Shelley McNamara Hughes could bring down his entire house of cards.
“Were you close to him?” Units like the SEALs tended to forge strong bonds between the men who served in them.
Holder shoved the picture back toward him. “As much as I got close to anyone. But we weren’t on the same squad. We were in the same platoon, but sure, I knew him. He was a little younger than me, but he was a solid sniper. I heard he went back to school after he left. That didn’t surprise me. Meyer was a do-gooder. He was one of those true believers. He was obnoxious, but he didn’t know I couldn’t stand him. There was an incident with a translator in Afghanistan. He left the unit after that.”
“Really?” Maybe there was something he could use against this guy. It would be so much easier if this Meyer guy was dirty.
“A girl he was fucking got killed. She worked as a translator in the area. It wasn’t smart to get involved with the locals, but it didn’t seem to bother Meyer.” Holder sat back in the wing chair. He could have been talking about the weather for all the emotion in his voice. “She was butchered. He found the body.”
Cross was interested in that. “Did he kill her?”
Holder shrugged. “Who knows? The Navy didn’t think so. Look, it was fucking Afghanistan. Do you know what the locals do to a woman they decide is a whore? They can still legally stone a woman in that part of the world. She could have been killed because some Taliban freak caught her with a man who wasn’t her husband or because they didn’t like her working for the Americans or because she looked at someone wrong. Who the fuck knows what those people think. The Navy cleared Meyer, but he wasn’t the same, and when his time was up, he left. I lost track of him.”
“He wasn’t someone you tried to recruit?” Cross had heard that Holder and his company liked to recruit as many Special Forces soldiers as possible.
Holder waved him off. “Nah. He left. He went back to school. He wasn’t a viable candidate, though I hear his brother just got his walking papers and he didn’t want to leave. I’ve talked to him. The last time I spoke to Wolf Meyer, he was still trying to get back in. He would be an excellent addition, but his brother makes me nervous. What does he have to do with the fact that you let some asshole bug your office?”
He hated the superior way Holder looked at him. But it was the truth. Fucking Bryce Hughes had been a blackmailing son of a bitch. Bryce Hughes was the reason Cross was in this position. He’d been a discreet drug dealer. Bryce had been smooth, friendly even. He’d given the senator a good deal and even offered his lovely wife’s design services.
Which was exactly how he’d gotten caught on tape fucking his mistress on his senatorial desk. It wasn’t that particular episode that worried him. It was the fact that he’d made a deal with White Acres Security that effectively sold out US interests in the Middle East.
“I don’t need your sarcasm, Holder. You’re involved in this, too.”
The tape in which he proved he had problems with premature ejaculation would only get him voted out of office at the midterm election. The second tape, if it existed, could get him brought up on treason charges.
“I wasn’t the one who was friendly with a blackmailer. I thought the fucker died.”
“Oh, he’s dead. He owed a Colombian cartel some cash, and they don’t give extensions. Fortunately, he’d hidden a lot of his blackmail tapes.”
“How do you know he hid them?” Holder asked.
“Because if they had those fucking tapes, we would both be in jail.” Cross took a deep breath. “Look, I can’t be sure the tape even exists. I only know that we had a few meetings during the same time that Hughes was bugging this office.”
He had to find that fucking tape, and only Shelley Hughes could give it to him. Despite the fact that the cops had cleared her of her husband’s wrongdoing, Cross had to make sure she didn’t know about the White Acres deal. He had to.
And it looked like Leo Meyer might be involved.
Holder’s expression didn’t change a whit. “Where does Meyer fit into all this?”
“Leo Meyer is employed by a man named Julian Lodge. Lodge runs a business that caters to men and women with certain proclivities.” Cross tried to put it delicately.
Holder’s eyes flared. “What? He’s a pimp? Meyer runs girls? Are you fucking kidding me?”
“No. It’s a BDSM club.”
