Jason shuffled through the papers on his desk as Carlton walked away and found the page about the new members. Aiden Collins and Dane Whitman. Both relatively new Doms who had a female sub also new to the lifestyle. He hoped the men knew what they were doing. Even though Lori vouched for them, he was always uneasy having to monitor new Doms to ensure they didn’t cross the line with their subs or anyone else’s.
Jason stood and headed for the front of the building.
The two men he was about to meet were speaking with Carlton at the entrance. They turned toward Jason as he approached.
“Good morning. I’m Jason Garwood.” He extended a hand to the blond first.
“Aiden Collins.”
“Dane Whitman.” The dark-haired man introduced himself as Jason turned to shake his hand also.
“Nice to meet you both. I understand you had a bit of an altercation last Friday night.” He hated hearing about such things, but he needed to ensure both men were truly on the up and up.
Dane continued, “We did, Sir. It wasn’t pleasant for either of us or our sub.”
“I heard. I’m sorry you experienced something like that. Those two fools applied here also. Naturally we turned them down. I want you to know that we strive to keep disturbances to a minimum here at Emergence. I can’t promise we don’t occasionally get a crazy one, but our security is tight and we screen our applicants thoroughly.” Jason nodded toward Carlton. “Master Carlton mans my front entrance. He’s the best. He and his staff keep good tabs on everything happening in my club.”
Carlton nodded at the visitors. Jason knew he made an impression with just his size. He was taller than any of them and his shoulders were broad enough to fill a doorframe. When he put on his game face, no one fucked with him.
“Come on,” Jason continued, “I’ll show you around the club.” He turned toward the interior with Aiden and Dane close behind.
“Nice,” Dane commented when they stepped into the main open space.
Jason smiled. “This area is where everyone enters.” He pointed as he spoke. “The bar sits in the center. We don’t serve alcohol, but anything else can be found at the bar.” He turned to a cluster of couches. “This section can get noisy. Most people hang out on the sofas to socialize.”
He led them past the bar and into a wide hall. “This is where a lot of the scenes occur. Each room has a different apparatus. Some are very popular and reserved in advance, but anyone is welcome to use the spaces if they are available.”
Dane and Aiden continued to follow him down the row of rooms. Each room had a wide window to display whatever might be happening inside. “Viewers stand along this side to watch.” Jason indicated a platform on the wall in the hall.
Next he led them to a larger room with a hardwood floor. “And here we have the dance floor.” He smiled and turned to the two men. “This place can get packed on a good night.”
He watched as Aiden and Dane twisted around, taking in the room. “Impressive. How long have you been in business?” Dane asked.
“Oh, years. Almost twenty. But the scene has gotten more popular in recent years. I’ve only been in this location for five years. We needed more space.” He winked at them and smiled. “Come on back to my office.”
He led them back the way they’d come and then down a side hall to a row of closed doors. Some were for private scenes, but he’d show them those another time. His office was at the far end. “Please, sit.” He motioned to two chairs across from his desk as he rounded to his own chair.
“We really appreciate you fast-tracking our application,” Dane said.
“Well, if Lori vouched for you, I know you’re on the up and up.”
Aiden spoke next. “You’ve been warned about the bastards who propositioned our sub then?”
“Yep.” He shook his head. “I was stunned. I had been about to do business with those very same men. I got lucky I figured out what kind of assholes they were before I signed a contract with their company.”
“You did. Our submissive wasn’t so lucky,” Aiden said. “I still wish I could go back and change time.”
“I heard it wasn’t pretty, but you did leave before anything happened, right?” Jason narrowed his gaze at the men across from him. He’d assumed their submissive wasn’t harmed in any way.
Dane gave a snort. “Sure, but we had way bigger problems than that. Our submissive worked for those jackasses.”
Jason froze. “Wait. What? She worked at Seabring?”
“Yes.” Aiden nodded. “Worked being the operative word. There was no way she could go back into that office after the way those bastards treated her.”
“What’s her name? I don’t think you told me.” Jason leaned forward, gripping the desk. It had to be her.
