From Sanctum with Love (Masters and Mercenaries #10)(28)

She quietly joined the others as Charlotte Taggart began her talk.




Twenty minutes later, she stepped out of the locker room to the sound of thudding industrial music. The sound soothed her, familiar and comforting. She looked around but Sanctum was still Sanctum. There might be a few extra people in the club, but it looked exactly the same otherwise. Somehow she’d worried she would step out and find the dungeon had changed.

“Did Lady Taggart give you the speech on respecting famous people because they sometimes have small penises and that means they want to be left alone?” Vince hurried up to where she and Sarah and Mia stood. A broad grin was on his face. “Because that was pretty much how Lord Taggart put it. He also said something about the first sub who screamed or fainted at the sight of some douchebag actor in a pair of leathers would spend the next month lighting the hamster wheel up. And the awesome part was Jared Johns was actually in the locker room when he said it. I love Master Ian. I think I would go gay for him if he had a vagina.”

“If he had a vagina you wouldn’t be gay,” Sarah pointed out. “And Charlotte talked a whole bunch about how men can be sexually harassed, too, but I was mostly thinking about how hot his character on Dart is. Do you think he can really kill two men with one dart?”

“I don’t understand why he doesn’t pick up a gun,” Mia said with a shake of her head as she looked out over the dungeon. “That would be way easier than darts.”

“It’s a metaphor,” Kori muttered. Everyone was a critic. “And it was also a comic book at one point. Those fan boys and girls can get vicious when they think the source material isn’t being respected. Who’s here tonight?”

She needed a single Dom, or one of the marrieds whose wife didn’t mind celibate play.

“A bunch of the MT group is out of town. Simon and Jesse are in California and Liam O’Donnell is on vacation in the Caribbean somewhere,” Vince explained.

“Doesn’t that strike you as weird?” Mia asked. “I would think it would be too soon.”

“Too soon after what?” Sarah asked.

“Too soon after they lost a teammate in that part of the world,” Mia whispered. “It seems odd that Theo Taggart died there and now Liam O’Donnell is taking his wife and kid for a vacay.”

“The Caribbean is a big place,” Sarah replied. “I’m sure it’s not the same island.”

“And I heard they weren’t in the Caribbean.” She’d overheard Liam talking to Kai about the upcoming trip. “I think they’re going to South America. Argentina, maybe. They probably changed plans at the last minute because it’s definitely too soon.”

Everyone missed Theo. His absence was a giant hole that no one was going to be able to fill. Theo’s death had led to Erin’s absence at the club and many of the MT group taking time off.

She missed them. Even when they were here now it was easy to see they were still grieving.

“I was looking for you, pretty girl. Might I say you’re looking lovely tonight,” a deep voice said.

She turned and there was Jared. Someone had Dommed that boy up. He was wearing a pair of leathers that somehow sat perfectly on his hips so they showed off those honed notches. And his six-pack was really more of an eight-pack. A black leather vest framed his torso, showing off cut biceps and broad shoulders. He had the most gorgeous scruff.

The man was stunning and he still had nothing on Kai. Kai didn’t have a trainer with him twenty-four seven and no one followed around after him making sure his scruff didn’t turn into a beard and his hair was always the perfect length. Kai’s hair often got too long. He would get involved with his patients and writing academic papers and he would forget things like grooming, and Kori had to make sure he got to the barber. Sometimes she cut it herself because he didn’t want to take the time.

“Hey, when you mentioned you were going to a club, I kind of thought it would be a nightclub.” He could have been clearer on that.

He shrugged, a boyish mischief lighting his eyes. “I wanted to surprise you. I will admit that I knew you were a member. I also know you don’t have a Dom. I guess I was hoping you would show me around.”

Sarah leaned over, whispering in her ear. “I am fairly certain my ovaries just spit out an egg.”

Kori sighed. “Jared, this is my friend Sarah, and this is Mia and Vince. Guys, this is Jared, who is a regular human being who likely doesn’t want to be drooled on.”

His high-voltage smile ticked up a notch as he held out a hand to Sarah. “Hey, I never say never. Hello, Sarah.”

He shook hands with them each in turn, but Kori was almost certain he’d held Sarah’s the tiniest bit longer than the rest. When he was done, he nodded to the men standing behind him. Yeah, she hadn’t noticed them. Two were dressed in casual clothes and the other, a shorter, thinner man, looked a little uncomfortable in his leathers. “These are my friends, Squirrel, Tad and Brad.”

Dear god, it was the cast of Entourage. They’d gotten that show right. “Let me guess, Squirrel is the childhood friend who now keeps you company. Tad has that publicist vibe about him and Brad is the decathlete turned trainer to the stars.”

Brad frowned. “Triathlete. I did the Ironman in eight twenty.”

Vince’s eyes went wide. “He did Ironman? I kind of thought that dude was straight.”