Holder sat back. “Bondage and shit. Yeah, I can see that. So what does he do? Spank women for a living?”
Cross didn’t know and wouldn’t give a shit if Meyer didn’t figure into Shelley Hughes’s life. “I don’t know. I have some friends who are members. They say Leo Meyer is the big guy at The Club. According to my sources, Shelley Hughes is working for Julian Lodge and has a past with Meyer.”
“So you want me to look my old buddy up and see what I can find out. I can do that. But, Senator, the next time you treat me like your fucking lackey, I’ll show up at your bedside with a knife to your throat, and no amount of security will keep me out. Don’t think for minute that I’m your employee.” Holder stood up, his ridiculously intimidating six-feet-five-inch body towering over Cross.
He swallowed and then nodded. Fuck, he hated this shit. He never should have taken the Armed Services Committee post. He should have gone for the cushy Veterans’ Affairs job. Then all the soldiers he would have to deal with would be old fuckers in wheelchairs and sad sacks who had gotten their limbs blown off for their country. But, no, he wanted the big job. He forced himself to stay strong. After all, he was the elected official here. He wasn’t without power. “I understand. This is for both of us. We’re both at risk here.”
Holder put two hands on the desk and leaned forward, the scar on his face whitening as his expression tightened. “Yeah, well, I’m not the dipshit who invited the blackmailer’s wife to decorate my office. Now what’s the name of this club?”
“The Club.” There wasn’t a website or a listing in the phone book, but he had an address.
“Seriously? That’s the dumbest name I ever heard.”
“Lodge believes in simplicity.”
Holder straightened up with a derisive snort. “He sounds like an idiot.”
“He’s a rich idiot with a lot of important connections. Meyer has a listed phone number, and I e-mailed you the address of the building The Club is in. I’m going to go to The Club with a colleague of mine in a couple of days. If you can gather whatever intel you can on what Shelley Hughes is doing in that club, what her relationship is with Meyer, and where she’s living, I would be deeply grateful.”
Holder nodded, turning without saying another word. He crossed the office in a few neat strides and opened the door. The door closed behind him, and Mitchell Cross could breathe again. His brain ached and his stomach was in fucking knots. He hadn’t gotten into politics so he would have to deal with the trash of the world. Yet here he was.
And now he had to basically go undercover in a BDSM club. Fuck. Fuck. Fucking fuck. He was supposed to be relaxing, but he had to play bondage games because apparently his former drug dealer’s widow was some kind of a pervert freak.
He put his head in his hands. If he survived this crisis, he was going to get clean.
But until then…he opened his drawer and found his small stash of cocaine. Until then, he really needed a little relief.
Chapter Three
“Have you looked over the contract, dear?” Julian asked as he pressed the buttons that would take them to the club level of the building. Julian Lodge owned the entire downtown property, and Shelley had decided weeks ago that it was something like his own private kingdom. Everything Julian could want was in this building. His offices were here. His club was here. He had designated several floors as a luxury hotel for his friends and guests. She’d learned several of his employees also lived in the building. Leo was on the sixteenth floor, just below the penthouse. He shared the floor with the brothers, Ben and Chase Dawson and two part-time Doms named Brandon and Dane.
But they were going to the club section.
To meet her Dom.
“Yes. I read the contract before I signed it.” She’d stared at that three-page document for days. She’d read Anna Karenina in less time than it had taken her to finally get through the contract that would bind her to a man she didn’t know.
“Well, Master Wolf will now want to go over your hard and soft limits. Danielle explained those?” Julian’s voice was soft, his eyes on the numbers overhead, watching as they descended.
He was treating her with kid gloves. Shelley rather thought it was a sign of affection. Julian could be terribly cold when he wasn’t involved. He’d terrified her at first until she’d become close to his wife and his partner. They softened him. “I understand. I’m still probably going to giggle when he asks me about butt plugs.”
