the locker next to him, closed his door with absolutely no sound. For a man named after a grizzly, he moved like a panther. “You alone again tonight?”

It had been a solid two weeks since the morning he’d found Amy sitting at his desk and he was frustrated more and more every day that passed. “Yes. She’s working late. It’s the second time this week. I have to talk to Wade to figure out if she can even complete the class with two absences. I would call her and discuss it, but she’s in a meeting.”

She’d been in a lot of meetings this week. When she was in bed with him, he could feel how close they were. When they weren’t, there was a distance he couldn’t seem to shake.

“They’ll let you do make ups.” The massive dude adjusted his vest. “Lucy had to cover for a friend’s shift at Top last week. I sat in and then went over the materials with her in private. Wade was cool once he’d ensured I properly passed on the lesson. So don’t worry about that. I think we’re working on role-play tonight and how to handle your partner’s needs even if they don’t match your own.”

He was beginning to wonder about her needs. “That should be interesting. How’s it going with you and Lucy?”

Bear grinned. “She’s a pistol. I mean it. She has a couple. I was worried about it at first because I’ve been around some chicks with really crazy eyes, but apparently her father is ex-military and believes in his baby girl being able to protect herself.”

“Yeah, Regina has more guns than I do,” Vaughn admitted. “But she’s third generation DPD. Let me tell you we’re going to do some serious role-play in her squad car. I’m totally looking forward to that.”

“So you’re both pretty happy with your subs?” He was curious. He’d spent most of his time alone with Amy. She’d gotten her car back from the shop the day before. He’d had her all to himself at night for two solid weeks.

For the whole time she’d followed his rules. After that first night, she’d packed a suitcase and stayed with him. He took her to and from work, to class on Sanctum nights. He’d taken her to dinner a few times and she’d cooked when they stayed in. She’d gone over to Simon and Chelsea’s with him to watch a movie. It had been a spy thriller and the other couple had playfully bickered about how unrealistic it was, but Amy had cuddled up in his lap and she’d fallen asleep. He’d carried her back to the condo and made love to her the next morning.

He knew he should think of it as sex. Lots of dirty, filthy, hot sex, but it felt like something more. The sex was beyond fantastic.

Not once had he found her sniffing around his computer. He’d stayed in bed long past when she would get up and every day he’d carefully checked the surveillance footage. Nothing.

Except the fact that she sang to herself sometimes. She did a mean Katy Perry and she talked to her ex-husband on the phone. Apparently Frankie Hollywood got up super early to work out and they talked every morning.

She knew about Clannahan and something was up with her board. His CEO assured him Clannahan was going to agree to a friendly buyout and they would have the assets they needed, but the Irishmen were still coming to Dallas to meet with Slaten.

He felt like a shit that he’d listened to her side of that conversation. Even more of a shit because he’d heard her confess to her ex that she’d never had it so good with another man. She’d told him that it was still casual but she was hoping for more.

Why would she tell her ex that? Why would she pretend with him?

Now she was pulling away from him. He could feel it.

Bear shrugged his big shoulders. “Lucy’s a good kid.”

“Regina and I get along nicely,” Vaughn said.

“You sleeping with her?”

Vaughn’s brow rose. “Am I in the wrong locker room?”

Bear chuckled. “You better get used to it. When the MT boys are around it’s gossip central in here. Oh, Big Tag will pretend he’s all about the sports and shit then he’ll sit you down and start in on what team will go all the way and bam, suddenly you’re talking about some issue that’s going on and he’s pretending to vomit, but he keeps on you and then your problem’s solved and you go take a shower because you feel dirty. And yet you also feel pretty good because you kind of know what to do.”

Vaughn frowned. “That’s a lot to take in. Brighton told me this place was cool. Now you’re saying there’s some sort of crazy fix-it guy who makes you talk about your hookups?”

“No. I’m saying that the guys are all friends and they kind of lean on each other,” Bear explained. “You don’t work for McKay-Taggart as closely as I do. It’s definitely got that weird family vibe. They help each other out. I think that’s what Flynn’s trying to do. He’s not being nosy. He wants to talk about the fact that he is sleeping with his sub.”

“Why would I care if he’s sleeping with his sub?” Vaughn asked.

Bear shook his head. “There’s a reason you’re friends with Boomer.”

Wow. He’d stepped into that one. He didn’t want to get Vaughn and Bear into some kind of argument. “Forget I asked. Don’t worry about it. Who’s teaching tonight? Is it Wade or one of the partners?”

Bear looked like he wanted to push the subject, but he finally sighed and let it go. “It’s Jake Dean and Adam Miles and their sub, Serena. Apparently she’s very good with role-play, but don’t expect more than a lecture. She’s seriously pregnant. There’s a lot of that going on in this place. Use double protection, man. I think something’s in the water.”

Vaughn shivered as though he couldn’t think of anything worse and strode away.

Bear turned back to Flynn. “Don’t mind him. He’s younger than the rest of us in more ways than age. And no, I’m not sleeping with Lucy and I’m not going to. She’s a good kid, but she’s a little more innocent than what I’m looking for.”

“So you think Kai and Wade got it wrong?” From the second he’d seen Amy he’d known he couldn’t keep his hands off her.

Bear frowned. “Maybe not. I like her. A lot. But I’m not in any kind of place to offer her anything. She’s not looking for a full-time Dom either. She’s working her way through college and just wants to have some fun.”

“Why not have fun with you?”

