Part 8 (1/2)
She cleared her throat. ”I would be interested in Dex's cla.s.s if he has room.”
A wave of warmth filled him. She might be timid in some areas, but she was a fighter. Even if she didn't realize it yet. ”I'm sure he does. Let's find out.” He fished his phone out of his pocket and hit speed dial for his friend. He pressed the speaker b.u.t.ton as soon as it started to ring.
”Brent, buddy, what's up?” came Dex's booming voice over the phone line.
”Hey, Dex, you're on speaker. I'm here with Sandra at her house in Glendale. She had an unexpected call from Diego this morning and she's a little spooked. I told her about your self-defense cla.s.s and she wants to see if you have any room left for her to join you.”
”Sandra, are you there, sweetheart?” Dex's voice was gentle, but he still spoke to her as a strong Dom, showing he expected an answer.
Sandra turned toward the phone Brent still held in his hand. ”I'm here, Master Dex.”
Brent was glad even more strength had returned to her voice.
”There's always room for more in my cla.s.ses. Monday night at six p.m. Wear something comfortable that you can move well in, like shorts or yoga pants.” The distant sounds of traffic in the background made Brent wonder where Dex was.
He spoke again, his deep voice filling the line and covering the background noise. ”For the women, I usually tell them to wear sports bras if they have one. Try not to eat for three or four hours before cla.s.s unless you need to. We do a lot of kicking, punching, and moving around, and being full isn't a good combination with that. But several of us usually go grab dinner at the Irish pub down the street afterward. You're welcome to join us.”
Sandra lifted her chin to meet Brent's gaze. ”I'd like that, Master Dex. I'll see you Monday night. Thanks.”
”Take care, sweetheart. And don't worry. Everything will be fine. We'll take care of you. You're one of ours now.”
”Thanks, Master Dex,” she said right before he hung up.
Brent took her chin between his fingers. ”Now tell me about Diego's call. Everything you remember, anything you might have heard in the background, any hunches you might have about where he is. Anything that sticks in your mind.”
As Sandra outlined the call and her a.s.sumption about Diego still being in New York, Brent catalogued details to tell Dex later. If he could get this guy on some type of watch list it would help. And if anyone had the connections to make that happen, it was Dex.
His friend had been in on several manhunts across the nation. High-profile ones the general public knew nothing about. Brent probably shouldn't have been privy to them, but two years ago Dex had gotten into trouble and needed Brent's help to get out, so Brent had not only helped, but had become a sounding board and confidant.
An attractive brunette with large blue eyes and a full figure came through the front door and stopped short when she saw him and Sandra on the couch.
Brent tensed waiting for any flicker of recognition on Mich.e.l.le's features, but as the seconds ticked by and there was no change in her expression, the muscles in his neck and shoulders slowly unknotted. He looked nothing like he had in high school, so wasn't surprised she didn't recognize him, but there was always that chance.
He needed to tell Sandra who he really was soon so she didn't find out accidentally.
Sandra straightened, pulling away from him. ”Mich.e.l.le. This is M...Master Brent,” she said. She sounded fl.u.s.tered, as if Mich.e.l.le had caught them naked on the rug instead of fully clothed on the couch. Brent wondered what was throwing her off about being caught with him. She'd called him ”Master Brent” in front of Mich.e.l.le, so he was reasonably confident Sandra had told her friend about Club Desire and the lifestyle.
Mich.e.l.le raked a thorough gaze over Brent as if evaluating a horse she was about to buy. Brent had gotten used to women looking at him this way, but it was disconcerting that it was someone from high school. Someone who had definitely never looked at him like this back then.
Finally Mich.e.l.le seemed to shake herself out of her detailed perusal. ”Brent. h.e.l.lo.” She came nearer and held out her hand. ”I heard a lot about you last night after Sandra got home.” She flashed a smile.
Brent stood and took her offered hand. ”h.e.l.lo,” he said lamely instead of the normal ”nice to meet you.” That would be an outright lie, since he'd already met her several years ago.
After a long moment of holding on to his hand, and an awkward silence settling over the room, Mich.e.l.le transferred her intense gaze to Sandra. ”Sandra, you've been crying. What happened?” Mich.e.l.le dropped Brent's hand and her too-friendly gaze turned into a glare aimed straight at him until Sandra's voice broke through the tension.