Julian turned down to her, his face lighting with a smile. “See, I knew I had chosen well. Many Doms would be insulted, but I believe Master Wolf might just laugh along with you.”
“He seems nice.”
“He reminds me of an overly large Golden Retriever. I’m actually a little worried he won’t be strong enough to truly discipline you, but I have a friend who claims he’s the perfect mix of Dom and mentor.”
“Why doesn’t he have a sub?” He sounded too good to be true.
“He recently left his post in the military. It wasn’t his choice as I understand. He was injured in the line of duty. He’s struggled a bit with that. I suspect he hadn’t thought past his military career. He returned to Colorado and found a job, but when I offered him a position here, he jumped at the chance. I think he’s looking for his place in the world.”
Then they were well matched. Despite her longing for Leo, she felt a little spark of hope. Julian had put some thought into this. “I’m ready.”
The doors opened, and Julian gestured for her to enter in front of him. “I’m glad. I’ve set you up in one of the offices. There’s a two-way mirror. I’ll be watching the whole time.”
“Why?” Shelley asked, a bit disturbed at the thought.
“Because he’s new to me, and I take your safety and happiness seriously. You’ve been a good friend to my wife. I admire your brother. His years at The Club made me very fond of him, and quite frankly, Leo is part of my family. Despite his stubbornness, I know he wouldn’t want you hurt.”
Because he was a good man. “And I wouldn’t want him hurt, either.”
Julian stopped in front of a door. He’d given her a tour of the facilities weeks back when he’d decided to let her redecorate the entire building. She knew that if she turned left, she would be in the hallway that led to The Club. Here in this part of the building, the floor was a very elegant marble, but down the hall it gave way to a decadent rich, burgundy carpet that her shoes had sunk into. She’d wondered what it would have felt like on her bare feet.
If she agreed to sub for Master Wolf, she might know. Some Masters wouldn’t let their submissives wear shoes.
“If you think you would like to try to get through to Leo, perhaps you shouldn’t walk through that door, dear.”
She shook her head. “No. Julian, do you honestly think I haven’t tried? I broke trust with him. I lied to him. I had what felt like a good reason, but it doesn’t matter now. He can’t forgive me, and I need to move on.”
“Trust is important. It’s everything in a relationship like this, but if there’s enough love, sometimes a breach of trust can be overcome. I would have told you that I would dismiss any submissive who broke trust with me. It changes when you truly, deeply love the person. I doubt I could dismiss Danielle and Finn for any reason. I could make their lives miserable, but I couldn’t let them go.”
“Then there’s your answer, Julian. He let me go. It’s all right. I knew what would happen. I knew I was letting him go. But I have to find my own place in this world, and I think it starts by meeting Master Wolf.”
Julian nodded. He opened the door. “Just know, I’ll be watching. If you need anything, you have only to ask.”
Her heart raced just a bit. The door was open. She could see the long conference table and the back of a man sitting at the end. Dark hair cut in a neat military style. His shoulders rose above the chair. He was a big man. His shoulders looked like they went on for miles.
Did she really want to place her body and her safety in the hands of such a large man? Bryce hadn’t been big, but the one time he’d hit her, she’d felt it. She’d been smaller than him, and he’d used it to his advantage. How much worse could it potentially be with a man this big?
And then he turned. And her jaw dropped open.
Master Wolf was absolutely the most glorious-looking man she’d ever seen in her life. She prayed, prayed she wasn’t actually drooling. Dani was right. Finn was right. Holy hotness.
“Hello, Shelley. It’s nice to finally meet you in person.” He stood, his huge body graceful as he moved. He had to be six and a half feet tall. He was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt that couldn’t quite hide the tight muscles of his torso. He really worked out. Like a lot.
God, she felt like she was thirteen and staring at a rock star. She managed to get out a breathy, “Hi.”
He smiled, and his hotness went up twenty degrees. Even, white teeth gleamed from between his impossibly sensual lips.
