Just One Taste (Topped #2)(16)

Case’s eyes closed. “Shit. What do I do now?”

“I could get her something else,” Deena offered. It was obvious the woman wasn’t into the pork, though Deena happened to know it was delicious.

Grace put a hand on Deena’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. There’s nothing wrong with the food. It’s simply something we’ve been worried about. We’ll take care of Erin. Why don’t you take Ian his lunch? He’s not joining the rest of the crew today. He’s working on a special project in his office. And don’t let him growl at you. He’s a * cat.”

She got the feeling she was being gently but efficiently eased out of the room so the team could start whatever discussion was about to begin. She grabbed Master Ian’s box…Ian Taggart’s box and stepped out into the hall. She knew where the big guy’s office was since she was the one who brought in lunch once a week. He wasn’t so scary. He was just a massive, gorgeous man who happened to know how to kill a person forty different ways and was famous for his sarcastic outlook on life. And for being a hard-ass Master with every sub in the world but his wife.

It would be fine. She would explain the problem and he would be reasonable. After all, the D/s world was built on communication. Even the night before, Master Alex and Master Liam had lectured about the importance of Dom and sub communication. How could the Dom know what the sub wanted if she never told him? How could the sub understand the Dom’s needs if they weren’t explained?

She needed a new Dom because she was far too invested in the current one for her peace of mind. How could Master Ian know that if she never told him?

Also, she had slipped a slice of lemon cheesecake in with his lunch. Everyone knew the big guy liked Macon’s desserts.

It was going to be all right. She would explain the situation to Master Ian and then she and Eric could go back to being normal, absolutely no chemistry between them coworkers.

She knocked on his door.

“Come in,” came the deep-voiced command.

That man used his Dom voice twenty-four seven from what she could tell. There wasn’t a lot of difference between Big Tag, the boss, and Master Ian, the Dom.

She opened the door and the man himself was sitting behind his massive desk, his eyes on the computer in front of him. Behind him were floor to ceiling windows with a spectacular view of Dallas.

Taggart didn’t look up from his computer. “Did Erin eat her lunch?”

Wow. It looked like the whole crew was very into that poor woman eating something. “Uh, no.”

His eyes came up, holding her.

“No, Sir. She did not.”

Taggart sat back. He was wearing a dark T-shirt, his hair a tad longer than a military cut, but it was easy to see the soldier in the way he held himself. “Did she give you a reason?”

“Not really. She yelled at your brother, opened the box, and then I don’t think she liked what she saw. She kind of ran out of the room. But she did manage to yell at your brother again. I told Grace that I could get Erin something else. I can go back to Top and be back here in about thirty minutes.”

Taggart’s eyes closed and he seemed to be thinking for a moment. “No. She doesn’t want anything. Don’t worry about it. Let’s say it was a bit of an experiment and I have the intel I need.” His eyes came open, staring at the box. “What did Sean send? Did my wife change my order? Because she sometimes does that. She’s got it in her head that I should eat salads. Do I look like a bunny rabbit to you?”

Nope. He looked like a big old lion who could tear through a gazelle in a heartbeat, and she unfortunately knew what was in his lunch. “No, Sir. Like I said, I can just run back to Top.”

“Damn it.” Taggart slapped his desk. “That woman is going to drive me insane.” He picked up his phone. “Grace? I want you to clear Charlie’s schedule for this afternoon because she’s getting the spanking of a lifetime.” There was a pause. “Some kind of damn salad. And make sure daycare knows we’ll be late.” He slammed the phone down. “At least tell me it’s got some meat on it and not fish.”

She rushed forward, happy to give the man some good news. “Jerk chicken.”

Taggart threw his head back and laughed. “Yeah, she’s getting another fifty for that. Thank you.”

She set the box on his desk. “I was hoping to speak with you, Sir.”

“Then all of your hopes have come true since we are indeed speaking.” Taggart went back to looking at his computer.

She couldn’t see the computer screen but he had a bunch of maps on his desk. It looked like the Caribbean and several islands. They were marked up in a new grid pattern, as though he was searching for something.

She hoped he’d found it because she’d already disappointed him once with the salad. “I’m a new trainee at Sanctum.”

“Congratulations. I’m sure you’ll be very happy there getting your ass smacked by various and sundry Doms. Have fun.”

He was a frustrating man.

“I needed to talk to you about that.”

“You should talk to your Dom. I assume you have a training Dom. Alex is usually very thorough about not letting the subs roam free range for the first six weeks.”

“My training Dom is the problem.”

Now she had his attention. Those deep blue eyes were focused on her, his jaw a harsh line. “He’s done something he shouldn’t? That was quick. It usually takes the *s a few days to show their true colors. You were paired with Eric Vail. I didn’t see that coming. I would have told you he would make an excellent Dom. Sean is going to be upset. I’ll need to know exactly what he’s done.”