by Cara Adams
The Dom’s Dungeon prided itself on providing real food. Their meals were part of the atmosphere of the club, and the chef, Asher, was really good. Allegra sat back in her chair and enjoyed every bite of her meal while she did her best to direct the conversation to areas that would help her with background for the case she was working on. She really hoped that with a few glasses of wine under their belts they’d tell her the truth on some points she was almost certain they were lying about.
She relaxed as the lights were dimmed for the stage show to begin. She could feel both the clients staring at her but kept her face bland and her eyes gazing at the stage. She didn’t want them to know she was actually looking forward to this part of the evening. Besides, if they thought they could tell anything from her facial expressions, they were wrong. No attorney won court cases with a transparent face. Bland and innocent she could maintain all day and all night no matter what was said or done around her.
Nevertheless she found herself wishing passionately that she was the woman tied to the St. Andrew’s Cross and that it was her ass being paddled by the dark, muscular Dom. When he brought out a flogger and teased it over the sub’s shoulders and thighs, Allegra had to work hard not to go limp with lust. Very deliberately she picked up an unused spoon from the table and twirled it around and around over the fingers of her left hand.
Allegra was left-handed, and it was one of the key annoyances of her life. Everything in the world was designed for right-handed people, especially in such a traditional career as law. Fortunately her early training in gymnastics had greatly strengthened her weaker side, and she could do many things ambidextrously. But now, when she wanted to distract herself and prevent herself from showing emotion, fidgeting was best done with her left, most natural hand.
The show finished, the lights came on again, and Allegra put down the spoon to clap politely.
One of the clients was staring at her. “You were bored by the show?” he asked, sounding incredulous.
Good. He doesn’t know. “Oh, no, of course not,” she answered quietly, knowing her words would ensure he continued to believe she’d been disinterested.
They drank their coffees, and then she thanked them and said good night. Allegra decided to visit the ladies room before heading back to the office to make notes on the few extra thoughts she’d had and information she’d gleaned during the evening. Not a lot, as it happened, but even quite small things might help her case at a crucial time, and she didn’t want to forget any details. Besides, it’d give them time to catch a taxi and leave before she reached the exit. The last thing she needed was the clients offering to share a taxi home with her.
When she left the ladies room, a couple of men were leaning against the hallway wall. She ignored them, assuming they were waiting for their partners, but one with curly brown hair stepped up to her and said, “Allegra? May I speak with you?”
She looked up quickly, concerned he might be a client and she’d just ignored him. He looked vaguely familiar, but she worked hard to memorize names and faces, so she knew he wasn’t a client.
“I’m Cam, and this is Hammer. We work for Nelson’s Building and Home Maintenance.”
“Ah, yes. We met at a site inspection maybe a month ago. What can I do for you now?”
“The men you were with have left, so we were hoping you’d join us for coffee and cake.”
“That was a business meeting. I’m planning to go back to the office and work now.”
The man who hadn’t spoken yet, the blond one with the improbable name of Hammer, said, “Surely you deserve a brief time to relax before having to work again.”
Cam, the one with curly light brown hair, gazed at her with pleading puppy-dog eyes. Suddenly Allegra wanted to stay here longer, maybe even wait and watch the late show. “I really do need to make some notes from the previous meeting. Why don’t we find a table, and then you two can leave me alone for ten minutes to complete my work. After that we can socialize.”
Cam’s face lit up like a neon sign. He looked so happy she had trouble believing it was simply because she’d agreed to spend some time with him. But the other man was smiling broadly as well. They guided her upstairs to the mezzanine floor and a table by the balcony. She wondered if it was where they’d been sitting when they’d seen her.
“In ten minutes we’ll come back with your coffee. What would you like?” asked Hammer. Surely that couldn’t be his name. Perhaps she’d misheard. Or was it a nickname because he worked for a construction company?
“A latte, thank you.”
She pulled her notepad and pen out of her purse while watching them move through the crowded area and downstairs to the bar. Once she was sure they’d gone she started writing down the few things she needed to remember. It wouldn’t take her anything like ten minutes, but she always asked for double what she wanted as a matter of principle. She never knew when she might have to negotiate with someone, so it was a habit she planned to keep.
* * * *
Cam sat sideways on the bar stool, nursing his light beer and watching Allegra up on the mezzanine floor. “She’s left-handed.”
“Huh? So what?”
“You’re the Dom. I thought you might like to know.”
“She’s an attorney, Cam. You need to get her right out of your mind.”
“I can’t. Seeing her tonight was like an answer to prayer. I’ve been here a hundred times and never seen her before. Yet tonight, when all I can do is think about her, here she is.”
“You’re going to ask her for a date, aren’t you?”
Cam thought Hammer sounded resigned. “That’s what I want to do. You don’t mind, do you?”
“I’m only agreeing to it because you want it so much, but I think you need to brace yourself for rejection. She’s not the kind of partner you or I should be looking for. Her world is not our world.”
“That’s not true. It’s absolutely your world. You’ve just chosen to slum it with me lately.”