She was supposed to sub for this man? She was ten pounds overweight. She had cellulite on her thighs. Her eyes were just starting to get fine lines around them. She was a normal, average woman, and he was a Greek god.
“I’m Wolf,” he said, holding out a hand.
She held out her own, and he took it in his. His big palms embraced her hand, making her feel small and delicate. She was enveloped in heat. “Shelley.”
“It’s good to meet you, Shelley. You’re more beautiful than I was told.”
And this was ridiculous. “And you’re so far out of my league, it’s silly.” She turned to the large, rectangular window that dominated the far wall. “Are you kidding me, Julian? Seriously? Do you see him? He’s…oh, my god. I couldn’t handle Leo, and you think I can handle him?”
She slipped her hand out of his. He was too much. There was no way she could do this. She’d thought she could ease into the lifestyle, but Master Wolf was more like jumping off a cliff into the deepest part of the ocean. She had hoped for someone like Julian. Julian was a gorgeous man, but somehow she saw him as a kindly mentor not a potential lover. Master Wolf was an orgasm on two incredibly sculpted legs. She was already thinking about kissing him. There was no way she could hold herself apart, and there was damn straight no way she would ever be able to keep him. He would break her heart, just like Leo.
God, he reminded her of Leo.
“Sit down.”
His previous relaxed manner utterly disappeared. She turned to him, his body seeming to grow larger in front of her eyes. His smile was gone, and in its place was a steely gaze and a frown that had her eyes sliding away from him.
Yep. He was a Dom, and she was responding to him.
“I said sit down. You may sit or you can walk out the door. Those are your choices, and you should make up your mind in a hurry. I drove all night to make this meeting. If you’re going to walk out, I would prefer you did it now so I can get some sleep.”
The words came out in a staccato barrage, but there was a current underneath them that she detected.
He’d driven all night? She certainly would have waited until tomorrow. “I wasn’t going anywhere. You could have rescheduled the meeting.”
His mouth was a flat line. “I didn’t want to. I wanted to be here. I wanted to meet you. Now I’m not so sure. When Julian described you, he talked about your sweetness and your vulnerability. He didn’t mention what an egregious brat you are. Do you have a checklist for the Dom you require? Will you dismiss every one he finds for you until you get exactly what you want?”
“Isn’t this supposed to be about finding what I want?” Shelley asked, but the tone of his voice w
as sinking in.
“It is supposed to be about exploring the lifestyle. I can plainly see we have two different visions of how this works.” He sat down, slumping into his chair and running a hand through his hair. He took a deep breath and rubbed a place on his forehead.
When he finally looked back at her, she could see the weariness in his eyes. “You may leave. I’ll explain to Julian that you would prefer someone else.”
He closed his eyes again, obviously dismissing her. It hurt, but he’d been a bit kinder to her than she’d been to him.
“He knows. He’s watching.” And Julian was probably horrified at the way she’d reacted. She’d been exactly what Wolf had said. A brat who saw what she wanted to see. She’d seen a gorgeous body, and not once had she thought about the man inside it. She’d never considered his feelings as though no one who looked like that could possibly have feelings.
“Well, naturally. I’m sure he’s not the only one.” His mouth turned down, and a grimace came over him.
“Are you all right?” Shelley asked. She should probably leave, run away and tend her wounds. She wouldn’t try this again. She couldn’t handle it. But she didn’t want to leave him like this.
“I’ll be fine. It’s a little headache. If I handle it now, it won’t turn into a full-blown migraine.” Wolf ground the words out. “If you don’t mind, turn off the lights as you leave.”
She got up and turned off the front light, bringing the brightness down. A single line of illumination was left, and she stared for a moment at the man who could have been her Dom. He was just a man with all the troubles that went with being just a man. She was so tired of being afraid. She really wanted to find the woman she’d been before Bryce, and that Shelley would never have treated anyone the way she had.