by Mari Carr
She recalled the letter from the Grand Master lying on the counter behind her. Her silly dreams about Gunner were completely foolish. She was less than an hour away from meeting her partners. From today forward, there would be two strangers in her life.
The realization of what she’d signed on for terrified her. What if they hated her? Given her present appearance, she was destined to make a terrible first impression.
“Earth to Deni.”
She focused on Gunner as he waved his hand in front of her face.
“Sorry.”
He grinned and gave her a kiss on the cheek. It was the first time he’d ever shown her that kind of affection. Typically, they kept their physical touches to nothing more than platonic hugs.
“I’m used to you drifting away from me. Maybe one of these days you’ll find a way to let me know what’s going on inside that busy brain of yours.”
She didn’t know how to explain that things were going to be different from now on. But until she knew exactly how, she decided to remain silent.
Gunner looked at his watch. “Shit. I have to go, Deni. I wish I had more time this trip, but—”
The stranger by the door cleared his throat, reminding her she was wasting precious time.
“Um, Deni?” Gunner gestured to the man at her assistant’s desk with a quick jerk of his head.
“Long story. Tell you later.” With any luck, Gunner would forget. Or she’d figure out some lie that would explain the Incredible Hulk’s presence in her lab.
“You sure?”
She nodded, touched by his concern. “Everything’s okay. I have a meeting in a little while too. Call me when you get back to D.C.?”
“Will do.” He grasped her hand and pulled her toward him for one of his big bear hugs. She had to admit, Gunner gave the greatest hugs in the world.
Then, he left her alone with the menacing giant.
“You’ve managed to waste ten minutes. We need to leave in five.”
She turned away before she gave into the juvenile impulse to stick her tongue out at the asshole.
Ten minutes later, she hung her lab coat on the hook by the door and followed the man to the street. Deni caught more than a few of the surprised looks from her colleagues as she said goodbye. She wasn’t sure she’d ever left work in the middle of the afternoon. She tried not to think about how today’s untimely interruption was putting her behind schedule. She’d just have to make up for it later. Maybe after the ceremony she could come back and pull an all-nighter.
When they exited the building, Deni was surprised to see the stranger walk to a limousine. He opened the door and then gestured for her to enter the vehicle.
Once they were both inside, she looked around, amazed by the elegant space. A long, leather couch spanned one side while a mini-bar occupied the other. They both opted to share the backseat. Deni was prone to carsickness and considering her stomach was already queasy from nerves, she didn’t think she’d better take a risk at not facing forward, even though she’d love to lie down on that long couch just to see if it was as soft as it looked. The limo was almost as big as her apartment.
“I’ve never been in a limo before. I drive a Smart Car.” She looked at the huge man sitting next to her. “Of course, it’s probably better we took your car. You wouldn’t fit in mine.”
He didn’t reply. Instead, he stared out the window.
Deni’s nervousness grew in the silence. It was clear the man didn’t like her, but she could really use a distraction right now. “You know, I just realized, I don’t know your name.”
The man didn’t bother to look at her. “Price.”
She considered his answer for a minute and then asked the obvious question. “Is that your first or last name?”
For the first time since he’d entered her lab, the man gave her what she could only assume was his rendition of a smile. Either that or he was fighting a bad case of indigestion. “First.”
“Oh. I would have lost that bet. So…you work for the Trinity Masters?”
His scowl returned. “No. I’m a member.”
For some odd reason, his answer sent a wave of relief surging through her. “So you’ve been through this ceremony? You know what’s going to happen? I’d feel so much better if you could give me some hint about what my role is. What I’m supposed to do.”
Price turned to look at her. “I don’t have a clue.”
Her shoulders sagged. “You’ve never been through the introduction ceremony?”
He shook his head. “I’m one of the single members.”
His response annoyed her. Price had to be pushing his late thirties. Why was he getting a pass while she was being forced to put her career on hold so early? “How old are you?”
He didn’t take offense at her question, though she could tell she surprised him. “I’m thirty-eight. How old are you?”
“Twenty-eight.” Great. Price had gotten ten more unencumbered years than she would. How was that fair?
Price studied her face. “You’re still quite young.”
She nodded. “I thought I had a few more years before I’d be called to the altar.”
“You were told at your initiation this call could come at any time.”
She shrugged. “I know. And I’m okay with it. I just sort of meant to do a few things before this happened.”
Price’s face softened and she realized he wasn’t quite as fearsome as he’d first appeared. “Like what?”
“Like lose my virginity.” She hadn’t meant to blurt that out, but her heart was racing a mile a minute, and the closer they got to the library the faster her nervous knee bounced.
Price reached over and used his large hand to still her shaking leg. “You’re still a virgin?”
She could feel her face flush, heat permeating her skin. “I don’t date much.”
“According to your friend, it sounds like you never go out. When was your last date?”
Deni wished she didn’t know the answer, but she knew it all too well. “Never.”
Price frowned. She couldn’t tell if he thought she was lying or pathetic. Both responses sucked.
