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But it leaves her neck bare. I have a sudden desire to sink my teeth into her. I want to kiss the hollow of her throat. Nibble my way down her soft curves and see her eyes dilate with lust. I want her to set down the hardness she wears as armor and reveal the woman underneath.
“Nonetheless, Theo and I are not interested in your money,” Shane continues. “We’re not in your league, but we do okay. Is it really that much of a surprise that we’d want to scene with you, Ms. Byard? You’re very beautiful, an experienced submissive, and you know your limits. If we got together, I wouldn’t have to baby you.”
She leans back ever so slightly. “There are a lot of beautiful women in the world, Mr. Gaffney, and there’s no shortage of them at Club M. I’m still not sure why you approachedme. While I’m very grateful for what your firm did, I don’t think—”
Shock ricochets through me. “You don't owe us anything. Catherine billed you for her work, and as far as I know, she's been paid.” I take a deep breath. I am a solicitor. I am skilled at drawing the other person out and keeping my emotions hidden, but this meeting is going sideways in a hurry, and we desperately need a different approach. Time to put all my cards on the table. “I saw you at Club M once.”
“You did? When?”
“Three, maybe four years ago.” I still remember the day. April seventeenth. “You were wearing a green dress. It sparkled, and it had a slit up the side, one that came almost to your hip.”
“Go on.”
“You were here with Elliott Meyer. He tilted up your chin and kissed you. Then he whispered something in your ear. Whatever he said, it made you laugh. You kissed him back, and then you walked up on the center stage, and you said—”
“I've been a bad girl, and I need to be punished.” She smiles for the very first time. “I remember that night. Before the scene started, Elliott blindfolded me so I couldn't see.” Her eyebrow quirks. “Were you among the volunteers that day?”
I shake my head. “No, the center stage isn't really my scene. I don't share that way.”
Her green eyes flicker from Shane to me. “But you do share,” she murmurs. “There are two of you in this room.”
“That's different.”
“Is it? In what way?”
I quote a line from her first and only novel. “In a way that seems as mysterious and magical as a baby’s first smile.”
“You’ve read my book?”
“I enjoyed it very much.”
“I didn't think anyone read it.” She laughs self-deprecatingly. “According to the reviews, it was a tortured, convoluted mess.”
Her story was about a girl on the cusp of womanhood, trying different personas to figure out who she was. The writing was stark and unflinchingly honest. “I found it fascinating,” I tell her.
A blush stains her cheeks. “Thank you, I think.” Her gaze transfers to Shane. “When Xavier said that you wanted to scene with me, I looked both of you up. I had no previous connection to Mr. Keppel, but that wasn't the same in your case. Before you founded your firm, you used to work at Weddell Burke. Meyer Industries was their largest client. You were working on the Meyer account when you quit abruptly.”
Her eyes narrow. “You've worked with Elliott before. Is this some kind of elaborate power-play? Am I a tool to you? A way to get revenge on a dead man by hate-fucking his submissive?”
4
SHANE
When I walked in, I told myself that I wasn’t invested in tonight’s outcome. Adelaide Byard was lovely, but she wasn’t unique. There were other women. I mocked Theo's nerves.
She’s taken me by surprise.
I can lie. No, not lie. I can hedge. Pay her a pretty compliment or two. I can be charming when I want to be. I could smile at her, say something pleasant, and make her forget about her line of questioning.
But something tells me she will see right through me.
I hesitate. I don't like the idea of anyone rifling through the inner workings of my mind. Nobody, not even Theo, knows the real reason I want to sleep with Adelaide Byard. If I were to tell her the truth, I would reveal things about me I’d rather keep hidden. I’d be opening a window into my heart. And I don’t do that.
If I tell her nothing, she’ll walk. I can read it in every line of her body. When Theo talked about seeing her at Club M so many years ago, she smiled in memory. For a few brief minutes, she’d let her guard down. But now she’s tense again. Her back is ramrod straight, and her expression is unreadable.
“I'll tell you. But in exchange, I want something.”
“Yes, I know. You want to scene with me.”
