by Ivy Nelson
Gary nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know if it’s a permanent posting or if they borrowed him for an assignment.”
“I’ve got a friend who has a high up source in the NSA. I might be able to do some digging.”
“I’m going to try to get in touch with him today,” Gary said. “Now, let’s talk about keeping you safe, young lady.”
Peter felt Carrie shift closer to him and he knew this was making her uncomfortable. Good, he thought. Then he cleared his throat and said, “I thought I could hire you to be her driver. I could hire someone who works for one of the private firms around here, but you understand our dynamic so I know I can trust you to tell me if I need to paddle her butt again.”
“Peter!” Carrie said on a gasp.
“Watch it little one, it’s Sir.” Her head dropped and he knew he’d gotten through. Turning to Gary he said, “If I thought she would consent, I would just tell you that you’re free to light her ass up if you felt the need, but she and I are still too new for all that.”
Gary chuckled. “Hey, I understand. Besides, I’ve given Carrie too many ‘fun’ beatings for her to take me seriously. Isn’t that right sweetheart?”
She stayed silent for a moment and Peter was about to admonish her about answering questions when she was spoken to, but then she surprised him when she opened her mouth.
“Actually, after last night and this past week or so with Peter I would probably take you a lot more serious.”
Gary put his hand over his heart and his head fell back dramatically. “Oh my God, Peter, you tamed her,” he said to which Peter laughed.
“Bite me Gary,” Carrie snapped
Peter’s laugh died and a scowl formed on his face as he pulled her head back by her hair. “Carrie Davenport, you listen clearly young lady. If I ever hear you speaking to another Dom I respect like that again, I’ll be washing your mouth out with soap.”
Carries nose crinkled. “Eww. Gross. Hard limit.”
Peter laughed and shook his head. “Fair enough. I’ve got other ways of correcting that mouth of yours. Now apologize to Gary.”
“Seriously? It’s Gary. If I can’t tell my friends to bite me, this won’t work.”
Through all of this, Gary sat quietly. Now he cleared his throat. “I kind of agree with her man.”
Peter scowled at his friend. “Training dude.”
Gary held his hands up. “Sorry.”
To Carrie, Peter said, “You’re right, it’s Gary, but right now, you are to respect him and his word as if he were me. When you’re out of danger, you can tell him to bite you all you want. For now, I need you to understand the gravity of this situation and if that means busting your chops for being disrespectful, I’ll do it.”
Carrie closed her eyes. “OK. I get it. I’m sorry, Gary.”
“It’s OK sweetie. We’ll get you through this and then you guys can focus on having real fun instead of dealing with our brutish overprotective ways.”
The threesome spent the rest of the morning going over Carrie’s routine and how Gary would protect her during the day while Peter was at work. When he finally left, Carrie stood next to Peter wringing her hands and shifting from foot to foot.
“So, I need to tell you something,” she said. “I don’t think you’re going to like it.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Carrie watched Peter’s face morph into stoic Dom mode as he stalked toward her. “The last time you said that, it resulted in punishment. Am I going to have to punish you again tonight, Carrie?”
She swallowed as she remembered the hairbrush raining hellfire down on her wet ass, but she shook her head.
“It’s not bad exactly. I didn’t do anything. It’s just.” She paused and sucked in a deep breath. “I need to tell you who my friend with the NSA source is.”
Peter folded his arms and continued to scowl at her. “I’m listening.”
“It’s Gina Whitman.” She said it with her eyes squeezed shut, silently praying he wouldn’t explode.
“Christ Carrie. I don’t want to talk about her, but you should know she can’t be trusted.” Peter ran both hands through his hair and started to pace. Carrie closed the distance between them and stopped him with the touch of her hand on his shoulder.
“I don’t want you to be mad at me if I call her. I’ve had enough of you being mad at me,” she whispered.
