Adored (Masters and Mercenaries #8.5)(2)

So take her and train her. She wants to learn about D/s and you want to find out how tight her * is and how she’ll whimper when you f*ck her hard. You can have her sign a contract. This is actually perfect, dude. Stop thinking so much and let me take over. Have I ever steered you wrong, buddy?

“Mitch, is your penis talking to you again?”

He should never have admitted that to a shrink. He tried to move the conversation back to the point. “Why did you pick Master T? He’s obviously wrong for her.”

He wasn’t going into the fact that his libido was sometimes a voice inside his head. And f*ck you very much, penis, but yes, his dick had led him astray on numerous occasions leading to two disastrous marriages. Twice he’d been forced to start his life over again with nothing. He’d had to build not one, not two, but three businesses from scratch, and he wasn’t doing that again. No matter how well intentioned he would be going into a casual relationship with Laurel Daley, he knew how it would end up. It would start with amazing sex and end in divorce because the only thing stupider than his dick was his heart.

“Master T has become quite proficient at all aspects of D/s. I think he’s a good match for training Laurel,” Kai explained in a very logical voice.

Master T. They were all using the alias, but Mitch happened to know that Master T was actually Tennessee Smith, disavowed CIA agent in deep cover. He didn’t have all the specifics of Ten’s new mission. He only knew that the handsome agent was dangerous and that meant Laurel should stay away from him. Ian was planning to use Sanctum to run some kind of operation in the next couple of months, and Mitch didn’t want Laurel anywhere near Smith when he got to work. Hell, he didn’t want her anywhere near the handsome ex-agent for any reason.

“What about the married Masters?” It was how things were done at Sanctum. The married Masters tended to be the most experienced. They and their submissives often trained both Doms and subs for several months.

There was a pause on the line. “She’s worked with Ian and Liam for six weeks. They think she’s ready to move on and so do I.”

He stopped, the phone heavy in his hand. “She’s been going to Sanctum?”

“She comes in on Thursday nights for training and works the nursery on Saturday nights.”

Well, that explained it. He didn’t go in on Thursdays and there was no reason for him to ever visit the nursery. “And no one thought to tell me my paralegal has joined the club I attend?”

Kai’s voice went a bit hard. “I’m only telling you now out of courtesy because Master T prefers to train on Friday nights. The confidentiality of our club members is very important, as you would know.”

“But she’s Laurel. You know what she means to me,” he rasped into the phone. Laurel was all he could think about half the time.

“Then you should have claimed her, Mitchell. She’s done waiting for you and I think it’s the healthiest choice she’s made in the time I’ve known her. I applaud her for taking control of her life and deciding what she wants. She wants to explore D/s. You won’t train her.”

“You know why I won’t train her.” He’d already f*cked up his life beyond repair. Twice. He wasn’t about to screw up hers, too. He was too old for her. He was too rough and hard for her. She was a kid starting out and he’d run through all his chances.

“Yes, I fully understand all of your psychological reasons for pushing her aside. That is your choice. This is hers.”

“She’s trying to manipulate me. She thinks if I have to see her with another man, I’ll come around.”

A long sigh came over the line and Mitch could practically feel the weight of Kai’s disappointment. “Then this is your chance to prove her wrong, Mitch. You should thank me. Master T will be taking responsibility for her. I believe they’re signing a month-long contract. If it doesn’t work out, I’ve got a couple of Doms looking for permanent partners. You don’t have to worry anymore. She’ll be taken care of. She won’t bother you once she’s found a proper top.”

She wouldn’t bother him? Seeing Laurel was the best part of his day. He’d hired her six months before and every second of every day since had been about catching sight of her or arguing some point of law with her or trying to keep his hands off her. The idea of her with another man…

“Let me find her a Dom. It can’t be Master T. He’s too old for her. He’s too cold.”

“He’s too much like you?” Kai’s voice had softened, was almost sympathetic.

“She deserves better.” He was ten years older than her and about a hundred years wiser, though much of his wisdom was made of things a sane person would avoid. “She’s a bright light, Kai. She’s one of those people you can’t help but adore. She shouldn’t be with a Master who will grind her under his boot. She needs someone young and positive.”

“Does it help if I tell you her contract forbids sex for the first three weeks? They can decide afterward if they want to take the relationship further.”

Did it help? Not really. “She needs more. Even during training. Have you thought about Theo Taggart? I know he’s in the program. Or Michael Malone?”

He hated the idea of either man laying hands on her, but he had to stop being a selfish prick. She was lonely. He wanted her to be happy. Theo Taggart had a ready smile and a positive outlook on life and Malone came from a wealthy, loving, completely functional family. Neither man had been married before so they didn’t have three tons of baggage they dragged through life.