And he was still where he’d been three years ago.
Still at his mother’s beck and call. Still spending every Saturday night at the club, playing with different subs but never finding one that particularly called to him. Gray knew he was a good-looking guy, he knew there were plenty of women who’d jump into his bed given the chance, but none of them appealed to him.
He wanted real. He wanted it all. Kids. A wife. A home.
“Gray? You listening?”
Gray glanced around, seeing that everyone but Hunter had left. Damn it. He guessed there was no avoiding this talk.
“Yeah, of course.” Not at all. His mind swung to the issue of their latest employee. What was up with her? “You think she’s going to be a good fit? She seems kind of cold and standoffish.”
“I thought the same in the beginning. But our clients seem to love her. Cady likes her and she doesn’t like just anyone.”
And Cady meant everything to Hunter. Gray really liked Cady. She was smart, she didn’t take any bullshit, and she wasn’t afraid to stick up for what she believed in. She also had good judgement.
“Just because she doesn’t fall immediately under your charm doesn’t mean something’s wrong with her. It’s kind of refreshing to see you have to work for something for a change.”
Gray gave his partner a surprised look. “What do you mean? I work for stuff.”
“Yeah, right. Everything you touch has always turned to gold. And that’s fine. You make friends easily. You only have to snap your fingers and half a dozen people will come running to do your bidding. You’re not used to someone not instantly liking you.”
Was that true? Of course not . . . except he couldn’t remember the last time someone acted like Lacey did around him.
“You think I’m imagining there’s something wrong because I can’t believe she doesn’t like me?” He shook his head. “There’s more to it than that.”
“People look at you and they see someone who will take care of them. You let them take advantage. Look at all the subs at the club. As soon as you walk through the door, they mob you with all their troubles and complaints. And you listen, you tell them what to do, and they walk away happy because someone fixed their problems for them. She’s got problems, anyone can see that. Only, she isn’t running to you with whatever her issues are, and that pisses you off because you’re a fixer.”
“I am not.” What the fuck was Hunter going on about?
“Yeah, you are. You like solving everyone’s shit. Can’t understand why. Couldn’t think of anything worse than listening to other people complaining about their petty crap.”
“It’s not petty crap. Sometimes, you have all the sensitivity of a wart hog.”
Hunter surprised him with a grin. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Gray rolled his eyes. “Only you would think being called a pig is a compliment. The other day when I said you handled Mrs. Stepman with a surprising amount of empathy and compassion you threatened to hit me.”
“Them’s fightin’ words. Empathy and compassion.” Hunter snorted. “Who are you, Dr. Phil?”
Gray just shook his head.
“And you are a fixer. It’s who you are. You’re not happy unless you have something to solve.”
Yeah? If it made him so happy to solve other people’s issues, then how come he was so damn tired of it?
“She’s got problems that, unlike most other females, she seems to want to keep to herself and it’s driving you insane not to fix them. See? And you think I don’t understand people. I get people. I just don’t like them. That’s the difference.”
“Uh-huh, thank you for your wonderful insight. But you don’t know everything.”
“Damn close to it.”
“She has a lot of baggage,” he said mildly as they moved over to the weight machines.
Hunter snorted. “Since when did that stop us from hiring anyone? Fuck, if the criteria for working here is you can’t have baggage then we’ll all be jobless by the end of the day.”
He wasn’t just talking about whatever had gone on at the FBI. Gray had done a thorough background check on her. It didn’t matter that she was Travis Andrews’s cousin, and that, despite the animosity between Hunter and Travis, he kind of liked the guy. He wasn’t going to hire anyone he didn’t think was a good fit. He’d found a newspaper article from twenty-seven years ago about her brother’s death. It didn’t say much, just that he’d been under the influence of alcohol when he’d crossed the centre line and crashed into another car.
Lacey had only been seven at the time. She’d gone on to ace everything she’d put her hand to. She’d graduated high school early, excelled at college, her boss from when she’d worked as a counselor had nothing but good things to say about her. Her superior at the FBI had been a bit more guarded, but then those bastards never were forthcoming.
On paper, she’d seemed a pretty sure bet as an employee. But in reality, she appeared to be a scared, defensive woman, and he wasn’t certain she was a good fit.
“She was right when she said she was a hard-worker. You can’t dispute that.”
“She’s not a team-player.”
“And I am? Cady wasn’t either when she first came here.”
But that was different. Hunter was his partner. And Cady was a team player now.
“You really want to keep her on?” Gray couldn’t believe they’d both done a one eighty on the subject.
Hunter eyed him. “I’m not sure why you don’t. Just because she hasn’t fallen under your spell doesn’t mean she’s not good at her job. Sure, she’s wound tighter than a jack-in-the-box, but a few sessions at the club will fix that.”
“She’d never step foot in the club.” She probably had no idea that most of the employees of Black-Gray were members of The Twisted Thorn, the BDSM club he owned with Hunter and Simon, a friend of theirs who managed the club. “She’d probably run a mile if she knew we were Dominants.”