“Because I rejected that world ten years ago. I don’t plan on going back.”
Hammer’s voice sounded very final. Cam dropped the conversation, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to ask Allegra on a date.
He waved to the bearded barman, Gavan. “Please, may I have the coffees and brownies now?”
“Coming up.”
Cam looked up at Allegra. She’d closed her notebook and put it and her pen back inside her purse, but she was looking down at the table so he guessed she was still thinking. Nine minutes was up. It’d be ten by the time they were served the coffees and the peanut butter cheesecake brownies he’d ordered hoping she would like them.
He finished his beer and left the glass and a tip on the bar, picking up the tray the barman handed him. Hammer walked ahead of him, clearing a pathway through the crowds. The Dom’s Dungeon had live dance music in the evenings, and a bracket was playing now, which meant people were coming and going from the dance floor.
Allegra looked up as they approached and smiled. Not a lot, but enough for him to know she hadn’t changed her mind and wished she’d told them no.
Hammer handed around the coffees, and Cam put the plate of brownies in front of her. “Peanut butter cheesecake brownies. I hope you like them.”
“Just the name sounds divine.” She picked one up and nibbled a corner of it. “Mmm.”
Cam grinned at Hammer. “I think that’s a yes.”
“Oh, it’s more like a hell yes, actually.” Her big blue eyes sparkled at him, and he fell even deeper in lust with her than he’d already been.
“I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone more than casually who was left-handed. Does it inconvenience you much?” he asked.
“That would also be a hell yes. The entire world is organized for right-handers. Think of a keyboard. The number pad is on the right. Then think of the computer screen. The place to insert the USB stick is on the right. Just about everything you could think of favors right-handers. We south paws have to be
tough to survive.”
“Did people try to make you become right-handed as a child?” asked Hammer.
“My parents didn’t, and neither did my elementary school. I did gymnastics as a child though, and there was no allowance for being different there. I did exactly the same routines as everyone else.”
Cam thought her eyes clouded a bit as she mentioned gymnastics, but the tone of her voice didn’t change. Maybe she thought they were rude asking her personal questions when they didn’t really know her yet. But to get to know her, he had to start somewhere.
Allegra leaned forward a little and looked directly at Hammer. “I didn’t quite catch your name,” she said.
Cam grinned. He bet she’d heard what he said perfectly well and just didn’t think it would be right.
“Hammer.”
“Is that a nickname because you work in construction?”
“Yes and no.”
“Would you care to unpack that statement for me?”
Cam laughed. “I guess you really are an attorney. Go for it, Hammer.”
Hammer stood up and bowed as if he was at a formal occasion. “Harlan Hammersmith III. The only name I answer to is Hammer.”
Allegra grinned. “I’ve met your grandfather, and I understand your choice of name. When Senior and Junior have already been chosen, Hammer is probably your logical pick of what’s left. How fortunate you went into the renovation business.”
Cam wanted to ask her why she’d chosen law as her career, but thought that might have been pushing the boundaries a little too much. Instead, he shoved the plate of brownies toward her again. “Have another brownie,” he suggested.
“They’re very tempting, but I shouldn’t.”
Now he had an opening. “Decadent, naughty things are always more fun than being good though,” he said, gazing directly into her eyes.
She didn’t even blink. She took another brownie and looked at it. “Yes, I suppose it is worth another ten minutes on the exercise bike.”
No wonder she wins her court cases. She doesn’t faze at all.
* * * *
The more Hammer watched Allegra, the more fascinated he was by her. On the outside she looked exactly like the people he’d been surrounded with from the time his grandfather considered him to be old enough to be seen around the house. Yet none of the women, and a fair proportion of the men, would have actually eaten a brownie—or any form of dessert. Their lives were filled with the need to look beautiful at all times in case paparazzi jumped out of a bush and took a picture.
That meant never risking a lipstick smear and never putting on an ounce in weight. Even the men spent hours getting the roots of their hair touched up to eliminate any sign of gray hair and their nails buffed. As a younger boy he’d been horrified, thinking it was “girl stuff,” but his grandfather had impressed on him the importance of always looking and acting appropriately for the honor due to his name. A name Hammer himself couldn’t have cared less about.
Yet here was Allegra, eating not only a meal with the clients, but now a second brownie with them. And she wasn’t wearing stilettos either. That really surprised him. Low heels made sense when she’d visited the construction site, but he’d have expected her to put on her six-inch heels to go out to a club. But no. He’d looked at her shoes as he’d approached the table and they were nice, but not stilettos and not very high. Definitely not “fuck me” shoes in any shape or form.
Was it just because she was meeting clients? She was a riddle. That was for sure. She didn’t fit neatly into any category he knew. He was starting to think he wanted her, not just to please Cam but for himself as well.
When the lights dimmed and the second floor show began, he sat on an angle so he could watch her face as well as the stage. She seemed interested and alert, but apart from that, he couldn’t read anything else on her countenance. Partway through the show she picked up her spoon and twisted it around and around the fingers of her left hand. He watched her fingers and the spoon but could make no sense of what she was doing. She didn’t seem tense or bored or anything other than politely interested.
