by LK Shaw
“Miles.”
My eyes closed at the softly spoken word at my back. I braced myself before slowly turning around to confront its owner. At only 5’ 9”, being tall was not a trait I’d been blessed with, and Josie was only a couple inches shorter than me, so we were almost eye-to-eye. Her trademark royal blue glasses sat perched on her pert little nose. Her short, blonde bob was tucked behind her ears, her bangs flopping in her face. Even though I knew she was twenty-seven, she continued to look exactly like that fresh-faced girl on her first day here.
Her youthful appearance only further emphasized the vast difference in our ages. My hair had turned to gray at my temples, and the wrinkles across my forehead and around my eyes and mouth only served to highlight the fact I was pushing middle-aged. At forty-two, I’d lived a rough life and it showed. Killing Malcolm had aged me even more.
Knowing I couldn’t just stand there staring, I forced myself to acknowledge her. “What can I do for you, Josephine?”
She always wrinkled her nose when I called her Josephine. Calling her Josie was too personal, especially when I was trying to keep my distance from her. I refused to admit that I liked being the only one that called her Josephine.
“I need the reports on the Bullman case. I’ve run all the numbers through my computer and can’t seem to find the discrepancy in the bank account. I know it’s there though. Five million dollars doesn’t disappear overnight. Something happened to it, I just need to find out what.”
“You’ll have to talk to Bryce. He’s the one assigned to the case.”
“Wait, Connor told me you were the one working it. When did Bryce take over?”
“A few days ago.”
Her shoulders deflated as though someone had let all the air out of them. “Oh. I thought we’d be working together on this case.”
I’d asked Connor if I could be reassigned to a different case when he’d told me that Josie was the analyst working on this one. He wasn’t happy with my request and only reluctantly acquiesced when I pushed the issue. There were no questions asked, even though I knew he wanted to ask them.
“No, I’m working on the Grafton assignment.”
“Okay. Well, if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask me. I’m happy to help.”
I gave an abrupt nod of thanks and left her standing there. I could feel her eyes boring through my back as I walked away. There was never a time when I couldn’t feel her stare following me. At no time over the last six years had I not been fully aware of Josephine Bishop.
Josie
What a crock of shit. Even without verifying my suspicions with Connor, I knew Miles had asked to be reassigned to a different case. There were days I wanted to strangle him, and I might still, but I kept trying different, subtler approaches in hopes of finding one that worked with him. In six years, I’d had zero luck. Most people would think I’d have given up by now. Nope, not me. I firmly believed anything worth having was worth fighting for. Even if it was Miles himself I needed to fight.
As much as I wanted to follow him and confront the issue head on, I knew I couldn’t at this moment. Right now, I needed to find Bryce. There was still the case of a missing $5M. I turned about face and headed in the opposite direction of Miles toward the offices at the other end of the floor. I stopped at the second door on the left and knocked. A gruff “Enter” came from behind the closed door.
I stepped into Bryce’s office and closed the door behind me. Besides Connor, Bryce was the only other person who knew I was a member of Eden, our local BDSM club. Imagine my surprise when I showed up one Saturday night a few years ago to see Bryce Harris with a leash in his hand. My eyes widened farther when I spotted the male submissive on all fours next to him attached to the opposite end of that same leash. He about choked when he saw me in my royal blue corset, tits practically falling out the top, and black boy shorts with a length of jute rope in my hands.
Awkward conversation took place that first night, and for the next few weeks at work, but eventually we got used to each other’s presence. He had his secrets, and I had mine. We were both happy with keeping them to ourselves. Our secrets bonded us in a way that I wouldn’t have expected.
Bryce had become one of my best friends. It was usually Bryce and Thomas, his submissive, that I hung around with at Eden when I was there. They hadn’t gone public with their relationship due to Thomas’ ultra conservative family so it was only on rare occasions we went out together in public; they had a hard time maintaining a friendship only vibe. I felt awful they had to hide their love.
“What’s up, buttercup?” Bryce greeted me when he saw who’d entered his office.
Lord knew how he came up with that god-awful nickname for me, but I learned early on to leave it alone or it only got worse. When I’d first objected to “buttercup”, I was then assaulted with an onslaught of other horrific nicknames which ranged from “sugar tits” to “sweetbutt”. I quickly gave in and grudgingly accepted being called “buttercup”. Now, it felt special. It spoke to the deep love and friendship we had for each other. I could hear the affection behind the name.
“I hear you’ve taken over the Bullman case.”
“Talked to lover boy, huh?”
Other than Connor, Bryce was also the only person who knew of my deeper feelings for Miles. I’d just told my girlfriends he was cute. Sadly, Miles had never given any indication that he was anything but vanilla. A dominant woman, being interested in a vanilla man would bring me nothing but heartache, according to Connor. Bryce, of course, played the devil’s advocate and almost had me pinning my hopes on the fact that you never knew until you tried.
Even still, I sent a look of disgust in Bryce’s direction. As much as he loved me, he knew which of my buttons to push and enjoyed pushing them just to get a rise out of me. If I had a younger brother, I imagine this was how he’d have acted.
