Switch Master: 6 (Ink and Kink) (28 page)

“I will,” Samantha said. “Taran means everything to me.
Thank you for agreeing to help.”

“Doing this will keep me from going into berserker-mode. I’m
sure Taran already warned you.”

“I suggested handcuffs,” Taran admitted.

“You could try to cuff me, little brother. One of us will
end up on the floor and it won’t be me. Sam, I’m going to need access to your
medical records.”

“I’ll get on that first thing tomorrow. If there’s a
problem, I’ll let you know.”

Phalen nodded in agreement. “It’d help to have you sign a
HIPPA form, in the event that I need further access to your records from the
hospital you were in at the time. You’re sure James is in prison?”

“Yes. He’s serving multiple life sentences for kidnapping
and extortion. I wasn’t the first girl he kept as a house slave. Once he was
arrested, others who’d grown too old and been paid off to stay silent came
forward. Not only that, he was found guilty on multiple counts of extortion and
racketeering.”

Phalen held Samantha’s gaze. “And he never sexually abused
you?”

“James was sick, cheap and greedy, but he wasn’t sexually
attracted to girls. If anything, he was asexual with a severe case of OCD.”

“All I can say is that I’m glad James is in prison,” Cassie
added.

“Believe me, there’s no one happier than I am to know he’s
rotting in a six by six prison cell,” Samantha said.

“Just the same, along with the PI work I’m going to do, if
you need me to go down to New York and make sure he never comes up for parole,
say the word, I’m there,” Phalen promised.

Samantha smiled and shook her head. “Have to admit, it’s
nice to think I have brothers and sisters now.”

“I’m not your brother, baby doll,” Taran reminded.

“No, you’re not. You’re my pretty boy and I’m keeping you.”

“You’ve got that right,” Cassie said. “Taran’s the pretty
one.”

“Hey, Cassie, I thought you loved me for my charm and wit,”
Taran objected, understanding that Cassie was going for humor in an attempt to
lighten Phalen’s dark mood.

“I adore you, Taran,” Cassie assured.

“My promise stands, Sam,” Phalen stated. “I’m more than
willing to remind Mark’s family that no one messes with a Maddox and gets away
with it.”

“I doubt you’ll have to do that. Mark has a wife and five
kids. He has enough to worry about, what with the scandal that brought down his
bid for governor a few years ago.”

“Still, Taran should give Mark a call just to be sure,”
Phalen said. “If he knows anything,
anything
, about what happened to
your baby all those years ago and only now decided to come clean, he has a lot
to answer for.”

“He’s right, Sam,” Taran said. “I was going to suggest the
same thing. Mark called your personal cell phone. We have his number now. Let
me call him and arrange a time to meet with him.”

“That’s a good idea,” Samantha agreed but frowned.

“You okay, doll?” Taran wedged himself between his brother
and Samantha. She came into his arms, wrapped herself up close and looked over
at Cassie and Phalen.

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything about my past until now to
you two. It’s a lot to take in.”

Cassie got up from the table. “Don’t apologize. I’m sorry
for what you went through back then.”

“I appreciate that,” Samantha said, tearing up. “And here I
go getting weepy. Maybe I should kick Phalen’s ass again just for fun.”

“The only reason I let you win that day was because I
wouldn’t have found Cassie without your help. You became family on that day,”
Phalen said. “Now I don’t know about you all, but I smell warm apple pie.”

“It does smell good, doesn’t it,” Samantha said. “If you all
will give me a minute in the kitchen, I’ll bring dessert to the table and we
can talk some more.

Taran hugged her tightly then let her go into the kitchen.
She’d gotten up during dinner to monitor what was baking in the oven, having
taken it out to cool off before serving. The scent of spices and apples added
to the all-American meal they’d devoured.

Shortly, Samantha returned, setting the pie and some paper
plates on the table and taking her seat beside Taran. Pleased that Samantha was
comfortable sharing a difficult situation with his brother and sister-in-law,
he smiled and served up the final course. It was good, warm and perfect after
stew.

Long after they finished eating and the dishes were cleaned
and put away, the four of them continued to talk. Taran and Samantha used
after-dinner conversation to tell Phalen and Cassie about Luke Walker and his
aunt.

Both his brother and sister-in-law thought Taran would be a
good role model for a teenage boy. He was glad about that, having always
believed Phalen’s influence on his own life when he was growing up had been the
reason he strove to do his best in school and athletics.

