Chapter One
“What brings you to McKay-Taggart today, Miss?” Adam forced himself to ask the question when all he really wanted to do was tug the curvy brunette into his arms and promise her everything would be all right.
From the moment Jake had shown her in his door and dumped her at his desk, Adam had wanted to put a hand on her. It was an instinct. She was exactly his type, and she seemed to be in trouble. He was a sucker for a woman in trouble.
Luckily there was a desk between them or he might prove he was completely unprofessional.
“It’s Serena Brooks. That’s my real name.” Her hands fluttered nervously before she forced them into her lap. “Please call me Serena. Everyone does. Well, my friends do. I actually have a couple of names. Did I offend the first guy?”
Interesting. Adam found himself leaning forward. He caught the faintest whiff of something citrusy. Serena Brooks was a sweet-looking thing. Golden-brown hair escaped from the bun on the back of her head in soft wisps that framed a lovely face. She had on a slightly too big green sweater and jeans. She wore a very professional-looking pair of glasses that she toyed with from time to time. She looked like a sweet librarian.
Fuck, it had been way too long since he’d gotten laid. He usually at least had a full conversation with a woman before he decided to lay her out, strip her down and sink into her.
“Jake? No, you didn’t offend him. He’s odd. I’m sure he had something important to do.”
Jake had a lot of explaining to do. Apparently, he hadn’t even introduced himself to Serena. He’d simply walked her across the hall and dumped her, mumbling something about some research he had to do, and ran out, leaving Adam with more questions than he could answer and one very lovely damsel in distress. At least she could answer a few questions.
“Why do you have more than one name?” Maybe he should back off a bit. Adam knew that sometimes the softest packages could explode in his face. He had the scars to prove it. Ten years of security work including five years serving his country with the Green Berets should have taught him not to take anything at face value. Unfortunately his dick hadn’t gotten the message.
He glanced at the clock, wondering how long Jacob Dean was going to take. They rarely worked apart. Even during something as simple as a client referral meeting, he preferred to have Jake at his side. Jake so often caught things Adam didn’t.
“Oh, you think I have assumed names. Aliases.” She laughed. It was a throaty, sexy laugh. It went straight to Adam’s cock.
“That would be the very definition of a name that isn’t your own.” He was utterly fascinated with the way her eyes lit up when she laughed. Even from behind her glasses, he could see her eyes were a lovely shade of green.
She smiled and leaned forward. She probably had no idea that when she leaned forward, her sweater opened and he could see a creamy expanse of breast. He bet she was at least a C cup. Maybe a small D. She would fill his hands. Those breasts would more than likely look beautiful with rope surrounding them, forcing them to stand up and show off.
“I like the idea of an alias, Mr. Miles. It makes me sound far more interesting than I really am. I have a pen name. Amber Rose.”
“You’re a writer.” That fit. He could see her hunched over a notepad writing out innocent romances. He wondered if she blushed when she wrote the kissing scenes. If he told her how he liked to take a woman, she would probably run the other way.
The question was would he chase her down?
The door to his office opened, and Jake strode in. “Sorry. I had a few things to deal with including one very pushy receptionist who likes to put her overly cute nose into everyone’s business.” He turned to the client, and Adam noticed his double take. Yeah. They had the same taste in women, which was good since they liked to share. “I’m Jake Dean. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Serena Brooks.” She held out her hand, and Jake hesitated only for the slightest second before enveloping it in his own.
Adam understood his hesitation. The woman in front of them was lovely and potentially submissive. It was there in the way she held herself, in the soft way she spoke and the pleasure she obviously took when she thought she’d pleased someone. She might not know or understand it, but Adam had been in the lifestyle long enough to recognize all the signs. Jake was far more invested in being a Dom, but Adam always backed him up.
“That’s a beautiful name, Serena,” Adam said, wanting to see if his hunch was correct.
She flushed and looked down. “Thank you.”
Yep. Score one for the team.
Jake looked at him, shaking his head slightly. Adam could almost read his mind.
Client. Stay away.
He smiled back, a slight uptick of his lips to give Jake his response. No way. No how.
He certainly wasn’t going to back away. They hadn’t even taken the case yet, and there was no certainty that they would. It was very difficult to believe the woman in front of him had gotten herself in enough trouble that she would actually need their services. More than likely she wanted to check out a cheating boyfriend. McKay-Taggart didn’t provide those types of services. Adam could happily refer her to a private investigator, and then in a few months, he could call her up and offer her a little solace—ménage style.
Jake looked at her, his eyes fastened to her face. “I didn’t have a reminder about your appointment. I apologize for being late.”
Bastard. He knew damn well she didn’t have an appointment. Jake was pushing her to see if she would lie. Adam sighed. Jake was good at playing bad cop.
Serena didn’t even try to lie. She flushed and stammered a little. “I didn’t have an appointment. I kind of walked in. I’m sorry if I’m inconveniencing you. I really should have made an appointment, but my agent thought it would be okay.” She started to stand.
Jake’s voice deepened, proving to Adam beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’d picked up on the same signs. He only used that voice on submissives they picked up in the clubs. “Sit down, Serena.”
She settled in again.
“We’re not upset. I was simply apologizing for not being here at the start of the meeting. Adam and I are a team. We work together. We usually meet clients together.” Jake leaned on the side of the desk. “We don’t usually have clients who simply walk in off the street. McKay-Taggart doesn’t advertise.”