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Shane Landon was there in a heartbeat, putting his body between Josh and the reporter. “Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to step away from my client.”

  She looked up, flustered, and frowned. “This is a public place. You know there is such a thing as freedom of the press, asshole.”

  “And there is such a thing as getting bounced out of a restaurant and blackballed from all the nice ones,” Shane replied with a predatory smile. “This is a private business. I assure you if this comes down to a fight, he’s going to win. Now please let the man eat his lunch.”

  She huffed out of the dining room, Shane following her to the street. It was mere seconds before he’d retaken his seat at the bar and was back to his burger.

  How the fuck long had it been since he’d had a damn burger? Sometimes it felt like he’d been hungry all his fucking life. He’d gone from not having enough money to fill his belly to having to constantly worry about how his abs would look on screen.

  “He’s working out well,” Jared said, pulling the pristine white napkin over his lap. “How’s the other guy? Declan, right?”

  Because now he required two bodyguards. One for the dayshift and one for the nightshift. Three, really, since he was interviewing for another position this evening, but the third was different. The third would never leave his side. The third would kneel and offer more than mere protection. She would offer him submission.

  Fuck, it had been way too long. He had to cool down or he would show up for the interviews with a massive hard-on. What had Jared asked about? Oh, yeah. Burke.

  “He’s an odd one, but he’s good at his job. Hey, he’s been on the payroll for two weeks now and I’m still alive, so I would say he’s working out.”

  “Good.” Jared took a sip of his iced tea. “I’m glad to hear it’s going well. The firm my brother is associated with has an excellent reputation.”

  That brought a smile to his lips. Jared’s brother was a renowned therapist specializing in PTSD in soldiers returning from war. Much of his work was funded by a security company made up of the very people Kai Ferguson helped. McKay-Taggart was one of the premiere security companies in the world. And someone who worked there had married a writer. Josh could have told that dude marrying a writer was a mistake. Writers couldn’t help it. All the secrets came out. “On several levels. I’ve heard Love After Death was based on the big guy’s life. That was actually a hell of a movie. I was worried about how the romance would be handled, but I ended up liking it. You know you never told me why you backed out of that one. You really would have been perfect for the part.”

  Jared’s smile wavered. “Well, that was around the time I was arrested for killing my assistant.”

  He held up his hands, trying to let the conversation go. He knew a wall when he hit one. He and Jared had gotten close over the past few years, but there were things they never talked about. What happened in Dallas was one of them. Oh sure, one night Jared had gotten into the vodka and loosened up enough to admit there had been a woman involved, but Josh didn’t know much more than her name. Sarah. Stubborn Sarah, as he liked to think of her. “Sorry. Say no more.”

  Jared’s false arrest for murder and the whole shitshow that came with it was one of those subjects they avoided like the plague. Josh was a man who understood that even between friends, some things were private.

  Jared amped that smile right back up. “Hey, it’s cool, man. I’m good. The show had a great run. Seven years ain’t bad, you know. Now we see what happens with the rest of my life.”

  A precarious place to be. An actor without a job lined up. Jared’s long-running show had recently ended and he’d moved to Malibu, buying a house right on the beach, with Josh as a neighbor.

  “It’s going to be fine. I’ve already talked to the producer about a new character for The Quick and the Enraged franchise. We need a new driver for the next film and I think you would be perfect,” he said. “I’m meeting with the screenwriter in a few days. You should come down and we’ll start fleshing him out. I’m thinking sarcastic and edgy. Maybe he’s a good guy. Maybe not. We can play with that. Keep the audience guessing.”

  “I appreciate it and I would love to do it, but don’t stick your neck out,” Jared replied.

  Because he was a genuine guy. One of the only genuine human beings Josh had met out here. Or anywhere, for that matter. Naturally the fact that Jared was real with him made him way more willing to actually stick his neck out. “My neck is extra thick thanks to your workouts. And we do need a new character. The series is on its fourth film. We need new blood. Besides, I can’t thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I have no idea where I would be if I hadn’t found The Reef.”

  A lie. He knew where he would have been. The bottom of a bottle. The end of a needle. Wherever junkies went when they’d gone too far. The Reef had taught him discipline. The Reef had given him confidence.

  After he’d lost Tina, he’d…well, he’d lost himself for a bit, too. His saving grace had been a movie role he’d taken on at the time. His character had a background in D/s and when Josh had looked for someone to help him understand the world, he’d found Jared. Jared had opened up a lot of doors for him.

  “No problem. I was happy to help.”

  Jared had been his mentor in the world of D/s, and he was still there even after all these years. “So, does that mean you’ll come back to the club with me and interview the new girls? You’ve done all the vetting. You know them better than I do.”

  An excited gleam hit Jared’s eyes. “I was hoping you would ask. I think this is going to be the perfect solution for you. I already like two of them. The New York girl seems to have a lot of experience. Former NYPD. Seems level headed.”

  And that was important because the last thing he needed was to have his submissive fall in love with him. That was utterly off the table. Good sex? Now that was on it, slathered all over that table he was offering, but the last thing he needed was another obsessed person.