“I’m not sure. If anyone could use a session over a spanking bench, it’s her. Anyone with eyes can see how tense she is, how much she carries. She needs to let go for a while. You could offer to give her a good spanking.”
Gray snorted. “Yeah, that’s never going to happen.” Not in a million years.
Chapter Five
“We’re going out for celebratory drinks.” Cady stuck her head into Lacey’s office. At least she’d been given her own space. It was her little sanctuary. A place to hide.
From Gray.
She grimaced at that thought. She should be more together than this. Mature. It was kind of getting embarrassing, the way she ran in the other direction whenever she saw him. And obvious. He had to have noticed. Had to have wondered why she barely spoke more than a few words to him.
You’re a smart, educated woman. You can handle talking to one man. He’s got flaws just like everyone else. She knew the real problem was with her. She was attracted to him and she shouldn’t be. He was way out of her league. He was confident, gorgeous, perfect. And she was, well, screwed-up. She didn’t want to want him. But for some reason, her damn body wasn’t listening to her brain.
“You have to come. It’s you we’re celebrating.”
“Me? Why?” She rubbed at her temples. She’d just finished talking to one of their clients whose ex-husband was stalking her, and it had brought up a lot of bad memories for her.
He’d just been so damn charming.
She let out a long breath. The last thing she felt like was socializing right now. She wanted to slink home, crawl under the covers of her bed and forget this day had happened. Maybe she’d be able to find some cheesy chick flick to watch. Something to take her mind off everything.
“Duh! Your four weeks are up. We’re celebrating your new job.”
She looked up in surprise. “But I haven’t been given the job yet.”
Cady frowned slightly. “The guys didn’t tell you? You know, I’ve come to expect this from Hunter, but Gray is usuall
y much more communicative. I honestly don’t know how he’s worked with Hunter all these years without strangling him. The job is yours if you want it. You want it, right?”
She did. Much as she wished she didn’t have to work so closely with Gray, she liked the job.
“I do.”
Cady smiled. “Great. Then celebration drinks it is.”
“Oh, I don’t know—”
“Can I give you a word of advice?” Cady asked abruptly.
“Um, sure. I guess.”
“When I first came here, I tried to separate myself from everyone else. I didn’t want to get close to anyone in case something happened to them. I didn’t want to fuck up again and lose someone I loved. But I learned that with these guys there’s no protecting yourself. You’re all in or all out. We’re a team, but we’re more than that. We’re a family. Now, you don’t have to have anything to do with us outside of work hours. That’s all fine. But you’re the one who’s missing out.”
Cady turned and walked out the door, leaving her staring after her in shock.
Well, she guessed she’d been told.
***
Gray looked over at the door to the busy bar. The team at Black-Gray were regulars on Friday nights. Maggie, the owner, always kept the same table free for them. The others sat around drinking and laughing, but Gray wasn’t quite feeling it.
He glanced over as the door opened again. Two younger women walked in, dressed to impress in short skirts and high, platform shoes. One of them looked over at him, running her gaze up and down his body like he was a piece of meat. She winked at him. He looked away, uninterested. Beside him, Hunter snorted.
“What?” Gray snapped. He’d had enough of Hunter’s advice lately. If anyone was turning into Dr. Phil, it was him.
“Normally you’re more polite than that. Not that I’m complaining or anything. Because usually, you’d spend the next half an hour explaining that they’re way to young and stupid for you. Pretty sure I’ve got hairs on my ass older than those two.”
Crude, but probably accurate. If they were older than twenty-one, then he’d pluck the hairs on Hunter’s ass.
The door opened again.
“Staring at the door isn’t going to make her step through it, you know,” Hunter told him.
“Who?”
“Lacey. Cady said she’s not coming.”
“I’m not looking for her.”
“No? Who you looking for then?”
Hunter had him there. He wasn’t even certain why he was waiting for her. Like Hunter said, she wasn’t coming. And even if by some miracle she did appear, she’d take one look at him and run off. She wasn’t shy or scared around anyone else. He didn’t know what it was she found so objectionable about him.
Then the door opened, and there she stood. His body took immediate notice. It didn’t give a shit that she didn’t like him. He was more attracted than he’d been to any other woman in a long time. He took in her long, dark hair, which shined, even under the crappy lights in the bar. She stood uncertainly just inside the doorway, glancing around with those too-serious, deep brown eyes. She wore one of her usual work uniforms: a dark gray skirt and matching jacket with a crisp, white shirt underneath. Her sensible shoes didn’t have much of a heel, but they didn’t need to. Not with her height.
Gray had always thought he preferred petite, curvy women. But there was something about her long, lean body that made his heart race, his body heat. Calm yourself.
“There she is.” Cady jumped up and moved over to Lacey, who looked like she was about to bolt. Grabbing the other woman’s hand, Cady practically dragged her over to their table. Everyone called out a greeting, holding up their drinks in congratulations. She blushed slightly, looking unsure.
“Here, have a seat.” Cady gestured towards her empty seat, which was on the other side of Hunter. “I’ll go grab another one.”
“No need.” Hunter stood and took Cady’s free chair then pulled her onto his lap. That left the chair next to Gray free. Manipulative bastard. Gray knew he’d done that on purpose, he could have easily kept his chair instead of moving. But now Lacey had to sit by Gray.