”I'm all right. But Diego called me.” Her face darkened, the fear still lingering in her eyes. ”Master Brent came as soon as he found out.”
Mich.e.l.le raked one last gaze over Sandra and inclined her head to Brent. ”Thank you for taking care of her. She's had a rough time of it.” She nudged him out of the way and sat next to Sandra on the couch, hugging her and patting her back.
Brent wondered how much Mich.e.l.le knew about Sandra's involvement at both dungeons. Obviously at least enough not to blink at the use of his t.i.tle. If she knew about Diego, she probably knew at least something about Sandra's time in the lifestyle. But he would leave that to Sandra. It wasn't his story to tell. And whatever she'd told Mich.e.l.le was between the two women.
”Thank you for giving her a place to stay.” He took a breath, searching for the best way to phrase his next question without offending her. ”Would you mind if I had a friend of mine who is a security specialist contact you? This is an older house, and I want to make sure you're both safe.”
Pink stained Mich.e.l.le's cheeks. ”I can't afford a security system right now, but thanks.” Her tone was curt and dismissive.
Brent winced. She thought he was trying to sell her something. ”I'm sorry. You misunderstand me. He'll send any bills to me. I only want to make sure there aren't any security vulnerabilities here that Diego or anyone else could exploit.”
Mich.e.l.le pursed her lips and glanced between him and Sandra. ”Thank you. I apologize for my a.s.sumption. I haven't met too many people who don't have an ulterior motive for offering to do something nice.” She fell silent for a long moment before continuing. ”I know you want to keep Sandra safe from Diego.”
”I'd like to keep everyone safe from Diego. But you two might be the ones in his path right now.” Brent ground his teeth at the thought of Diego getting anywhere near these women.
Mich.e.l.le nodded. ”We appreciate it.” She stood, giving Sandra's hand one last squeeze. ”I've got things to do, so I'll leave you two alone. It was nice to meet you, Brent.” She flashed him a smile and one more appraising glance before she left the room.
Sandra looked a bit stronger, as if she'd soaked up some of her friend's strength and calm. Brent brushed his thumb over her bottom lip, enjoying the way her eyes dilated as she watched him dip his head until he could capture her lips.
She opened for him and he took, deepening the kiss as heat seared between them.
Chapter 9.
Nearly drowning in the sensations that Master Brent was stirring with his very thorough kiss, Sandra sucked in a breath and pushed away from him.
Concern and a touch of surprise flowed across his handsome features, nearly making her laugh. He was a Dom, and a very good one if she was any judge, so he probably wasn't used to women pulling back from his kisses, or from anything else he had to offer for that matter.
He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, his intense blue gaze clearly showing concern. ”Are you all right?”
She nodded lamely as she searched her sluggish brain for anything to say to explain what was going on inside her right now. She finally settled on, ”It's been a long day already and I'll bet it's not even lunchtime.” A quick glance over at Mich.e.l.le's grandfather clock showed her it was still early for lunch, but just barely.
Brent nodded his expression gentle and caring, which sent another surge of warmth through her. ”Why don't we get you out of here for a while so you can put some emotional distance between you and what happened this morning?”
Diego.
Master Brent was trying not to say that name in front of her, and she appreciated it. ”I have things I need to do before I head to Club Desire tonight.” Although if she were totally honest, she just needed to take a long nap, eat, shower, and dress. Then she would be ready. Or at least she hoped she would.
She wasn't worried about Master Brent and what he would do to her tonight. She already trusted him, and his racing over here this morning after he'd heard Diego called had only confirmed that. She was more worried about herself and her reactions to the intensity that burned between them.
She longed to be normal. To be more like all the other subs she had met. But since she couldn't wish away her past, she would just have to move forward from where she was.
”Are you even up for Desire tonight?” He traced his thumb over her bottom lip again as he pinned her with a gentle but insistent gaze. ”It would be totally understandable if you wanted to take a lazy, relaxing day and night for yourself at this point.”
Disappointment threatened and she shook her head. ”I've been looking forward to tonight. That's one of the things that's kept me going, so I'd still really like to keep our plans.”
His gaze softened and he nipped at her bottom lip, chuckling at her startled laughter. ”All right. Then if you're comfortable, why don't you bring a bag with you and you can shower and get ready at Desire.”