  After all, he had three acknowledged stalkers. Two women and a man. Those were merely the ones the police were sure about. There were others who were waiting in the wings, waiting for their piece of him. He got too many nasty emails and threats to worry about every single one.

  Yet another reason to not get too close to the woman he would hire. But he needed to be able to connect to her. Connection was important. He wanted to feel for her, but then he didn’t have to worry about falling in love. He knew damn well he wasn’t capable of that.

  “And the blonde bodyguard is stunning,” Jared continued as salads were placed in front of them. “She’s former Israeli Army. Her credentials are excellent.”

  He wasn’t sure about that one. She had the look of an actress. He would bet she’d come out here looking for fortune and fame and fallen back on what she was good at when she needed money. There was nothing wrong with that scenario, but he didn’t want to hire someone who would disappear the minute her agent called with a part.

  “Who do you have it narrowed down to?” He’d let Jared run with this. Jared and a couple of the The Reef members he trusted implicitly. They’d done much of the vetting to keep Josh’s name out of it. The woman he hired had to have previous bodyguard training, experience with firearms, and knowledge of security processes.

  She also had to be a sexual submissive.

  That was important to him. He didn’t want someone who thought it would be fun to try, who’d seen a couple of movies, read some romance bullshit books and thought it would be sexy.

  He wanted someone who needed a top to be sexually complete.

  And the fact that she would be an employee under a nondisclosure agreement wasn’t bad either.

  This time around he would have complete control. He would be her boss, her Dom. He would get what he needed and ensure she was content.

  It was probably the best he could ask for. Contentment. Peace.

  “You’re meeting with five women this afternoon. The best of the best. I think this is goin
g to work out nicely,” Jared said. “Honestly, I’m hoping it works out for you because I’m thinking about doing something similar.”

  That was news. “You breaking the celibacy thing you have going? Because I know a whole bunch of subs who would line up to take care of you.”

  Before he’d gone to Dallas to visit his brother, Jared had been a bit of a manwhore. He tore through some subs, but since the incident they didn’t talk about, he’d been quiet, a bit monk-like.

  Jared sighed, his shoulders rolling out. “Well, it’s become obvious to me I can’t have the woman I want. I’ve tried calling, sending flowers, texting. She’s no longer interested, but then given the last time I saw her my best friend was about to murder her, I guess I can understand.”

  Yep, there was Stubborn Sarah. She was fucking up Jared’s life, and he needed to let go of her. “You know it might be for the best. Civilians…they don’t tend to last long in our world.”

  Any woman who dated one of them would be scrutinized on a level most human beings couldn’t accept. Every detail of her body would be up for praise or ridicule—sometimes at the same time. She would be pulled apart, her history laid bare for all to comment on. She would be hated by a large group of “fans” and all because she had the sad fate to fall for a Hollywood star.

  Jared nodded, but he seemed to be somewhere else. Likely thinking of her. “Yeah, I know you’re right. But just for a minute I thought I’d found the one who could handle it. She’s the single most confident woman I’ve ever met.”

  Then it would be even worse when they tore her down. He didn’t say the words, but he knew Jared was likely thinking the same thing. No one got out of their world whole. There was a hard price to be paid for the glamorous life. He’d started paying it when he was twelve years old.

  Hell, maybe he’d started paying it the moment he’d been born.

  Jared cleared his throat. “Anyway, like I said, you’re the guinea pig. If it seems to work out for you, maybe I’ll hire a girlfriend.”

  He hated how that sounded. “I’m hiring a bodyguard who will also happen to submit to me sexually.”

  “A warm blow-up doll, my man.”

  He flipped Jared off. He should have known he wouldn’t get out of this without some serious masculine fucking around. “Do you have the contract ready?”

  Jared reached down into the backpack he’d carried in for this meeting. “I am always prepared. Well, I’m prepared for other people’s shit. Take a look at this and tell me if I’ve left anything out. You know I could run it by my brother. He’s better at contracts than I am.”

  Josh took the contract that would delineate every aspect of his relationship with the woman he would hire in the next few days. Even holding it in his hands made something in his chest ease. This was going to be a good thing. He would start this relationship with all the cards on the table because the contract between them would be a solid thing. The woman he hired would know everything that was expected of her.

  The woman who would live in his home and meet his needs.

  Fuck. It really had been too long since he’d fed this part of his soul. He was practically shaking at the thought, and that wouldn’t do. He needed to be cool and calm. He needed to keep his distance.

  He was the Dom. He was in control, and that was the way it was going to stay.

  Chapter Two

  Kayla stepped into the cool environs of the club. It was nothing less than stepping from sunlight into shadows, and she rather thought that was part of the theater of the place. Most clubs ran on drama—from the architecture and decorations of each room to the emotion of the scenes that played out. And then, of course, there was the pure human element to it. The Reef would have its share of gossip and it would run on its own rules.

  The Reef wasn’t The Garden. It wasn’t Sanctum, either. It was much more like the dance clubs she’d been to in her younger days. Industrial. Dark. Moody and broody, as she would call it.

  It was kind of awesome.

