“No,” Slater choked out the word. “I’ve taken a suite at the Fairmont, thank you. I just thought I should be on hand in case I was needed. The senator is making this his top priority.”
Jack just bet he was. He was up for reelection soon, and he had his eye on the presidency in a couple of years. A scandal involving his sons, one legitimate and one not, wouldn’t do the politician any good. “I don’t give a crap about the senator, but I will protect my family. Do you understand?”
Slater gave him a nervous glance. “Yes, I believe you will, Mr. Barnes.” The campaign manager took a deep breath, and his shoulders came down, relaxing slightly. He stood and straightened his jacket. “I will leave it to you, then.” He passed a card across the desk to Julian and handed one to Jack. Jack glanced down. It contained Slater’s contact numbers and the Cameron campaign slogan, “Family First.” Jack rolled his eyes as the officious man left the office.
“I’m going to need a room after all.” He wasn’t leaving until he was sure this mess wouldn’t come back to haunt him. Every protective instinct in him was on full alert. He had to make sure that nothing hurt Abby or Sam.
Julian nodded as he pressed a button on his phone. “Yes, of course. I’ll have you settled in one of the smaller rooms.”
Sally the sub walked briskly into the room. She had a notebook in her hand. “Yes, sir?”
Julian stood, so Jack did as well. Jack looked at the clock. He had a few hours before meeting his soon-to-be-dead baby brother. He would clean up and call home. He would come up with some excuse that didn’t involve worrying his wife or partner.
“Please get Mr. Barnes checked in to one of the rooms on the fifteenth floor. I think there’s one open next to the Platinum Suite,” Julian ordered. “I believe he’s going to need clothing.”
“Sorry, I didn’t bring a suit,” Jack groused. Julian insisted on dressing for dinner.
Julian’s hands ran down the lapels of his suit. His mouth curved up fondly. “I doubt you wear them often on that ranch of yours.” He looked back to his secretary. “Call Neiman’s, please.”
Sally bounced slightly up and down in her heels. There was an expectant air surrounding her. Julian nodded slightly. Sally’s eyes lit up.
“We should have called them sooner. They could have sent the suit over with the stuff the clients in the Platinum Suite ordered.” There was a cheerful grin on Sally’s face. Her earlier debacle with Jack seemed forgotten.
“Have you met our latest guests, pet?” Julian’s smile was smooth. Jack thought for a moment that he might be missing something.
Sally nodded vigorously. “She’s very pretty. She wanted to know where she could buy some hot shoes for tonight. She’s never been in The Club before. She’s not sure what to wear. She’s really nice, though.”
“And her husband?”
Jack fought to keep control of his temper. He didn’t want to listen to Club gossip. He wanted to get to his room and get Abby or Sam on the phone. He had some explaining to do. Sally continued.
“He’s very handsome. The valet was super excited. They roared in on a brand new motorcycle.” Sally’s face turned serious for a moment.
“Yes, pet? Do you see a problem?”
She thought for a moment and obviously decided to press on. “She’s a sub. At least sexually, she is. She’s very soft and gives off an air of innocence that will have every Dom in the club panting after her.”
“No Dom in this club will go after a collared sub,” Jack said. He’d worked here for years, and that rule had always been in place.
“She’s not wearing a collar, at least not now.” Sally tapped her pen against her red lips. “And there’s something about her husband.”
“Yes,” Julian urged her on. He seemed very pleased with his little sub, as though she were figuring out a problem he already knew the answer to.
“I don’t think he’s a Dom.” She twirled her pen in her hand as she thought. “He’s playing at it, but if I had to guess, he’s a sub, too.”
“Then he’s an idiot.” Jack was done. “If he walks into the dungeon with a gorgeous sub, he’s going to lose her. The Doms here will sense weakness. Hell, the man already proved himself to be a dumbass. He drives a motorcycle. That’s a death trap. He lets his wife on that thing? He deserves to lose her. I’m going up to my room. I need to make a call.”
He stalked out of the office and into the waiting room. He was surprised to be assaulted by boxes and sacks with the names of Dallas’s most exclusive stores.
“I had them bring it up here,” Sally explained.
Julian stared at the bounty crowding out his waiting room. “And why is all this not up in the Platinum Suite?”
Sally’s smile was small and secretive. “There’s a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door, sir.”
Julian laughed. “Well, after giving her husband’s credit card a good work-out, she should spend some time pleasing the man.”
Jack stared at the ridiculous indulgence around him. Who needed that many pairs of shoes? “That man definitely isn’t a Dom, Julian. You’re going to have trouble tonight. He has no control over his sub, if this is any indication. She’s walking all over him.”
“She does seem to be making a statement, doesn’t she?” Julian mused. “Perhaps you could speak with him. You used to be excellent at teaching a Dom how to behave. He might just need a little advice from someone who knows how to maintain control over his household.”
Jack nodded. This man obviously needed some help. “Sure, if I have the time, I’ll have a drink with him.”
“It’s good to have your help, Jackson.” Julian’s eyes look a little wistful. “It’s good to just see you again. We’ll handle the Lucas Cameron situation.”
Jack nodded. He’d definitely handle it.
Chapter Four
Abby stared at herself critically in the bathroom mirror of the suite Sam had checked them into not an hour before. It was a ritual most women approaching forty performed on a regular basis. She snapped the front closure on her brand new La Perla bra and wished it had a little more support. It looked so beautiful in the shop. Sam’s eyes had glazed over when he’d seen it. He’d snatched up the emerald green bra and matching thong, saying it would look gorgeous against her fair skin. Now, she wasn’t so sure. Her boobs weren’t what they used to be. She didn’t even want to turn around and be confronted with the sight of her ass in a thong.
It was hard getting old, she thought as she considered herself in the ornate mirror. The Club’s suite was the most decadent room she’d ever been in. It came fully equipped for BDSM play with hooks in the ceiling and walls. The bathroom was bigger than most hotel rooms, and the mirror was something else. It took up one whole wall of the bathroom. Between the wall-sized mirror and the one over the sink, a woman could see herself from every angle. There was no getting away from it. She was going to be thirty-eight this year. She stared at the little lines around her eyes and thought about the strikingly beautiful woman who had shown them up to their suite. She’d been a lovely blonde and couldn’t be older than twenty-five. Abby had a daughter approaching that age. Lexi was twenty-one. Though she hated herself for doing it, she’d watched Sam’s reaction to Sally. She smiled. Abby doubted Sam would be able to pick her out of a crowd. He’d paid very little attention to her despite her perfectly toned body.
Abby wondered if Jack had met the lovely Sally.
“Now, see, I can feel your anxiety from the other room, gorgeous.” Sam came up behind her, and his hands curled around her shoulders.
She looked at the two of them in the full-length mirror. Sam was wearing jeans and a tight, white T-shirt that molded to his every muscle. He had a boy next door sexiness about him that always got to her. Like Jack, he was five years younger than Abby. He hadn’t even reached his prime, while she was on the other side of hers. It was one of the dirty little tricks Mother Nature played on the female of the species. Men got more attractive as they approached forty, and women just got older.