Aiden’s brow furrowed. “Stephanie Parkins. Why?”
Jason leaned back in his chair, deflated. He ran a hand through his hair.
“Do you know her?” Dane asked.
Jason stared at him, unable to close his mouth for several seconds. Finally, he swallowed. “Yes.” Jason set both hands on the file in front of him. “Coincidentally I’ve been looking for Stephanie. When I went to Seabring initially for IT assistance, I was randomly assigned to Stephanie. The second I saw her name I wondered about her.”
“Why?” Aiden asked.
“It’s a long story, but she was my best friend’s daughter. I knew her when she was a little girl.”
Dane leaned forward. “Your best friend is her dad? The one that ran out on her and never came back?”
Jason gasped. “That’s what she thinks?”
“Isn’t that what happened?” Aiden asked.
“Hell no. Couldn’t be farther from the truth. Is that what that crazy woman’s been telling her all these years? I swear, I’m not sure I can keep my cool when I set eyes on that bitch.” Jason gripped the edge of the desk with both hands. A painful throb began behind his right eye.
“Well, you’ll be saved that confrontation because she died a few years ago.” Dane narrowed his gaze.
Jason sucked in a breath. Relief washed through him on the one hand. At least he didn’t have to deal with the repercussions of Colleen. On the other hand, he felt sorry for the little girl who’d been fed a pack of lies and then left alone in the world.
“Geez.” He rubbed a hand down his face. “Did she…? How did she treat Stephanie?”
“She didn’t ever win the mother of the year award,” Aiden offered.
A ball formed in Jason’s throat. Stephanie had been yanked from her father and raised by her crazy mother.
Dane exhaled and leaned back. “I guess we don’t have any reason to doubt your word, but how do you know all of this? Why now? And why haven’t you confronted Stephanie?”
The men were both sharp. Intelligent. Educated. Devoted. He liked them already. Though he shivered to think Stephanie was a submissive. Had she chosen the lifestyle herself or been led down the path unwillingly?
“It’s a coincidence really. When I hired Seabring and saw her name I wondered if it was her. My curiosity was piqued. I was hoping when I met her on Monday morning, she’d bear some resemblance to her parents and I’d know it was her.” He leaned back, slumping in the chair and crossing his hands behind his head before he continued.
“Stephanie was just two when her mother ran off with her. Her father, Stan, was in over his head. He already had one child with another woman when Colleen got pregnant. I never liked that woman. She was not quite right and I thought she was using Stan. Stan and I had been friends since we were toddlers, but he made some poor choices as we got older.
“He didn’t want another child messed up because of his bad decisions, so he married Colleen and tried to make it work. He did his best, considering Colleen never lifted a finger.
“She wasn’t ever stable that I saw. She was volatile. I suspected she was doing drugs. I think Stan turned a blind eye because he didn’t want to face reality, nor did he want to risk losing anoth
er daughter.
“One day he came home and she was gone, as though she’d never been there. All of Colleen’s and Stephanie’s things were missing from the apartment.
“He searched for a long time, but his resources were limited and he gave up. Unfortunately he never recovered from that loss and started drinking. A few years later he crashed his car head on into a tree and died instantly.”
Dane leaned on the desk, tapping his fingers in a rhythmic beat. “So you never saw Stephanie again?”
“Nope. I worked with her on the phone and by e-mail the last few weeks. I was supposed to meet with her on Monday, but when I showed up at Seabring, I was told she was no longer employed there. I nearly shit.
“Then I Googled her. I wasn’t positive she was Stan’s daughter yet. I found some photos of her easily on the Internet and that raised my suspicions even higher. It was just idle curiosity niggling in my head really. I compiled a stack of information and I’ve been sitting on it since I realized it has to be the same woman. I couldn’t think of a way to approach her. She’s a grown woman. I wasn’t sure she needed an old guy showing up at her door and meddling in her life with a pile of shit from her past. Maybe she’d rather leave her past behind.” He drummed his fingers on the desk.