Peter’s face immediately softened, and he pulled her into a comforting embrace. “I’m sorry I’m such an ogre sometimes. Gigi is someone who can really get under my skin. I know she’s your friend and I can’t begrudge you or her for having friends. But she’s bad news, Carrie. The woman has no regard for the truth or protecting undercover agents. In the name of reporting the truth, she nearly got my father killed. She was only dating me to get the information she needed.”
The pain she heard in his voice twisted her heart. Gina had always been a good friend to her, but she was a cutthroat journalist for sure. She wondered what her side of the story would be. If there was any truth to what Peter was saying, she didn’t see how she could maintain the close friendship if she were going to be his submissive. At the same time, she couldn’t cut ties with her. Not when they were both in the same field.
Peter stared down at her. “I can practically hear you thinking, little one. Don’t worry about me. I know you have a job to do and I know she can probably help us. Just don’t expect me to be overjoyed that my girl is talking to my ex.”
Carrie nodded. “I’ll keep it as professional as I can, I promise. You can even be in the room when I call her if you want.”
Peter shook his head. “That’s unnecessary, baby, but I appreciate it. Do you need to go to work to call or her or will you stay home today?”
Carrie stayed in his arms and laid her head on his chest. “Let me call her and see when she can get together. I’ll have Gary take me, so you don’t have to see her.”
Peter pressed a kiss to the side of her head. “Feel free to use my office if you like. I think I’ll go for a run in the gym if you don’t mind. I promise to be in a better mood when I get back.”
Carrie smiled and stood up on her tiptoes, offering her mouth for a kiss.
When he had changed and left for the gym, Carrie sat in Peter’s office and dialed Gina’s number.
“Calling to schedule that drink date?” her friend asked when she answered.
Carrie sighed. “Not exactly, though we could totally talk at a bar if you wanted. I might need your help with something, and you could probably get a byline and some good content for your new show out of the deal too.”
“I’m listening.”
“How connected is your NSA source?”
Gina sucked in a breath. “You’re not asking me to reveal a source, are you?”
Carrie slowly spun in the office chair and looked around the office as she debated just how much to tell her. “No, I think I just might need you to reach out to them. A friend might be in trouble and I have reason to believe they’re doing deep cover work for the NSA. It would be easier to give you the whole story in person.”
A clacking noise came through the phone and she knew Gina was typing something. “It looks like I could be free for a lunch meeting tomorrow. Any place specific you want to meet?”
Knowing she needed to clear things with Gary but not wanting her to know she had a bodyguard, she said, “I’ll need to see where I’m going to be in the morning and then I’ll let you know.”
The two talked for a few more minutes before Gina said she had to get to an appointment. Setting the phone on the desk, Carrie turned in her chair and looked around the office once more at the various plaques and photos that were scattered about. A small frame on his desk caught her eye. Instead of a photo, it had a quote. She leaned closer to read it.
“I hate journalists. There is nothing in them but tittering jeering emptiness. They have all made what Dante calls the Great Refusal. The shallowest people on the ridge of the earth.”
�
� William Butler Yeats
Carrie gasped as she read and reread the words. As a journalist, it was a quote she’d heard often. It just wasn’t something she ever expected to find on someone’s desk. Did Peter really hate journalists that much or was it just one journalist that was the object of his ire? She picked up the frame and read the words again, trying to decide if it was worth confronting him about.
“It was a Christmas gift from my mother after Gigi and I ended things.” Carrie lifted her head at the sound of Peter’s guilt laden voice. He stood in the doorway in a sweat-soaked T-shirt looking delectable as ever. “Her not-so-subtle way of reminding me not to trust a journalist again,” he said as he made his way into the room.
“Oh, she’s going to love me, isn’t she?” Carrie said with a mirthless laugh.
Peter leaned across the desk and plucked the frame from her hands. “I did feel this way at one time,” he confessed as he stared down at the words. “And I still feel that way about Gigi, but you’ve changed me for the better baby. It feels good to trust a woman with my heart again.”