It’d been Phalen who helped Taran decide which college to go
to. As he grew older, it’d been his big brother who drilled it into his head to
always respect the girl he was dating and always wear a condom. It’d been
Phalen who helped both him and Ethan come to terms with their preference for
D/s relationships.

Later that evening, Samantha and Taran waved their company
off, took turns in the bathroom, stripped off their clothes and climbed into
bed. Pale-blue nightlights strategically placed around the room lit things up
enough that he’d not had to keep the bathroom light on.

Promising again that he’d buy nightlights for the
brownstone, he turned toward her, taking her into his arms. She came to him as
naturally as breathing, her mouth against his reminding him of all that was
good and right.

Making love to her, he took his time, savoring the softness
of her skin, the taste of her lips and tightness of her sex gripping his cock
as he entered on a slow, deep thrust.

A long time afterward, they fell asleep. This time she slept
peacefully.

Considering how suddenly Sam and Taran became a couple, the
three weeks that followed were fairly routine and productive. She’d never known
a man who could be endearing and dominant, compassionate and strong.

She’d say she was the luckiest woman on the planet to have
Taran Maddox as her own. Then again, she’d say Cassie and Morgan Maddox were
lucky too. They had Ethan and Phalen, who prided family and friendship more
than anything.

Sitting at her desk, trying to ignore the hunger pangs
telling her it was lunchtime, she thought over the last few weeks while
finishing up some paperwork on a case that she and Ethan closed yesterday.

A teenage girl, upset with her parents over being grounded
for shoplifting, ran away, hiding out in her boyfriend’s basement. Thankfully,
the boy called the police station, leading them right to the girl. Sam wished
every case was that easily solved.

Typing furiously on her keyboard, she smiled to herself when
she thought of how she and Taran had spent the previous night. Even as she sat
there, she could still feel the telltale signs of fantastic sex, unseen bite
marks, tender nipples and complete, utter satisfaction.

It wasn’t just last night’s wicked sex that was
off-the-charts amazing, every night was perfect. It wasn’t that they didn’t
disagree or work late, they did and they worked things out, carving out time
for each other no matter the hour or situation.

While he remained the Dominant, he always placed her before
himself, showing her that lovemaking was as essential and sexy as naughty,
kinky sex.

Last weekend they attended a day-long munch at Druid Creek
Castle. During the session, she’d experimented with whips and floggers for the
first time. At first, it’d been awkward since Phalen was the instructor. Once
she witnessed his professionalism and his skill, she saw him in a whole new
light.

After their first munch, Taran rewarded her by letting her
peruse an online catalog of whips and floggers he’d made, telling her to check off
whatever caught her eye. She’d done so, saving her favorites, wondering when
she’d receive her new toys.

At the end of the weekend, she and Taran made plans to
attend the Shibari workshop given by Alex and Ryan next month. As much as she
was curious about rope bondage, she knew she needed to learn every facet of it
before binding Taran.

On the evenings when she went to the roller rink, Taran
worked late at Maddox Ink or preparing for court then he’d take Luke home and
stay over at her apartment in Framingham. Luke had started working as soon as
his principal gave permission and was allowed to work twenty hours a week.

The other nights of the week, she stayed at the brownstone.
She had to admit, she loved his South Boston home. There was no word yet on whether
Ethan and Morgan’s bid on the house they’d fallen in love with had been
accepted, though they were hopeful.

Between working on missing persons and cold cases, Sam was
able to concentrate on investigating Daria Walker. From what she’d found so
far, she suspected Luke’s stepmother was involved in an escort service being
run by the salon she was working for.

Last Monday night, Taran and Sam took Luke and his aunt to
dinner, enjoying the chance to get to know them and admitting that Taran was
interested in joining the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization and becoming
Luke’s mentor.

Sam had been concerned that Luke would object after his
initial distrust of Taran. Instead, he seemed open to the idea, maybe because
working with Taran helped ground him. For her part, Glenda believed Luke would
benefit from Taran’s guidance.

A few days ago, Taran had learned that Russell Walker’s
attempt to appeal had stalled. They didn’t know why as of yet. Additionally,
Glenda Davis was served with a hearing notice arguing her right as Luke’s legal
guardian. His stepmother Daria Walker was behind this.

As an attorney with membership in Massachusetts Association
of Guardians ad Litem, Inc., Taran would remain Luke’s lawyer throughout any
court-appointed hearings, but had recommended someone else represent Glenda.

