From Sanctum with Love (Masters and Mercenaries #10)(25)

She’d pulled up some of the more accurate entertainment sites and gotten the info on the production company while Kai sat in his office doing yoga or some shit. It was obvious to her that he’d been totally thrown off his game by the appearance of his brother and that meant either meditating—which seemed like complete BS to Kori—or he was doing the downward pug or something. It was all part of the super serene Kai method of dealing with stress.

Now it was time to get some stress relief of her own. If she could find a Dom to play with.

What would Kai be doing tonight? Who would Kai be doing tonight?

Damn that was starting to hurt.

Sarah leaned in. “Hey, are you all right? Does this film thing bring back bad memories or something?”

Sarah was the only one who knew what she’d done before coming to Dallas. Well, Big Tag likely knew because of Sully, but she was certain no one else did.

“It’s all right. I looked into the production company. It’s fairly new. I don’t know any of the power players and that’s a good thing.” She hadn’t mentioned that she’d met Jared a couple of times. It was so long ago and they hadn’t truly been friends, so she didn’t feel bad about it. She wasn’t sure why Jared even remembered her name. “My main issue is Kai getting his panties all up in a wad. He and his brother don’t get along.”

“What did Jared do?” Sarah had gotten to know Kai.

Kori hid a smile. It was good to know her boss was well thought of. “Apparently he slept with Kai’s fiancée.”

“Bastard.” Sarah leaned against the locker. “Damn it. Now I can’t like him and that sucks because I was totally planning on sleeping with him.”

Kori had to give it to her friend. She was an optimist.

“Are we talking about Jared Johns?” Mia Danvers came around the block of lockers, a sparkle in her blue eyes. “Because I’ve heard they’ve put a salmon ladder and a whole bunch of free weights in a new scene space so he can work out before he films.”

Kori had taken to the blonde. Despite her penchant for smiling way too much, Mia was kind of awesome. She seemed to tackle even the most mundane tasks with an enthusiasm most people reserved for going to Disney World. Mia always seemed to have a smile on her face, a helpful attitude. In the couple of weeks she’d been training at Sanctum, she’d become an integral part of the club.

Sarah sighed. “I will watch that but now I’m going to watch it under protest. His abs didn’t cheat, did they? I’m choosing to believe his abs are pure of heart. And those notchy hip things that make women lose their minds. They’re definitely innocent.”

“You go for it.” Kori stepped out and glanced at herself in the mirror. She’d accepted long ago that she wasn’t the sleek and graceful type. Still, she looked pretty good in her corset and leather boy shorts.

“Charlotte Taggart is supposedly coming in here to give us a lecture on how to behave around the Hollywood types,” Mia said, joining her at the mirror. “Do you think he’s one of those actors who doesn’t want people to look him in the eye or talk to him?”

Sarah smoothed her dark hair down. She was looking lovely in a red corset and a mini. “Who looks at his eyes? I can’t get past that man’s chest.”

“He’s cool.” She seriously doubted he would walk in and make crazy demands. “If anyone tells you how to behave around him, it’s probably coming from his creepy assistant chick. Apparently he’s got an entourage, and one of them weighs five pounds and looks like she craps sadness. You won’t be able to miss her. Well, unless she turns to the side and then you might be able to. But Jared himself seems cool.”

“I can’t believe that he’s brothers with Kai,” Mia said, leaning against the counter.

All around them the other ladies were getting ready for an evening at Sanctum. Dommes and subs chatted while they primped. There were a couple of distinct groups. There was the McKay-Taggart cluster. Those were the female employees or the wives of the male operatives. They tended to stick together, but they were always friendly, if a bit mysterious. There was the hardcore Sanctum group that consisted of the Paxon sisters, who had helped run the club for a few years. Jill’s husband had been the Dom in residence before his company had taken off. They were joined by what seemed like a never-ending stream of Will Daley’s sisters. They all were fun and sweet and came with L names that Kori got confused. And then there was her little group. She and Sarah and Vince and now Mia.

Sometimes Kai joined them afterward. After they’d all finished playing, they would go out to an open-all-night diner and get waffles and try to come down from subspace. Except Kai, who had to come down from his superhot sadistic topspace. She’d had a fantasy about him taking her to the bathroom and twisting her nipples until her eyes teared up. He would dominate her fully. When they went to join the others, only the two of them would know that she could still feel the ache he’d given her.

Why was she f*cking everything up? Kai wasn’t into her and it wasn’t going to happen, so why had it felt so damn good to hold his hand? Why had she sat outside his office door like a f*cking golden retriever waiting for her Master?

“Can I hang with you guys tonight?” Mia asked. “My training Dom won’t be here until midnight which means if I want to be out in the club, I have to be with a member who won’t let me do stupid shit. Seriously, it’s written into the contract.”