Carrie felt her insides twist as she watched him. “I just hope it stays that way Peter. I don’t want to drum up old wounds or have your mother hate the woman you’re dating. You kept that on your desk for a reason,” she said, nodding at the frame still in his hand.
“My mother lives in Hawaii and her opinion doesn’t matter. It wouldn’t matter if she lived in this apartment with me. I understand why she feels the way she does, but I’m not going to give you up just because she has hard feelings towards my ex. And this,” he said holding up the quote, “is going in the trash. I admitted I used to feel that way, but I don’t anymore. I just forgot it was here. I’m sorry you had to see it.” He laid the frame face down on the desk and opened it up. Pulling out the card stock with the quote on it, he proceeded to rip it into multiple pieces and let them fall from his hand into the trashcan that sat near his desk. Then he came around the desk to where she sat staring at him and tucked the now empty frame into a drawer. Then he placed a hand on both arms of the office chair and leaned in close to her. “Please don’t let this change your opinion of me.”
Carrie leaned up and snaked her arms around his neck. “I love you, Peter,” she whispered as he pressed his forehead to hers. “You’ve changed my perception of a few things too. We’re both learning and growing here I think.”
Peter gave her a tender smile before he claimed her mouth. When he finally broke away, he said, “come shower with me. I’m getting sweat all over you.”
They spent the rest of the day talking and making love—mostly making love. Carrie told him what it was like growing up with a hard ass military admiral for a father, and Peter told her about growing up with a cop for a dad. They both had colorful pasts that shaped who they were now.
When it was just past nine, Peter declared it was bedtime and ordered her to the bedroom with him.
“Are you serious?” she asked. “It’s not even ten yet.”
They had been cuddled on the couch and now she sat up and gave him a dirty look.
“Are you arguing with me, little one? As far as I know you don’t have a valid excuse to stay up and I need to get some sleep so my cycle doesn’t get completely out of tune before I have to go back to work in a few days.”
Carrie grumbled but stood and followed him down the hall. When they both stood at the foot of the bed, he grasped the hem of the t-shirt she’d been lounging in and pulled it up. Instinctively, her arms lifted above her head so he could take it up and over her head. Next, he pulled the covers back and motioned for her to climb into bed. Much to her chagrin, he produced the length of rope and bound her to the bed. Her lip poked out in a pout and he leaned down and kissed her forehead. “No pouting little one. Just look at it as one more reason to trust that I always mean what I say.”
As she drifted off to sleep, she tried not to think about the fact that he hadn't responded to her declaration of love earlier in the evening. Some guys just weren't comfortable saying it. He showed her how he felt with his actions. Didn't he?
When she woke up the next morning, the bed was empty, and her rope had been untied. It lay bundled neatly on the nightstand though and she stuck her tongue out at it just because she could. After she got dressed, she made her way to the kitchen where she heard Gary's voice.
“Morning hot stuff,” he said with a wink as she stopped behind the chair Peter, who was hunched over his usual bowl of oatmeal, sat in. Gary meanwhile was eating a donut.
“Watch it, she's my hot stuff now,” Peter said with a mock growl. Carrie just rolled her eyes behind his head and pressed a kiss into his hair.
“Morning, Gary. I see you know what a good breakfast is. Good morning, Peter,” she said in a sugary sweet voice.
Peter just shook his head and continued eating.
“What did you arrange with Gina?” Gary asked around a mouthful of donut.
Carrie wandered to the kitchen counter and poured herself a cup of coffee. “I told her I needed to check my schedule at work and then I would let her know when we could meet. I really just wanted to check with you and see how you wanted to handle it.”
“Good girl,” Peter murmured as he walked to the sink to rinse his bowl. When he was done, he slid his arms around her waist from behind and pulled her against his chest. “Sleep OK?” he asked.
Carrie nodded and snuggled into him. “I’ll be ready to go to the office in about thirty minutes. Which one of you oafs is taking me?”