Between the two lawyers, Sam felt confident they would work
together to protect Luke Walker’s best interest and his relationship with his
aunt.

While Taran was busy dealing with legal matters, Sam made
several attempts to contact Mark Cormack without success. The first time she
was sent to a prerecorded voicemail message. The next time, she discovered the
phone was no longer in service.

Taran then suggested they contact the Cormack patriarch for
answers. Sam was a little hesitant. Martin Cormack, Mark’s father, had always
made her nervous when she was younger. But his personal assistant informed
Taran a family emergency had arisen and it’d be weeks before Martin returned
any calls or correspondence.

Concerned, Sam reached out to Mark’s mother, Barbara
Cormack. Again, she was unsuccessful so she called her mom, who’d once been
Barbara’s housekeeper, to see if Gwen could contact her former employer.

Weirdly, Sam’s mother called earlier to let her know Barbara
refused to take her phone calls. It shouldn’t have surprised Sam as much as it
did. Her mother had worked for Martin and Barbara Cormack for many years. Why
the silence? Then again, if they were dealing with a family emergency it could
explain the rejection.

In the meantime, Phalen Maddox investigated Dr. Emilio
Solomon, discovering the doctor had not only started the women’s health clinic
in Hell’s Kitchen, he’d confirmed that Solomon had been one of the physicians
at an exclusive fertility clinic in Manhattan and worked in conjunction with
the hospital where she’d been treated.

A month after Sam had been his patient, Dr. Solomon lost his
license to practice medicine after numerous malpractice suits were filed
against him. According to Phalen, the lawsuits stalled a few years ago because
Solomon died.

Taran told her that it wasn’t uncommon for lawsuits to
continue, as those filing the suits went after the doctor’s practice or the
hospital where they were affiliated. Sam asked if Phalen knew how Dr. Emilio
Solomon died. A coroner’s report claimed it’d been a self-inflicted gunshot
wound.

Phalen was currently trying to locate the nurses,
anesthesiologist and staff who’d been in the ER and the OR the day Sam gone
into the hospital. Most had retired or moved, two passed away from natural
causes, one sadly had Alzheimer’s.

Presently, the whereabouts of the nurse who’d been at both
the women’s clinic and the hospital during Sam’s stay were unknown.

Her personal cell phone played
Alive
by Pearl Jam,
breaking Sam’s thought pattern. Reaching for the phone, she already knew who
was calling. “Hi, pretty boy.”

“Hi, baby doll, how’s your day?”

“It’s going well. Is there any chance we can meet up for
lunch? I’d like to tell you about my conversation with my mom earlier today.”

“Wish we could. That deadbeat dad hearing I told you about
was pushed up and I’ve only got a few minutes to grab a bag of potato chips and
a soda before going into court.”

“You need more than potato chips, counselor.”

“They’ll do for now. We’ll have a good dinner this evening.
Are we still on for Druid Creek Castle tonight?”

She smiled at that. “I thought we settled this in the shower
this morning?”

“I was a little preoccupied. My sexy girlfriend was working
me over with her incredibly gifted mouth.”

“You have a girlfriend and didn’t tell me?”

“Since you’re my girlfriend, I figured you knew already. I’m
calling because I have Alex on hold. He feels bad for not being able to
accommodate us overnight the last time we tried to make reservations. I want to
make sure you trust me to make arrangements for our stay.”

“Tell Alex not to worry. What arrangements are we talking
about?”

“How about a naughty teacher facing discipline by the
principal?” he murmured in his trademark Maddox accent.

He was a telephone call away, yet she imagined the taste of
his lips and the feel of his skin pressed against hers. She especially
remembered the taste of him as she’d sucked him to completion in the shower.

She loved the power of being in a submissive position. She’d
been on her knees, his big hands tangled in her wet hair, compelling her to
deep throat his cock, but it’d been Taran who’d been left shaking and
sputtering and weak-kneed.

“Naughty teacher, huh, do I get to use a ruler on your ass?”

“I’m not the one being naughty. Paddling is more my style.
You game for a little sting with your pleasure, Ms. Riley?”

“I can handle anything you dish out, Principal Maddox.
Remember naughty teachers bite if paddled too hard.”

“Go ahead, bite me. Be sure to leave your mark. That’s one
thing you’ll need to learn, Samantha. When you’re on top, I want your marks to
be permanent.”

“Are we talking tattoos or something else? If you want me to
cut you or something, you’re out of your mind.”

