“I’m a private investigator. Everyone lies to me. Cheating spouses, bail jumpers, hell, the people who hire me tend to lie. And I won’t even go into the cops. They don’t tend to lie, but they do give me hell from time to time.”
Karina’s life sounded far more interesting than her own. “So you come here to get away from all of it?”
“As much of it as I can. One of my loving cops is a Dom here. Now I’m the one being sarcastic. Derek Brighton kind of, sort of hates me. Which is a shame because I really like him. He’s the smartest man I know, and he’s got crazy good instincts. It doesn’t hurt that he’s the tiniest bit gorgeous. Oh, well, we can’t always get what we want. I work for Tag from time to time. He’s tried to hire me on, but I’m afraid this old dog prefers to work for herself.”
Ashley let her eyes open. “Now who’s going to get a spanking?”
Her laughter was rich and deep. “Yes, honey, but I promise I’ll like it. I think I’m going to play with the Brit tonight.”
“The raging murder machine?”
“No, the sweet one. Simon. He’s a charmer. Easy on the eyes, too. And I don’t have to worry that he’ll want to sleep with me afterward.” She winked in the mirror. “He’s pining for someone. I’m pining for someone. It’s a match made in heaven.”
“So I really don’t have to have sex with him. With my Dom, I mean.” Charlotte had been plain. The contract she’d signed stated that she got to choose.
“It’s always your choice, hon.” Karina stepped back. “There. You look lovely. So this isn’t your dream guy, huh?”
Keith. Tall, dark, incredibly handsome. He would be her dream guy. But she didn’t dream anymore. “No. I’m not interested in finding a boyfriend. I am interested in finding me.”
It was what she was doing, and it scared her to death.
Karina turned her chair around and gave her another of those mama bear hugs that made Ashley feel like someone gave a crap about her. She didn’t hesitate this time. She hugged her back.
“Good for you, baby girl.” Karina’s lovely face had flushed, and she nodded as though she needed a moment. “If he gives you any trouble, you call me. I’ll take care of him. And if you have any questions, you can call me, too.”
“And if I just want a friend?” The question popped out before she could think about it. Dumb. That was dumb and made her sound needy.
Karina just nodded. “You better call me, because I could use one, too. Now, let’s get out there and meet this Dom of yours.”
Ashley hopped off the chair. She was short compared to Karina in her heels, but it didn’t matter. She spent so much of her life cutting herself off from everyone. Maybe that was a mistake. Maybe this was. She would never know if she didn’t try. She might never know who she was and if she didn’t know that, how the hell could she guide her daughter through life? “You’ll go with me?”
She’d thought she would be alone since Jill wasn’t here.
“Of course.” Karina’s hand slipped into hers. “We subs stick together. Isn’t that right, ladies?”
Serena looked up from her computer. She settled her hand on her large baby bump. “Absolutely. Ashley, you look so cute. You’re going to have to tell me how you managed to get your butt back after the baby because I’m pretty sure they’re going to have to stamp ‘wide load’ across mine.”
Avery’s eyes flared. “I’m telling Jake you said that.”
“Hush, Saint Avery,” Serena shot back with affection. “Don’t listen to her. She’s really too good to be true. Poor Li. He never gets to spank her.”
“Sure he does. I mouth off sometimes just to have fun.” She smiled at Ashley, her pretty face beaming. It was hard to believe she was married to the big Irish man who looked so tough and mean in his leathers, but she’d watched how he softened the minute his wife walked in the room. “And Karina’s right. We subs stick up for each other. Well, mostly we hide behind Charlotte or Karina and let them totally stick up for us. They’re really good at yelling at people.”
That was nice to know.
“Welcome to the club, Ashley.” Serena gave her a thumbs-up.
For the first time in a long time, she wondered if she just might find a home.
* * * *
Keith took a deep breath and told himself this was just another meeting. He met with tons of potential clients, every one of them basically begging for money and attention. He was excellent at picking out the projects that would pay off brilliantly.
He didn’t need this to pay, just to be pleasurable for a couple of weeks, a month or two at most. That was all he needed. He would see she was like all the rest. He would find the exchange that made everything all right, the books balanced.
“Now you’re in for it.” A broad man in leathers shook his closely cropped head as he leaned against the bar. They’d been introduced by Taggart in the locker room. He was some sort of cop. Derek Brighton. Seemed nice enough.
“How so?” Maybe some small-talk would take his mind off the fact that he was about to spend the evening with a woman who shouldn’t give him the time of day.
But she’d signed the contract. She knew what she was getting into, and she’d agreed to keep everything at the club.
He didn’t have to feel guilty. It was just a game. Just play.
“Because I think that’s your girl, right? She’s with the mama bear of the subs. Name’s Karina Mills, and she can castrate a man at fifty paces.” Brighton chuckled a little, but there was a bitterness underneath it. “She’s beautiful but deadly, man. You might want to watch your step if she’s taking Ashley under her wing.”
Keith turned and caught sight of a tall woman with black hair and a nice body. She didn’t really look like a man-eater, but then he knew enough about women that he couldn’t judge that book by its lovely cover.
Oh, but he could judge Ashley. His gut did a weird turn that probably came from the fact that every ounce of blood in his body had pounded straight into his dick at the sight of her.
She was wearing a white corset and a denim miniskirt that showed off her spectacular curves. Fat? God, he knew Taggart had been baiting him, but he would kill the next man who said the word around her. She was glorious, so fuckable it hurt. Nice breasts, a curvy waist, hips he could grip while he fucked into what was likely a petal-soft pussy.