“Yes, I spoke to Miles. He said that Connor reassigned him. I know it was per his request. I’ve waited six years for this man, Bryce. I’ve been more patient than any woman has a right to be. And he still has his head so far up his ass that he can’t see what’s right in front of him. I don’t plan on giving up, but damn, he’s really starting to piss me off.”
“You know, there’s going to come a time when you’re going to have to give him an ultimatum. Or you’re going to have to resort to drastic measures. You’ve played it safe so far, kid. Honestly, I don’t think you’ve given it your best effort. Even after six years. Conservative measures have clearly gotten you nowhere.”
I knew Bryce was right, but short of dragging Miles into my world of domination and submission, I didn’t know what else to do. Although, now that the idea had formed in my head, it was beginning to gain strength. There was a masquerade ball at Eden in a couple of weeks. What if I got Bryce to bring him? Like Bryce said, it was time to take the bull by the horns. I promised myself that after Miles had killed Malcolm, and I saw the pain and suffering he was going through, I would do everything in my power to rid him of the unnecessary guilt he felt. Sadly, I hadn’t put forth a valiant effort. It seemed as though that was about to change.
I spent the next thirty minutes talking about the Bullman case with Bryce and brainstorming ideas about where the money might be. I logged into one of the computers in Bryce’s office and started running a query. After an hour of coding errors, I finally got a ding on something. It would appear Mr. Bullman had an offshore account I had somehow overlooked the first time I’d run his financials. I don’t know if it was the distraction of my mind on Miles or what, but before “the event”, as it was discreetly referred to, I never would have missed something this easy. I needed to get my head back into the game, or I was afraid Connor would start looking for a new computer analyst.
Miles
Why in god’s name I agreed to attend some masquerade ball with Bryce, I had no idea. But the fucker had badgered me every day for a week straight before I finally gave in just to shut him up. I almost didn’t show
up, but I knew I would never hear the end of it if I didn’t. It was best to make an appearance for a short time and then slip out the door before anyone noticed I was missing.
I followed the directions my GPS gave me and then looked around in puzzlement at the seemingly abandoned warehouse district. This didn’t seem like the right place. I closed out the GPS program and dialed Bryce’s number. After the third ring, he answered.
“Hey, where are you?”
“I think my GPS sent me to the wrong place. I’m sitting in front of a bunch of warehouses, all of which look like they haven’t been occupied in more years than I’ve been alive.”
“You’re at 1625 Division Street, right? Hang on, I’m heading outside.”
I waited a few minutes, scanning the buildings until I spotted a door opening, and Bryce stepped out. What the hell kind of club was located in such a run-down area? And why the fuck was Bryce wearing a trench coat in the middle of summer?
“I see you. I’m getting out of my car now.” I hung up without waiting on his response.
I jogged over to where Bryce stood, and it was then that I barely heard the thump thump of music coming from the building behind him.
“Glad you could make it. Here, put this on.” He held his hand out to me.
Reaching out for the piece of cloth, I inquired, “What kind of club is this anyway? I’ve never been here before. Hell, I had no idea there was even anything open in this area. Didn’t they shut this warehouse district down about a year ago after they discovered a drug smuggling ring operating out of here? And what the fuck is this?”
I held up the masquerade style mask.
“It’s a masquerade ball, hence the masquerade mask. Everyone inside is wearing one. It’s protocol on nights like this. You can take it off in a private room if you find someone to play with.”
“Play with? Private room? What the fuck are you talking about?”
An innocent expression crossed Bryce’s face. “Oh, didn’t I tell you? Eden is a BDSM club. Now, put on your big boy underwear and mask and get your ass inside. You’re making me miss out on all the fun.”
He turned around and walked back into the building forcing me to follow him. A BDSM club?
Immediately inside the door was a dimly lit foyer and standing guard was a stocky man with dirty blond hair that touched his shoulders. His dark blue jeans encased thighs that seemed to want to bust out of the seams. Over his bulging upper body lay a short-sleeved gray t-shirt, the sleeves digging into biceps bigger than my head. I could even see the outline of what I thought were nipple rings. In his ear rested a security earpiece with attached microphone.
Bryce, who by this time had also placed his mask on his face, greeted the man like an old friend. “Philip, my sweet boy, this is the guest I was speaking of. His name is Miles, and I promise to keep him in check.”
My eyes bugged when Bryce not only winked at the man, but when the man, Philip, blushed in response. I about choked on my own tongue when Bryce removed his trench coat and hung it up in a small coat closet on one side of the small room. He wore only a pair of leather pants that hung so low on his hips a hint of pubic hair was exposed. I quickly averted my eyes upward and couldn’t help staring at his chest when I noticed bars through both his nipples. Who was this person in front of me? Bryce turned back toward Philip and patted him on the ass as he continued on his way out the foyer and down a hall, again forcing me to follow or get left behind.
“Um, what is going on?” I had never seen Bryce behave this way. I mean I knew he was gay, but I’d never seen this flirty persona he was giving off. He maintained a high level of professionalism and decorum at work. It was as though I was meeting another person with Bryce’s face. It was only mildly freaking me out.