“Never?”
“I graduated from high school when I was fourteen. Earned my bachelor’s degree at seventeen, my masters at nineteen and my doctorate at twenty-two. The majority of my college career was spent in an apartment with my mom.”
“I assume you don’t still live with your mother.”
His tone was the perfect blend of sardonic and serious. She had no idea if he was making fun of her or not, so she gave him the benefit of the doubt. “No. I don’t live with my mother anymore.”
“Well, congratulations then. Tonight will be a true honeymoon for you. In every sense of the word.”
She studied his face, searching for some clue that said he was teasing her. There was nothing there. “Thanks. I guess.”
Deni reached into her bag and pulled out her Trinity Masters necklace. She rarely wore the thing as it always seemed to be in her way whenever she worked on experiments in the lab. The only time she ever put it on was for the Trinity Masters’ meetings. She slipped it over her head, the expensive gold chain and ornate charm looking out of place against her tatty black T-shirt.
Price nodded approvingly. She glanced at his hand and recognized the Trinity Masters symbol emblazoned on a large gold ring.
She glanced out the window. They were close to the library. During college, that place had been a sanctuary to her. Some people found inner peace in a church. Deni found it at the Boston Public Library. She could walk along the aisles for hours, perusing the shelves, never failing to discover something different, to learn something new.
Now, as the limousine neared Boylston Street, she felt the beginning of true panic. She wasn’t ready for this.
“Denise.” Price’s deep voice captured her attention. She was surprised when he grasped her hand. “Breathe.”
She struggled to suck in air, her chest too tight. Gre
at. She was starting to hyperventilate. As if Price didn’t have enough reasons to think she was a complete idiot.
“Not like that. Watch me. Match your breathing to mine.”
He inhaled slowly, and Deni attempted to follow suit. They exhaled together. Price released a long stream of breath while hers sort of blew out fast and hard. He demonstrated several more times until Deni felt the constriction in her chest ease.
“Better?”
She nodded. “I wish I could’ve gone home to get a shower.”
Price glanced at his watch and gave her a rueful grin. “There really isn’t time.”
“I know.” She pushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “How bad do I look?”
Rather than reply, he reached up and released her hair, allowing it to fall over her shoulders. Then he handed her something. “I’d suggest losing the pencils.”
She glanced down and laughed as he placed the number twos in her palm. “God. They’re going to hate me.”
He frowned. “No. I don’t think it’s possible for anyone to hate you.”
Deni bit her lower lip. Though his words were perfectly kind—actually it was one of the nicest compliments she’d ever received—she still couldn’t tell if he was sincere. He had a killer poker face. His sweet words didn’t seem to match his stern expression. Of course, it didn’t help that he was huge and intimidating. She wasn’t particularly tall. She purchased most of her clothing in the petite section. Price towered over her.
She turned to watch the people on the street, smiling as a young boy tugged on his mother’s hand and pointed to the limo. She glanced at the interior again, wondering what Price did that allowed him to travel in such style. She was tempted to ask for a glass of wine from the mini-bar. Though she didn’t normally drink, she thought a couple belts of something alcoholic could only help her present state.
When she combined his size with his scowl, his dark, penetrating gaze, his deep voice and the fact she was trying not to freak out about where they were headed, it occurred to her this limo ride was wasted on her. She wasn’t appreciating the luxury.
She started running her fingers through her hair, trying to tame the mass of tangles as much as possible.
“There will be a mirror in the dressing room. You’ll have a few minutes to fix yourself up. You remember that you’re supposed to undress before donning the robe, right?”
Her mouth fell open. “What?”
Price sighed. “It is customary for the three participants to be introduced and then shed their robes. It symbolizes that you come to your partners with no secrets, nothing to hide. Most keep their underwear on during the introduction, but for the formal binding ceremony a month from now, you will be naked.”
Deni grasped her stomach and leaned forward. The sudden alarm on Price’s face let her know she looked as bad as she felt. He pressed his hand on the back of her neck, directing her head toward her knees.
“Start breathing again. In through your nose, out from your mouth.”
She followed his directions, focusing all her energy on not getting sick. She knew what he said was true. She’d read the fine print when she had signed her name on the dotted line. Unfortunately, she had somehow managed to forget that part. Or had she suppressed it?
She was an only child and a virgin with more than a healthy dose of shyness. Her mind raced to recall if anyone besides her mother had ever seen her naked. Her mother hadn’t even seen her without clothes on since she’d hit puberty.
“Denise.”
She closed her eyes tightly, trying to ignore the fact the car had stopped.
Price repeated her name. She sat up slowly, trying to find something to focus on. Her gaze landed on Price’s face.
“We’re here.”
She nodded once, unable to respond. Somewhere along the line, her lips had gone numb.
Price ran his hands through her hair, pushing it away from her face. Then, to her surprise, he began fixing it. “You have very pretty hair.”
“Thank you.”
It was an inane conversation, but somehow Price’s strength, his steady hands reassured her.