“Why do you care so much?” Aiden questioned.
“Stan was my best friend. Like I said, I’ve always regretted not helping him more and I feel like I owe it to him to watch out for his daughters. The other one, I’ve always kept close tabs on. She’s like my own. Stephanie slipped through my fingers.”
“So she has a sister,” Dane stated. “Where is she?”
Jason inhaled and stared at both men before continuing. “You know her well, actually. Lori Polluck is her half-sister.”
Both men gasped.
“Are you serious?” Dane stood and began to pace. “Lori?”
Jason nodded. “It’s all so crazy. Do I have it correct that Stephanie was raised in Indiana?”
Aiden nodded. “Yes. Her mother moved her there. She lived there until three years ago when her mother died. When she went through Colleen’s belongings she discovered she had a grandmother here. That’s what made her move south. But her grandmother wasn’t well and she died soon after. Stephanie stayed. She was already working for Seabring.”
“So she’s been here three years.” Jason’s chest ached for the strange childhood she must have endured. He felt a pain inside. Perhaps he should have looked for her a long time ago. Stan’s sunny teenage face flashed through Jason’s mind. His friend wouldn’t have wanted Stephanie to have been raised the way she had.
Jason swallowed his musings and lifted his gaze. “After what I learned yesterday about the owners of Seabring, I’m not sorry she isn’t working there any longer. I can’t believe those bastards propositioned her last weekend. I heard they even touched her. Makes me hot under the collar thinking about it.
“Those jackasses had the audacity to apply at my club first thing Monday morning. Thank God I was too distracted about Stephanie to accept their IT proposal during our meeting. I nearly pissed myself when I saw how close I’d come to signing a contract with them and—” Jason shook his head and tried to catch his breath. “Well, I just thank God you were both there and prevented the situation from getting any worse.
“May I ask you a few questions?” Jason tried to calm his racing heart, but he had more questions than he could even put into sentences.
“Go ahead. Though I’m not sure we know all the answers. We haven’t known Stephanie that long ourselves.” Dane glanced at Aiden as he asked.
The men had an obvious connection that could only come from years of experience. They were long-time lovers. And he didn’t doubt they were intimate the way they stroked each other and looked each other in the eye.
“Thank God she quit that job and never went back.”
Aiden shook his head. “Yes. Though it was tough convincing her. She’s a determined woman and independence is high on her list of priorities. You can thank Colleen for that. The woman apparently had a revolving door of men who mistreated her, giving Stephanie the backbone she needed to ensure she was never dependent on anyone.
“Entering this lifestyle has not been easy for her to swallow. She’s a natural submissive, Sir, but she’s still learning to accept that.” Aiden sobered.
Jason stared at him, unsure if he wanted to jump across the table and wring his neck for dragging Stephanie into this lifestyle or thank him for caring enough about her to save her from herself. “Are you positive she’s right for this lifestyle?”
Dane smiled. “Trust me, Stephanie doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want to do. She’s a strong-willed woman with her head on straight. She’s educated and damn smart.”
“When did you two meet her?”
“She lives in our building, so we’ve seen her around. She was always…frumpy is the right word,” Aiden began. “She hid from the world under dark clothes. She wasn’t fond of men, to say the least, and it took some convincing to get her to go out with us.”
Dane jumped in. “The three of us got trapped in an elevator last week as though the stars had aligned in our favor. Aiden spilled coffee on her like the true man of grace he is.” Dane smiled at his partner and then turned back to Jason. “Long story short, we discovered we all three needed someone to accompany us on dates over the weekend.
“We agreed to go to her company party on Saturday, which didn’t end up happening, and she agreed to be our fake submissive on Friday. The clincher was she fell into the role with unbelievable natural ability.”
Aiden took up the story. “After the fiasco Friday night, we asked her to quit her job and become our permanent sub. And that’s how we got to this point.”
Dane cleared his throat. “I can’t imagine how she’s going to react to finding out about you, and God, Lori.” His eyes widened. “Are you certain she’s your friend’s daughter?”
