“I will totally keep her safe, Mr. Lodge.” Logan’s face went carefully blank, but Chase would bet he was calculating the odds of this new mission going well.
“Don’t forget I LoJacked her.” Kitten had a tracking device in her collar. It had come in handy more than once, especially a few months back when he’d nearly been horrifically murdered by asshole mercenaries who had mistaken him for his way nicer twin brother. “And we won’t be there long. What’s this case?” He could see it now. The Case of the Quick-Handed Sub. The Case of the Dumb-ass Sub Who Got Caught.
“A prominent member of the community was murdered, and Natalie is being questioned for the crime.”
Chase sat up, his previous ennui evaporating. Dead bodies? Scandal? Chicks who kill? Yeah, there it was. He knew he still had a little adrenaline left in his system.
“How’d he die?” Chase was deeply aware that he practically fucking giggled the question.
Julian stared for a moment, probably remembering all the reasons he preferred to deal with Ben. “Apparently someone shoved a needle into his back during sex.”
Black widow killer. Yeah.
And she was Kitten’s friend.
And she’d probably murdered some dude during sex.
Pros. Cons. It didn’t matter. Finally, he wasn’t bored. Chase stood. “Come on, Watson. Let’s get going. The game is afoot!”
Logan stared at him blankly. “Dude, my name is Logan.”
And he wasn’t terribly literate. It didn’t matter. For the first time in months, Chase wanted to do something. Catch a killer.
Chapter Two
Ben Dawson stared across the table in the small diner. “So you’re looking for a submissive?”
Cole Roberts was a big man whose casual clothes couldn’t hide his obvious success. Even if Ben didn’t know Cole’s net worth, he would still guess this was a wealthy man. His alpha male status oozed out of Cole’s pores. “I’ve been looking for a while. I have a membership at The Club. I’m only in Dallas about half the year, but I attend regularly when I’m there. I was a little offended Mr. Lodge didn’t think about me when he was dispensing this sub.”
Mr. Lodge probably hadn’t thought of him because he talked about Julian’s matchmaking as a doling out of human property. Roberts was known to be a bit on the hard side. “He’s being very careful with Kitten. She’s family. You’ve heard about her background?”
Roberts had been sent a complete file including a full psych evaluation on Kitten Taylor. He’d submitted to his own psych evaluation, too. He nodded, a certain gravity in the gesture. “Yes, I read the file. I was very sorry to hear that happened to her. Is Lodge attempting to shift her out of the lifestyle? Because if that’s what he’s trying to do, then I’m not the Dom for her. I’m looking for a full-time submissive. I’m willing to exchange room and board and discuss the possibility of a legal entanglement in exchange for service.”
And that was the only damn reason Ben was sitting here. Roberts was willing to talk long term, and Kitten needed that. He wasn’t much of a romantic, though, if he considered marriage a legal entanglement. “How many full-time submissives have you kept in the past?”
“Only one. Emily Yarborough.” Roberts went still, only his lips moving. “She died. Car accident. She was being driven home by a friend and they took a curve too fast. You don’t take curves fast on the pass, Mr. Dawson.”
Elk Creek Pass, the same mountain passage Roberts’s ski resort was named after, was one of America’s more dangerous passes, but then Roberts lived in one of America’s more dangerous towns. “I’m sorry to hear that.” But he had something else to address. “So you didn’t consider Mason Scott to be a submissive?”
Roberts remained perfectly calm. The only sign that the name had an effect was the tightening of his eyes. “Mason Scott is my partner. We have business interests together. I won’t lie to you. In the past we had a sexual relationship. Mason is a switch. We met at The Club, but that part of my life is over. Miss Taylor doesn’t need to worry that she would be second. I will put her first.”
Ben was pretty sure Kitten would find the idea of bisexual Masters delightful, but Roberts seemed firm. Ben moved on to other problems. “So if you did sign a contract with Katherine Taylor, you would continue to live here in Bliss?”
Roberts took a long drink of his coffee. “I stay here half the year, as I said. If my submissive needed to be in the city in order to find her peace, then I would consider staying in Dallas for longer, but I would always need to come here. This resort doesn’t run itself. I would prefer she come with me. I have no intention of leaving my sub at home.”
Another point in his favor. He was also recommended by Stefan Talbot, a friend of Lodge’s, and he’d passed Leo’s tests.
Ben closed his notebook. “Do you really want another sub? It’s only been a year since Emily’s death. I like Kitten. She’s a whack job, but she’s a truly sweet girl who’s had to overcome some horrific things. I don’t want her to get involved with a man who won’t care about her.”
“How will I know if I don’t try?” The words came out in a flat monotone.
“You could date. You don’t have to sign a six-month contract on an unseen sub.”
Roberts laughed, the first sign that he could look anything but grim. “Have you seen the women around here? They’re beautiful and sexy and they like to shoot people. Seriously, I’ve heard rumors that they have a club.” He sobered a bit. “No. I don’t need to date. Dating is a false thing. It’s two people dancing around the truth. A contract is more effective. We know we’ll be together for six months so we can relax and give the relationship a real go.”
“Kitten can be a handful. I’m not trying to say she isn’t sweet, but she can push some boundaries.”
Roberts pulled out a file of his own. “Here’s my list of rules and punishments. If they fall outside of her hard limits, we can discuss alternatives, but I prefer my way. I can handle a bit of manipulation. She wouldn’t have a brain if she didn’t try. I prefer to use pleasure as a reward, though I admit to sometimes viewing my submissive as stress relief. I would never harm her sexually, but I will use her to my own ends and sometimes without thought to her pleasure.”
And he sounded perfect for Kitten. Kitten wanted to be necessary. Roberts could give her what she wanted. The question was would he be what she needed? “Please come to The Club next month and I’ll introduce you.”
Roberts frowned. “And what will she be doing until then?”
Possessive. Not a bad thing in a Dom, but a little out of bounds with a woman he didn’t know yet. “She’s being cared for by a Dom in training. A young man from these parts. It’s a pure training relationship. No sex involved.”
Roberts cracked a smile. “Logan Green is training my potential sub? Well, that’s something I never thought I would say. Tell Logan hello and he better take care of her. If Lodge doesn’t mind, I would appreciate being able to send her a few things. Just some small gifts.”
Clothing most likely. Ben understood the impulse. When he was involved with a woman, he liked to know she was wearing something he’d bought for her. Of course, Ben usually liked to actually meet the woman first, but hey, he was used to being around eccentrics. Hell, his other half was about as eccentric as a person could be.
Roberts stood and shook his hand, and Ben sat back down, glancing at his watch. He had all night. His plane wasn’t supposed to leave until tomorrow morning. He had a room at something called a Movie Motel and plans to eat dinner with a couple of old clients. Jesse McCann and Cade Sinclair were ready to show off their fiancée, Gemma.