She could do this. She had to. There was no backing out of the Trinity Masters. Members who did so met with ruin, sometimes even death. She’d heard the stories of those who’d broken the rules, ignored their vows. She’d never failed at anything in her life. Hell, she’d never even gotten a B plus.
Deni felt like a fool for falling apart in front of him. She had become a creature of habit, too ingrained in her daily routine, her work. She had forgotten how to adapt.
“I’m okay now. I can do this.”
Price studied her face and then nodded. “Yes. I think you can.”
The driver opened the door. Deni grabbed her messenger bag and threw it over her shoulder, surprised when Price got out of the vehicle as well.
“You don’t have to walk me in. I know where I’m going.” Then she smiled. “I won’t run. Promise.”
“I’ve been directed to escort you all the way. That’s what I’m going to do.”
“Suit yourself.” Deni shrugged and headed to the elevator. Neither she nor Price spoke as they rode to the top level. Deni tried to focus all her energy on preparing for what was coming. Inside the rare-books room, she walked directly to the triangle cut into the plaster on the back wall. She ran her finger along the inscription, “Mitimur in Vetitum.”
“We strive for the forbidden.” She remembered how exciting that had seemed to her in the beginning. She’d been the model child and student all her life. The idea that she might partake in something illicit had spoken to her more than she cared to admit.
She pushed on the triangle and a hidden door slid open. Price followed her into the small closet-like space. She’d never been in the tiny room with another person. It was a tight fit.
Price pointed to the rows of boxes on the wall. “The message said you were to open box forty-one.”
She nodded and pushed on the number. Reaching in, she withdrew a note and a key.
You’ll find your robe in room B. Right-hand corridor.
Wait until you hear the bell.
Grand Master
She started for the secret elevator, turning back when Price opened a box as well.
“What did you get?”
He narrowed his eyes at her nosiness. “None of your business.” He placed an envelope in the pocket of his jacket and gestured for her to keep moving.
The second elevator wasn’t open to the general public. In fact, she’d venture to guess there were very few library employees who even knew of its existence.
When the doors opened, she stepped out. She’d walked along these hallways many times in the past, but she’d never traveled down the right corridor. The left led to the group dressing rooms, fancy spa-like accommodations where members could put on their robes before ceremonies.
She turned down the unfamiliar hallway and stopped outside room B. “I guess this is me.”
“Good luck, Denise.”
She gave him an appreciative smile. In his own gruff way, he had helped her today, kept her somewhat calm, gotten her here in one piece. “Thanks for the ride, Price.”
He nodded once and then walked away.
Deni took a deep breath and entered the dressing room.
My future starts today.
Chapter Two
Price walked away from Denise feeling equal parts relieved to be rid of her and worried that he should go back to make sure she was okay. He now understood the Grand Master’s insistence that she be escorted to the ceremony. The woman was unlike any Trinity Master he’d ever met.
Their society was one of intelligent, self-assured, powerful people. Though obviously brilliant, given her fast track through the educational system, Denise didn’t fit any of the other molds. She was unorganized, nervous and inexperienced. His head was still reeling over her virginity confession. Her partners would have their hands full with her. Fortunately for him, his asso
ciation with Denise Parker was concluded.
Price reached into his pocket and pulled out his so-called reward. He grinned. After the afternoon he’d just endured, the Grand Master better have sprung for passes to scuba dive in protected waters.
Reaching inside, he discovered a letter. One very similar to the message he’d just delivered to…
No. Fuck, no.
Price crumpled up the sheet of paper and shook his head. This was a joke. It had to be.
Glancing down the corridor, he waited. For what? For someone to jump out and yell gotcha?
The hallway was eerily quiet. He opened his fist and looked at the note once more.
You’ll find your robe in room A. Right-hand corridor.
Wait until you hear the bell.
Grand Master
That was it? He’d offered nearly a decade of friendship to the Grand Master only to receive this summons. No warning. No consideration of what Price might want from his prospective partners. Jesus. He sure as hell didn’t want Denise Parker.
The tiny woman was a mess.
Price looked at his watch. He had five minutes until the bell would ring. Five minutes until his life went off-track. The Grand Master had timed it this way on purpose. He’d known Price would attempt to find a way out of this partnership if given the time. Now…
He walked slowly toward room A, recalling his conversation with the Grand Master this morning. Price had pledged his loyalty to the Trinity Masters and to their leader.
This rule was absolute. Members were placed in threesomes and the commitment to that triad was unbreakable. Permanent. Even so, Price struggled to understand what benefit to society could sprout from a marriage between him and the tiny scientist. Their lives, their skill sets were as different as mud and chocolate. This didn’t make sense.
He sighed. The Grand Master had commanded him to be here, and Price had no choice but to obey. To leave would be tantamount to signing his own death warrant. He swallowed his pride as he stood outside the dressing room. Glancing down the hall, he only had a moment to think, “who’s behind door C?” before he entered and began to undress.