The show was a good one. The Dom presenting it was skilled and managed to educate as well as entertain. His sub was completely obedient, yet everyone in the audience knew she was enjoying herself. But as to what Allegra was thinking, Hammer was clueless.
He only knew one thing. Cam wanted her, and so did he. Cam’s gaze was fixed on Allegra, and his face was as easy to read as a newspaper headline. Spending time with the woman hadn’t cured him of wanting her. It had made his yearning plain for everyone to see. Well, Hammer could work with that.
The question was, what were they going to say to her? Invite her back here again in the hopes of enticing her into a dungeon? Take her out to dinner somewhere else?
And was it all going to be a total waste of time? After all the chances of her agreeing to spend time with two men was infinitesimal. And two construction workers? Make that microscopic. She was an attorney. She’d have her choice of men in nice white-collar jobs and ultra-rich businessmen. Hell, likely she earned as much as him and Cam put together. And they certainly couldn’t invite her back to their apartment. It was nice, but it wouldn’t be anything like what she was used to. Likely she had a penthouse suite in a condo somewhere overlooking the river in the best part of town.
The late show finished, and the lights came on again. She’d leave in a minute or two. What was he going to say? Why couldn’t he think of something?
“Allegra, have you ever swum in an infinity pool?” Cam asked.
“No. Why do you ask?”
“The infinity pool at the job we’re on has been filled and the water warmed. The manager and his lady are away for another week yet, and we’re having a party there this weekend to test it out. Would you like to join us? I’ve been told swimming in an infinity pool is an amazing experience.”
Chapter Two
Allegra stared at herself critically in the mirror. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d worn a bikini or even been swimming. She didn’t recall ever going to the lake with Les, although he’d gone fishing with his friends occasionally. She shrugged. Well, her purple bikini might not be the latest fashion or style, but it still fit her, and her belly was reasonably flat. That was more due to good genes than any exercise she did these days. She didn’t even ride her exercise bike every day, much less get to the gym regularly.
She tied the matching sarong under her arms and slipped her feet into a pair of flip-flops. She tucked a bottle of sunscreen into her beach bag, dropped a wide-brimmed hat over her head, and was ready. Excitement bubbled through her at the thought of an entire day out of the office. Since Les had departed from her life, more and more of her weekends were spent working, either in the office or at home. Thanks to the Internet a lot of the research for her cases could be done online, although sometimes it was necessary to troll through all the files in the company’s library looking for a precedent she was sure she’d heard of and needed to quote.
It was still a few minutes before ten when she arrived at the office building, and Allegra decided to drive around the block and come back. But then she saw Cam and Hammer leaning against the front of the building, so she turned into the small parking lot.
“Gotta love a punctual woman,” said Cam, opening her car door and offering her his hand to help her out.
“Judges with long dockets and short fuses don’t like it if the attorney is late,” she replied. His hand was big, strong, warm, and rough, likely from the hard work he did each day. She barely hid the sexy little shiver that ran through her body at his touch.
Hammer picked up her beach bag, and she beeped her car locked, dropping the keys into the bag as he held it for her. She followed them into the office building, looking eagerly at the finished refurbishment and redesign of the lower floors. The first floor was already in use with the desks displaying the various users’ personal style and tastes. The second floor was finished with the sce
nt of paint and varnish still quite strong on the air but no sign of occupants as yet.
The third floor held the conference room, a kitchen and break room, a couple of closed doors, and then the manager’s apartment. Here the furniture was piled in the middle of the rooms, covered with drop cloths and the walls were being repainted. She blinked at the color scheme in the living room, but managed not to comment. However, as the men led her out onto the balcony, a redhead, who she knew worked on reception at The Dom’s Dungeon, was shaking her head and saying, “Don’t ever ask me to stand in that room. The paint color just isn’t right with my hair.”
“Ah, but Barbie’s a blonde,” explained one of the men, to much laughter.
Actually Allegra thought Barbie was quite a woman. She didn’t have a lot of assets, and the two most obvious ones were likely enhanced by silicon, but she was plenty smart enough to hook the manager here and keep him devoted to her. Likely that was a challenge in itself and one she was answering very well so far.
Cam and Hammer introduced Allegra to the people there, about a dozen or so of them and she switched her brain into work mode to remember the faces and names. Names were important in her job, and she’d trained herself to get them correctly the first time, every time.
There seemed to be a lot more men than women, but she supposed that was only to be expected in a construction company. Besides, a predominance of males surrounding her was something she remembered from her childhood before her parents had moved into town. Shape-shifters tended to birth two males for each female. Besides, the law was heavily male dominated at the upper levels, if not so obviously at the bottom. Hmm, was the new intake of attorneys fifty-fifty gender-wise? She might check that out one day.
Allegra sat on a lawn chair beside Juliana, the redhead, and a woman named Violet. She’d heard about Violet. Darcy, the owner of the construction company, lived with her, and a man named Raff, on a farm.
