AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I think so. I’m only on the third chapter.”
“I usually know within the first paragraph.”
“I try to reserve judgment until I’ve read the first quarter,” she said. “But I have high standards.”
Dayton feigned being offended by her insinuation. “Maybe I can tell right away if something’s good because I have better judgment than you.”
“I doubt that.”
“Who’s your favorite author?”
“Daphne du Maurier,” Rae said without pause.
“Ah,My Cousin Rachel.”
Rae smiled, surprised he knew the author’s work. “One of her best.”
“It’s my favorite.”
She moved from behind the front desk, feeling every bit of her five foot two next to his tall frame. “So, you’re off duty?”
“What makes you say that?” he said, looking taken aback.
She motioned to his clothing. “I thought your kind were required to wear a suit at all times, even to bed.”
“You’re mostly right. We had a training session this morning on a new system we’re switching to soon. Hence, business casual.”
“I guess it’s nice they allow you to feel human every now and again,” Rae said. “Where would you like to talk?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
She had him follow her down the hallway to the back. When they reached her small office, Dayton walked past her toward her dungeon space.
He turned around, his expression unreadable. “Actually, can we talk in here?”
Rae cocked her hip, not amused. “I’d rather not.”
“I have a negotiation for you, Rae. You negotiate with your clients in there, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s talk in there.”
She had no clue what his intentions were in going inside her dungeon. “Are you trying to proposition me?”
He smiled. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
She stopped herself from rolling her eyes and unlocked her dungeon room. Instead of the moody LED lighting she usually turned on, she flipped on the bright overhead recessed lights. She didn’t need him getting any ideas, but if he did, she wouldn’t hesitate to use her defense skills.
She sat on a white furry stool, forcing him to choose between a spank table or the cushioned bench that doubled as a cage. He chose the cage and glanced around the room almost like he was studying it.
“So, what is it you want to negotiate with me?” she said.
He pulled his eyes away from her Shibari rope collection to look at her. “I want you to come with me to that party this Wednesday.”
“And why in the hell would I do that?”
“You may not care so much about what happened to Thomas Highsmith,” he said, “but I know you care about the missing women in your community who might be tied to all this. Am I wrong?”