“Predominantly ink, we’ve talked about piercings,” he said.
“I’m game if you are.”

“You like to live dangerously, don’t you? There are many
places I could leave an impression, one in particular that’s incredibly big and
thick and juicy.”

“Juicy? Damn, Samantha, my dick is not to be tattooed or
pierced. The safe word on that is no fucking way.”

“That’s three words, but point taken. Can I nibble?”

“If you draw blood, you’re guaranteed to get more than a
paddled ass, get my meaning?”

“Taran! Aren’t you at the courthouse?”

“Yes. Don’t worry, I’m alone.”

“Better be. Don’t leave Alex hanging. Make the
arrangements.”

“That’s my girl. I’ll pick you up from work and we’ll swing
by the brownstone before heading to Danvers.”

“Can’t wait to see you,” she said, missing him the second
the call ended.

“What was that all about?” Ethan asked, returning from the
precinct’s small break room.

“What was what about?” she asked, watching her partner sit
at his desk across from her, a candy bar in his hand.

“You looked like you were having a serious conversation,” he
said, ripping off the wrapper of his candy bar and making her tummy growl.

“It was Taran, Mr. Nosy. What? You got chocolate for
yourself and nothing for me?”

“Want half?” He was prepared to share, but she shook her
head no.

“I’d better not. I brought a sandwich from home.”

“Boring, where’s your sense of adventure?”

“If you only knew,” she said, thinking of the adventure she
was set to partake with Taran later that evening.

“Spill,” Ethan dared.

“Taran and I are spending the evening at Druid Creek
Castle.”

Ethan grinned like the devil he could be. “Way to go, little
brother.”

“We’re going to dinner.”

“My brother has more in mind than that. Still, I don’t need
to hear the details.”

“That’d be weird.”

“Yeah, it would. Guess what? LUDS came back on that phone
Mark used to call you. It was a cheap prepaid one, with talk-only minutes. I’m
going to see if I can trace the phone to where it’d been sold.”

“Mark probably doesn’t want his wife to know he called me,”
Sam said.

“When I was at lunch, Morgan called, insisting we are very
close to finding him.”

“Is she feeling all right? No headaches or anything?”

“None, thankfully,” he replied. “She feels bad that she
can’t pick up on anything definitive about Sarah or her whereabouts.”

“She shouldn’t feel bad at all. Morgan is amazing.”

“Amazing and brilliant, after all, she agreed to be my
wife.”

“Humbleness is not in the Maddox code, is it?”

“Not really. You were talking to your mom when I left. Was
she able to reach Barbara Cormack?”

“Barbara refused to take my mother’s calls. Taran tried to contact
Martin Cormack the other day and was told he was dealing with a family
emergency. When I spoke to Mark on the phone, he sounded awful, said something
about the flu, but what if he’s sick? No matter what he’d done in the past, I
don’t want anything bad to happen to him or his family.”

“Detective Riley, the mailman dropped this off at the front
desk downstairs,” Officer Barnes announced, striding across the room to hand
her a manila envelope.

“Thanks,” she said, taking the envelope and seeing it was tagged
with handle-with-care in red pen.

Opening the envelope and carefully pulling out the contents,
she blinked several times. It was old photographs of her mother and Mark’s
father…Martin Cormack.

Martin was obviously older than her mom by a couple of years,
but the love and happiness captured in the black-and-white photos said
everything. To see her mom looking so alive and radiant was shocking, to see
her with Martin made her stomach sour.

“Wow, Ethan, look at these photos of my mom and Martin
Cormack.” She handed them over. He scanned the photos, his clever eyes stopping
on one, looking up at Sam, then back at the picture.

“There’s no doubt that you take after your mother, Sam,”
Ethan said, going through each of the photos again. “She was a real beauty.”

“Thank you, she still is, though she’s grayer these days.
You know, I always felt I was responsible for her stress growing up. Maybe I
was wrong and it came from heartbreak.”

“These photographs were taken on an old camera. They may
have been developed in someone’s photo lab. There’s no stamp or date on the
back. Is there anything else in the envelope?”

Sam dumped it, finding nothing. “No.”

Ethan took the envelope, inspecting it. “This was sent from
Mark Cormack, with a Plymouth address.”

“Last I heard, Mark and his wife and children lived on
Martha’s Vineyard. He certainly could’ve moved. This is weird, Ethan. All this
time, I never connected Martin with my mother.”