“Oaf? Did she just call us oafs? After all we’re doing to keep her skinny ass alive.” Gary shook his head. Peter just chuckled, sending vibrations through Carrie’s body as he pulled her tight.
“I’m going to let Gary take you so he can escort you to your meeting as well. I really don’t want to see that cu… woman.”
Ouch. Carrie winced. There were still a lot of pent-up feelings about ‘that woman.’ His lips feathered over her hair. “Sorry, baby. I promise I’ll try to play nice.”
She tipped her head back and looked up at him. “It’s OK. I understand.”
Peter excused himself to head to the gym, and Carrie went back to his bedroom to finish getting ready. On the drive into her office, Gary explained that he would just park nearby and hangout for the day. If she got into trouble or started feeling threatened in the office, he could always come inside.
“Just let me know when and where you’re meeting Gina. Pick a popular restaurant. Nothing secluded,” he instructed as she climbed out of Peter’s SUV. Gary had driven that instead of his truck hoping to keep up her appearances of a normal routine just in case anyone was watching her.
At her desk, she dialed Gina’s number.
“I’m glad you called me back. Girl, I’ve got some crazy shit to tell you. When can you meet?” What could Gina have possibly found out so quickly?
Carrie arranged to meet her at a cafe up the road from her office and sent Gary a text with the address. She spent the rest of the morning pouring over Tom’s notes about the black budget.
When it came time to leave for her meeting, her phone buzzed. It was a text from Peter.
Good luck with Gigi. I can’t wait to kiss you again.
Carrie smiled at her phone. Who would have ever guessed that she would be mooning over sappy texts from a boy? In the passenger seat of the SUV she took a deep breath and tried to focus on the upcoming meeting. She had a list of questions prepared for her friend, but based on their conversation this morning, Gina was ready with information of her own.
“Are you coming inside with me?” Carrie asked as Gary pulled away from the curb.
“I was thinking about it. Would your friend still talk to me if I do?”
Carrie thought about it. Probably not. “Maybe you could come in and sit at a table by yourself. If I get the feeling she would be willing to talk to you, I can signal for you to join us.”
Gary agreed and ten minutes later, she was watching him take a seat at the counter w
hile she took a booth and waited for Gina. When Gina walked in, Carrie stood and hugged her. “Good to see you again,” she said, hoping it sounded believable. With everything Peter had told her, she wasn’t sure how she felt about Gina Whitman.
“What the hell are you digging into Carrie? I put some feelers out to see if my source was willing to chat with me. Boy did I ever get a ton out of them. Get this,” she said as she slid into the booth and picked up a menu. “The NSA might be doing some intelligence gathering on another intelligence agency. Specifically, a certain director who keeps narrowly escaping bombs.”
Carrie did her best to keep her expression neutral as she waited for Gina to continue.
“Turns out though, the main operative gathering the intel has gone dark. He’s missed his last two check ins with his handler.”
Shit that would be Ripley. Or Boomer as Peter and Gary called him.
Carrie leaned across the table. “Do you know what they’re looking for from Upwood?”
Gina looked around and whispered. “They think he’s funneling parts of his budget illegally to some Colombian intelligence officer who is dirty and also runs a lot of the drugs out of that country.”
Carrie nodded. That would likely be Dino Carranza.
“What’s the money being used for?” Carrie asked.
Gina frowned. “I can’t tell you all my secrets girl. I have to save a little something for myself.” Carrie tried not to show her frustration. It was important to get this information, not only to figure out exactly what Gina Whitman knew, but to potentially figure out why Ripley had gone dark. Sure, Carrie had a pretty good idea what the money was being used for, but she needed to convince Gina to tell her what she knew.
Carrie wasn’t sure exactly how much of her hand to show, but Peter’s admonition that Gina couldn’t be trusted told her to reveal as little as possible.
Gina helped her out a little when she asked, “why did you need this information anyway? You never did tell me what you’re working on.”