As I reluctantly tied on my mask, the thumping music I’d barely heard outside and in the entrance of the building grew louder the farther we got down the hall, until suddenly we were in a large room where music filled it. I tried not to stare, but it was proving to be a challenge.
I wouldn’t consider myself a prude by any means, but nothing in my life had prepared me for the sight in front of me. It was as though I’d entered an entirely new universe. One that had me instantly aroused. I knew vaguely that BDSM clubs existed. An old acquaintance I knew dabbled in swinging and had discussed some of the kinky things he enjoyed, but when it was now fully in front of me, it was a lot to take in.
Everywhere I looked was nakedness. Men and women. A scream I immediately recognized as one of ecstasy, had my eyes darting to my left where a huge stage graced the wall. A naked woman was strapped to a giant wooden cross on the stage and was being struck with something with a lot of— tails, I guess I would call them. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying what was being done to her if the expression of arousal on her face was any indication.
“What do you mean, what’s going on? How many times do I have to tell you, this is a masquer—”
“Stop fucking saying masquerade ball. I mean, why would you bring me here? Why now? I’ve known you for years, and I had no idea you were into this kind of thing. So, I’m asking again, what’s going on?” My patience with Bryce intentionally misinterpreting my question had worn thin.
He sighed heavily in defeat. “Ever since… you know, I’ve noticed something different with you. I can’t place my finger on it, but I know it changed you. I wanted you to come tonight to see if you could find whatever it is that’s been missing. I wanted you to have a little fun.”
Damn. I thought I’d hidden my going crazy from everyone, but maybe I’d let something show I shouldn’t have. I needed to harness my emotions better. Even still. A BDSM club? How did Bryce expect me to find my sanity here? I wasn’t even sure I wanted to know what he defined as fun. I’m sure our definitions were vastly different. The thing was, now that I was here, my curiosity had been piqued. I opened my mouth to respond when I was suddenly struck dumb.
Across the room stood the sexiest woman I’d ever laid eyes on. I found myself swallowing hard, and without warning, my cock rose to attention. She confidently wore the tiniest scrap of black fabric that did more to showcase her pussy than if she’d been wearing nothing at all. Her breasts were barely covered by a royal blue band that wrapped behind her neck to then crisscrossed over her chest and looked like it tied behind her back. What drew my eye though, was the half-sleeve tattoo on her left arm. The colors were bright and brilliant, like her.
I couldn’t see her whole face because of the black half-mask she wore. I wanted to slip it off so I could see her clearly. Her eyes were hidden in shadow so I was unable to tell their color from this far away, but I instantly pictured them as being blue. Her long brown hair cascaded down her back with one loose strand curling around her right breast. She had the most adorable mole above the corner of her lip. I wanted to touch the tip of my tongue to it and see if it tasted like cinnamon.
As though feeling my gaze on her, she turned her head slightly in my direction, and our eyes met. Hers widened slightly, and a flash of recognition flared, but was gone so quickly I must have imagined it. A slight half-smile appeared on her full lips, and my cock jerked. Neither of us broke eye contact, and I had no idea how long we would have stared at each other if Bryce hadn’t bumped his shoulder against mine.
“Looks like you’ve caught the eye of Mistress Jasmine. Be careful, my friend; she’ll eat you alive before you can blink.”
I startled at his words, and my head snapped in his direction. “What do you mean, eat me alive?”
“Honey, that is one bad ass Domme right there. She brings every male submissive to his knees. I’m sure you’d be no different.”
I looked at him in shock. “I’m not submissive.”
Bryce quietly studied me from head to toe. I tried not to flinch at his inspection. He sighed heavily in disappointment. “No, you’re not. Poor Jasmine. I’m sure you’d have made her a wonderful plaything.”
I re-played his words over in my head, and pictures suddenly
began to form. I still stuck with my assessment that I wasn't submissive, but I couldn’t help picturing myself as her boy toy. It didn’t seem like such a bad position to be in. I wouldn’t mind someone else taking the lead. My life was already out of control as it was. A flash of her pushing me down onto a bed and crawling on top of me to slowly lower herself on my engorged cock had me almost coming in my pants like an adolescent boy.
An expression of invitation must have crossed my face, because because she began to head in our direction. I vaguely heard Bryce’s voice in my ear as I watched the sway of her hips as she sashayed over.
“Well, well, well. Mistress Jasmine must see something she likes. Good luck, brother.”
I paid scant attention as Bryce turned and walked away from me. I couldn’t care less, because before I could blink, she was standing directly in front of me. The sweet smell of citrus filled my nose, and Josephine’s face flashed in my head. I shook it off and focused on this beautiful woman in front of me. Other than Josephine, who I pushed so far to the back of my mind, this was the first woman to spark my attraction since before Malcolm’s death. In fact, this was the first true emotion I’d felt since killing Malcolm.
At that thought, the demons threatened to take hold, but I fought to banish them. I needed them gone, at least for tonight. There was no doubt they would be back tomorrow, bringing an even blacker darkness with them. Until then, I was going to bask in the brightness of this woman before me.