Bear smiled. “Because I’m too rough for her, but I’m also not going to hurt her feelings about it. I think that’s why we were teamed up. Kai knew I would come to view her as a friend and that she could push some of her boundaries with me. I’ll be patient with her and not take advantage. I think it’s different with you and Amy. Me and Lucy are truly not looking for anything serious. You want a committed sub.”

He was starting to be afraid he wanted more than a sub. He was starting to wonder if he didn’t want a wife. A very specific wife. “I’m at a place in my life where it makes sense to be in a more committed relationship.”

Bear nodded. “And Amy seems like a woman who wants to be happy. I think they did a good job with the two of you. And for the record, Vaughn and Regina are going at it like rabbits, and that man is in pretty deep. I caught him looking at gun accessories to buy her for graduation day.”

He had to smile at the thought. What would Amy want?

A collar. A really gorgeous collar that would allow every man who looked at her to see she was taken.

That might be more for him than her.

A week at some ridiculous resort where he could pamper her and feed her and love her and get that worried look out of her eyes.

“It’s good to know I’m not the only one.”

“If you want to talk or anything, we could go and get a beer sometime. I’ll see you out there.” Bear walked away and he was alone in the locker room.

What the hell was he doing? He was practically asking the other guys for relationship therapy. It wasn’t like him. He was private. How could he be so upset that he wasn’t going to spend the night with her? He was actually getting pissy that a woman he’d known for less than a month had chosen to work late.

Was she working on the Clannahan deal? Was she trying to snake that company out from under him?

Did she need it? How bad had things gotten at Slaten?

“No sub for you tonight?” a deep voice asked.

He turned and recognized Jake Dean. He was one of the founding members of Sanctum and taught several of the classes. “It looks like it. Amy texted me an hour ago. She’s stuck in a meeting. Bear told me I just have to sit through the class and then go over it with her.”

“That’s fine.” Dean moved to his locker. “It’s more of a lecture on how sometimes your partner will come up with some crazy shit and you gotta find a way to accommodate her. Or him. We’re simply using the idea of role-playing because we all had to get used to Phoebe and Jesse doing weird wizard sex things. Don’t even ask. And we’ve got some super geeks. I had to watch the Avengers have an orgy a couple of weeks back. I was cool with it until they brought in Thor’s hammer. That kind of freaked me out.”

Amy would make a super hot Black Widow. He could catch her and go all Hulk on her pretty backside. “Yeah, that sounds weird.”

Jake frowned his way as though he’d known what Flynn was thinking. “You’re one of them, aren’t you? You’re one of those geeks who doesn’t look like a geek but you know way too much about comic books to be normal.”

He shrugged. “Geek is the new chic. I’m afraid my sub’s into it, too. You should probably expect some
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
role-playing. And
Dart
. She loves
Dart
.”

He would have to get that costume and she could play the pretty hacker who aided Dart in all his efforts, and he could need some sexual healing after a long mission. Yeah, that sounded good.

Dean shook his head. “No. No. It’s the only thing that’s completely forbidden at Sanctum. It makes Kai sick. Sorry, the dude who plays Dart is Kai’s brother and he’s famously prudish about his brother. I guess when you’re bombarded daily with how hot your baby brother is you get defensive. It’s kind of like Adam has to deal with me.”

There was a vomiting sound from two rows over.

Dean waved it off. “Don’t mind him. He’s got sympathy nausea. You know I could tell you that the best way to deal with her missing this class is some real world play. Is your sub interested at all in role-play?”

From what he could tell she was a little into it. She’d mentioned the Viking thing more than once. “I think she could go for it.”

It would get her out of her head for a while. It might put a smile on her face.

“Then that’s what you should do,” Dean explained.

Adam Miles moved around the row of lockers. He was dressed in his leathers and shaking his head at his partner. “Seriously? I’m far more attractive than you are.”

“You keep thinking that, buddy,” Dean said with a sigh. “Flynn, take my advice. Grab your girl or you might end up with a hanger-on.”

“Hanger-on?” Miles shot back. “Dude, you wouldn’t have any idea how to make it through a day without me, much less how to take care of Serena and our son. And don’t listen to this asshole. Like I showed up and latched on. You wouldn’t be here without me. You were a complete asshole when we first got together with Serena. You needed me to smooth over all those accusations you leveled at her.”

Dean laughed. “Hah. I fixed that with pure determination, brother. I fucked up but I wasn’t letting that woman or you getting your mansies stop us.”

Did he dare ask? “Mansies?”

“Man period.” Adam shot his partner the finger. “And my mansies were way more productive than your steroidal rage at the world that had done you wrong. He actually accused our sweet wife of pretending to have a stalker as a publicity stunt.”

Dean shrugged. “Yeah, well, I took that shit right back after the bullets started flying. That wasn’t what pissed Serena off. It was accusing her of sleeping with us to further her plot that really got the old engine going. Let me tell you, you’ve got it easy buddy. Getting matched up by experts and having a nice six weeks in a safe place to get to know her…that’s the dream. We did it with stalkers and guns and knives.”

Miles smiled. “Damn, man. Good times.”

“You know it, brother.” He shared a smile with his partner before turning back to Flynn. “Take the night off. Go to her apartment and set up a scene. If she’s had to work all night, she’s likely stressed and tired and in need of some fun. With a surprise scene, the key is to figure out what your sub needs. Does she need the play? Or does she need you to scrap it all and rub her feet and feed her dinner? That’s what I’m going to talk about tonight. Naturally there are times when the Dom needs the sub to be flexible. I can talk to her about that on another night.”

Flynn shook his head. “She’s got that lesson down. She’s fallen into the role of making sure I have breakfast and lunch and that I pull my head out of cyberspace for a while and relax.”