Thank God for interfering friends.
Gray just sat and waited to see what she would do. She hesitated for a moment, but to her credit, she sat with a small smile and a nod of thanks. As everyone congratulated her, welcoming her to the team, her smile grew wider. He saw her shoulders relax. Interesting. Acceptance seemed to soften her. Not that it wasn’t that way for most people. They needed a place to belong. But he almost sensed a hunger about her, as though she hadn’t had much acceptance in her life.
Or perhaps he was just reading too much into it.
Allie, the waitress, walked over to them. Concern filled him as he noticed she was moving slower than usual today.
“Hey, what can I get you?” she asked Lacey, giving her a small smile.
Lacey stared at her for a moment, and Gray wondered what she saw. Allie was young, much younger than he was. Probably in her mid-twenties. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Her top was low-cut and a bit tight. He thought he caught sight of a bruise on her breast.
That could be from anything, he told himself. Or her bastard boyfriend could be back in the picture.
“I’ll have some soda water, please. With lemon, if you have it.”
“Sure thing.”
Lacey continued to study the other woman as she walked away.
“Not much of a celebratory drink,” Gray commented.
“I don’t drink.”
“Don’t like the taste?”
“Don’t like feeling out of control.”
That was interesting. But it fit with what he’d observed of her. Whatever she did was so careful and precise, from the way she dressed to how she worked. Her desk looked almost as naked as it had before she’d taken up residence, with just a pen and notebook to show that someone worked there. Where was the clutter? The mess? There was tidy, and then there was just bare.
“You don’t think you could stop at just one?”
She gave him a withering look, but at least she wasn’t avoiding looking at him again. And she was talking to him about something other than work. A miracle.
“Of course I can. But not everyone is capable of stopping themselves.”
“No, they’re not.” He wondered if she knew how much she was revealing. It would be interesting to see how much she’d divulge if she was distracted.
“There’s something wrong with her.”
“Pardon?” he asked, surprised by the change of subject.
She nodded over at Allie. “She’s moving stiffly. I take it she doesn’t normally walk like that.”
He studied Allie again. Saw the way she favored her left side. Then he looked over at Hunter and noticed the way he and Cady stared at Allie. Cady whispered something to Hunter who nodded and lifted her off his lap, giving her ass a sharp tap. Cady turned to glare at him, and he just grunted.
How was it Hunter found someone so perfect for him and Gray hadn’t? Not that he thought he was a great catch or anything, but at least he could talk about his emotions without going into cardiac arrest.
“Cady will talk to her.”
She lifted one eyebrow. “And you think she’ll tell you what’s going on? Because from the look of her, I’d say she’s at least got some bruised ribs. And considering there’s one visible bruise on the upper part of her breast, I’m thinking she didn’t bruise her ribs in an accident. It’s possible, of course. But then there’s also the guarded look in her eyes and the look of fear she occasionally has.”
“Her boyfriend used to abuse her. I thought we’d gotten rid of him, but it’s possible he’s back, and she hasn’t told us.”
He studied Connor, saw his face darken as Cady spoke to Allie. The younger woman shook her head, looking scared and Connor clenched his hands together.
“You better tell Connor to get that look off his face if he wants her to feel comfortable a
round him. I think she’s been around enough anger.”
“You’re very observant.”
“It’s my job to be.”
Allie finally nodded her head, and Cady gave her a card then moved back over to Hunter. “He’s back,” she said as she settled on his lap. Hunter hugged her tight.
“I’ll get rid of him,” Hunter said darkly.
“Actually, I think it’s my turn,” Connor told them. “By the time I’m through with him, he’ll wish he’d never come back here.”
Gray would much rather have Hunter rough him up than have Connor exact his revenge. He might seem mild-mannered, but he was brutal when he thought someone was being wronged. And he didn’t care about breaking laws.
“Does she need medical attention?” Gray asked, concerned.
“She said Maggie took her to the doctor. The doctor said there’s nothing she can do but rest.”
“Then what the hell is she doing here?” Hunter asked.
“Said she needs the money. And I’m guessing Maggie agreed to let her work because if she’s here, then she’s not at home with him, being roughed up.”
The others nodded and slowly went back to their conversations while Connor quietly disappeared out the door. Allie watched him leave. He wondered if those two would ever realize they had feelings for each other.
“You all care about her.” Lacey said.
Gray turned to her, watching her closely for a moment. He had to lean in as the noise in the bar grew louder. “You don’t think we should care?”
“No, it’s not that. But not everyone would. Not everyone would do something.”
Hmm, he wondered if this had something to do with whomever had lost control around her and drank too much. Had they become violent as well? Or was he reading too much into it? After all, she’d worked with criminals for years, she’d probably seen and heard all sorts of horrible shit.
“We take care of our own,” he told her. “And even though Allie doesn’t work for us, we’ve been coming here every Friday night for years. She’s a friend. And nobody deserves what she’s gone through.”
A Taste of Sir (Doms of Decadence Book 6) Page 5