  Not that she didn’t love The Garden and Sanctum, but there was something raw about The Reef that called to her. There was a devil’s head over the comfortable couches that marked the lounge area. The walls had been painted scarlet red and the darkest black, the floor left in its industrial concrete phase. Rock ‘n’ roll. It looked like a place where an old-school metal band would hang out.

  And this was the place where she would play for the next few months.

  She’d left Ezra and Levi behind at the apartment that would serve as their base of operations in West Hollywood. She wasn’t sure if it was Ezra’s or the Agency’s, but it was in a nice neighborhood with a dog park across the street. Clean and well kept, it reminded her of the home she’d grown up in, and she’d had to force a well of emotion back down. The only thing it had been missing was two men who slept together, an overactive poodle, and the sound of the ocean.

  It was good to be here, good to remind herself that this was an op and nothing more. This club was the last thing that would remind her of her dads.

  A couple of guys were hanging out in the big open-space lobby she’d walked into. They were lounging on comfy couches and shooting the shit. One of the men had a length of rope in his hand, working the knots as he talked about the Dodgers.

  A man with a neatly kept goatee looked up and sighed. “You here for the position?”

  All eyes were on her and it was obvious a couple of these guys did not approve. She didn’t take it personally. After all, most of these men took D/s seriously, and they would likely view their actor counterpart attempting to buy a sub as a little out of the ordinary. Or they would view any woman who would sell herself that way as someone to watch. It didn’t matter what they thought in the end.

  She gave them a brilliant smile, but also lowered her head slightly to show respect. After all, she was a guest in their club. She wasn’t going to breeze through like she owned the place.

  Years she’d spent perfecting this particular character. “Yes, Sir. My name is Kayla Summers. I’m here for a three o’clock appointment.”

  “At least one of them knows how to behave,” someone grumbled.

  That’s what she’d been counting on. It had been practically inevitable that some of her competition would overstate their lifestyle experience in order to win a job like this. They would come through thinking showy confidence would get them ahead. Maybe, had this been for a corporate job, but it wouldn’t work with these men.

  “Thank you, Sir. You have a lovely club,” she said with a smile.

  The big Dom in front of her held out a hand. “I’m what you would call the coordinator of this club. If there’s ever any real boss in a place like this. I was voted in because I was dumb enough to say yes. Angelo DeMaris. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “I don’t know the complete rules of your club, Sir.” Some clubs would have every sub call the men or women with Master rights Master. Some had more lax rules. It was important to honor them. She held out her hand, allowing him to take it. There was no shake. He merely put both large hands over her small one and then the contact was over.

  “How about you call me Angelo when we’re not on the dungeon floor and Sir when we are,” he offered. “If you ever actually play here. Jared and Josh are close friends of mine. Dumbasses, both of them, but they’re friends. Anyone they hire will be carefully vetted.”

  “Of course. I would advise nothing less, though I suspect his bodyguards have already vetted me thoroughly. If the club would like some references from the other clubs I’ve held memberships in, I can certainly give you names and numbers.”

  And Damon Knight and Ian Taggart would tell them what they wanted to hear.

  Everything was carefully orchestrated to get her this job, to put her in this place. She had every advantage, and she intended to use them all.

  “Kayla?” The door to the inner portions of the club came open and a familiar face stood there, clipboard in hand.

  She nodded. In this case, she didn�
��t have to pretend. Her cover was that she’d worked for McKay-Taggart for years. She should know Shane Landon. “Hello, Shane.” She glanced back at the Doms. “Thank you for having me in your club.”

  She walked through the doors and into the club proper. The concrete here was painted a shiny black, her heels clicking along the floor. Not that she would make a sound if she didn’t want to, but she didn’t need to sneak up on anyone. They knew she was coming. And she liked the sound. In the larger spaces, the concrete would make sounds echo, a moan or groan reverberating through the room and making a symphony of BDSM.

  Shane nodded toward a small room off the main hall and across from what appeared to be the changing rooms. She followed him in, hoping they would have a chance to talk. Shane had been working for Joshua Hunt for a few weeks now. Anything he could tell her about his demeanor and habits would be helpful. Shane and Declan Burke would attempt to sway Josh in her favor.

  But it really was up to her.

  Shane closed the door behind her and she found herself in an office. Declan Burke leaned against the desk. Even when the man was relaxing, he looked lean and predatory, coiled and ready to strike. Shane was more of the all-American guy, with a ready smile that belied his dangerous nature.

  She was comfortable with these men because she understood them.

  “We can talk in here. No bugs,” Dec said. “But keep it down. Sound reverberates. If someone comes in, we’re doing your initial interview. We’ve done it with all the candidates.”

  “She did great with the Doms,” Shane said, crossing his arms over his massive chest. “Way better than a couple of the others. It’s obvious several of the women have no training whatsoever. I would even say one of them is a top herself. She simply doesn’t have enough knowledge to understand her place.”

  “Any real contenders?”

  “Well, the problem is putting the two sides of what he needs together,” Dec mused. “He needs someone with extensive bodyguard skills who also happens to have training in the lifestyle and identifies as a bottom.”