Jason remembered the folder under his hands and lifted it up. “Here’s all the information. I have no doubt.”
“Should we call her?” Aiden asked. “She’s with Lori right now. We were hoping the two of them would hit it off and Lori could help her decide if this lifestyle is right for her. But, God, Lori is her sister. That changes things.”
Jason shook his head. “Let’s not. I can’t think of anyone better to help Stephanie with this transition. Lori can assess better than anyone I know whether or not Stephanie is suitable to this lifestyle. I mean, I don’t want to doubt you, but you’re both new to the life also, right?”
“Yes.” Aiden nodded. “We’ve been attending meetings, working with Lori and practicing the lifestyle for about six months. We were looking for a third.” Aiden paused. “Does Lori know she has a sister?”
Jason nodded. “Yes, but it’s been years since we’ve discussed it. I’m sure it hasn’t occurred to her Stephanie might be that woman.”
Jason stared at both men. How had two women he’d felt responsible for both found themselves involved in the BDSM lifestyle? Lori, he understood. Jason had always been in contact with her. He’d been her only father figure. He’d worried when she’d declared she wanted to start coming to his club years ago, afraid he’d influenced her, but she’d been insistent, had already engaged in several D/s relationships and was a member of other local clubs. But Stephanie too? What were the chances?
“Forgive my interference. I want to be sure she’s safe. Is she possibly just easily swayed? Two sexy guys and all?”
“Not a chance.” Dane laughed. “Not Stephanie. Nothing about the last week has been easy for us. She’s completely scared of losing herself and her self-sufficiency. Trust me when I say that Stephanie isn’t entering this lightly.
“However, she has risen to every challenge and has proven to crave submission. We couldn’t be more humbled.”
Jason swallowed the lump in his throat. “I’ll have to take your word for it. Please don’t hurt her. I never married and have no children of
my own. I love Lori as though she were my own flesh and blood. I felt a responsibility toward her as soon as her father died, and I feel the same way about Stephanie. I’d like to have a relationship with Stephanie too, if she wants it.”
Aiden nodded. “We’d never intentionally do anything to cause her distress, emotional or physical. You have our word.” Aiden pulled out his cell phone.
Jason reached out a hand to stop him. “Don’t. She’s under enough stress this week. Let’s not add this bombshell. It’s going to be very stressful for her to meet with me and learn about her father. It’s going to be doubly stressful to find out Lori is her sister. It’s been years. Let’s give her some time before we add anything to her plate. We can plan something for next week. How about meeting somewhere? All of us. That way everyone involved can be there at once.”
Aiden paused and set the phone on the desk. “Are you sure?” He narrowed his gaze. “I don’t like the idea of keeping this from her.”
“And I can’t imagine the number of things on her mind this week,” Jason added. “This is going to be a huge blow to her. Difficult to explain and even more difficult to understand. Plus, it should really come from me. I’m the one who knew their father better than anyone else. I have to go out of town this weekend. Family reunion. I’m leaving Friday at noon. Let’s wait until I get back.” He motioned at his desk and office as though that explained everything. “This meeting deserves way more than I can give it today or tomorrow.”
Dane looked at Aiden. “Maybe he’s right. She’d never be able to concentrate on her submission if she learned about this.”
“Please,” Jason pleaded. “Let’s make arrangements for next week.”
“We were planning to come to the club this Friday,” Aiden said. He shook his head and wrinkled his nose.
Jason wanted to do whatever was best for Stephanie. Since she was new to the lifestyle she would be experiencing every emotion known to mankind. He couldn’t stand the idea of adding to that. It would be hard for him to keep her identity to himself, but he owed her this. He hadn’t been there for her for most of her life. The last thing he wanted to do was alienate her by busting up a new relationship she obviously was flourishing under. Or maybe that’s exactly what he wanted to do. He worried for her. He wanted the best for her. Was she truly a submissive? Was he doing her a disservice by not trying to talk her out of the lifestyle?
Bound to be Tamed: Emergence, Book 2 Page 15
