Dancing with Deception (6 page)

“Until now.” Joelle’s soft voice sounded from the door, how she’d managed to enter without them hearing her was anybody’s guess.
Jesus, three fucking former Special Forces operatives in the room and a medical researcher gets the drop on us? When Ryan gets settled in Pine Creek, we need to spend some time training.
Brandt hated the thought of losing his edge, the world was changing in ways most Americans couldn’t fathom, and letting down his guard wasn’t anywhere in his plan.

Perhaps it was presumptuous to assume Ryan would decide to take over for Doc, but Brandt didn’t think so. And judging from the way his cousin’s eyes softened when he looked at Joelle, he and Ryan were going to be reviewing a conversation they had several years ago very soon. One night after sharing a ménage scene in their favorite Berlin kink club, they’d both lamented how difficult it was going to be to keep a woman happy given their post military career choices. Ryan planned to return to finish the last of his medical training and Brandt wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement. Both of their choices would keep them away from home more often than not, making it difficult to maintain a happy home life.

When Ryan suggested sharing a wife Brandt had laughed out loud, but Ryan’s reminder about their friends Kent and Kyle West’s parents had made him reconsider. The more they’d discussed it, the more plausible it had seemed despite the obvious cultural problems they anticipated. The entire conversation came back to Brandt in the span of a few heartbeats as he watched Ryan step forward and clasp Joelle’s hands between his own. “Joelle, I want to apologize for how poorly I handled things downstairs.”

Brandt was relieved to see the lost expression she’d had when he’d first looked up, fade as Ryan spoke. “Please don’t worry, I should have known this would happen at some point. I’ve enjoyed the anonymity longer than I’d originally hoped I would be able to. Although I have to admit, I didn’t anticipate being
outted
in this particular venue.” His heart stuttered at her attempt to make light of the situation because it was easy to hear the sadness in her voice. A BDSM club was supposed to be a safe place to
be yourself
and tonight’s disaster had stolen that from her.

Brandt stepped forward, turning her so she faced him. “Don’t. Don’t try to cover up your sadness with humor, minx. Not only is it not working, but it’s only going to increase your anxiety and piss off the Doms in the room.” He saw the moment she realized the truth of his words, her gray eyes darkened and her gaze dropped to the floor. Brandt tilted her chin up, hoping he could help her strike a balance between being open and honest while also staying respectful to herself as well as the men in the room since they were all intent on helping her.

After settling on
the soft leather sofa, Master Nate handed her a bottle of water, his unspoken order clear. Joelle took several gulping drinks before recapping the bottle and setting it on the low table in front of her. She was grateful for the few seconds it had afforded her to get her thoughts in order. She didn’t want them to think she was hiding her feelings or that she was in denial. Looking at Brandt, she spoke deliberately. “I understand, and I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but you have to remember I was raised by a father who didn’t suffer weakness well. He was loving, but he didn’t believe coddling served any purpose. Fear and uncertainty were seen as weaknesses that needed to be concealed or they’d be used against you.”

She hated seeing the looks of sympathy on their faces, this was exactly why she rarely opened up to anyone about her father. It would be wrong to say he didn’t care about her—he absolutely did, in his own limited way. Joelle counted her blessings every single day because her life could have certainly been far different had her father chosen to leave her in the care of boarding schools like so many of her friends’ parents had done. Instead, he’d taken an almost fanatical interest in her education, assuring her success was what you earned not what you inherited.

Phoenix was the one who finally broke the uncomfortable silence. “Why don’t you tell us how you ended up in Pine Creek? And sweetheart, you need to make sure it’s the whole story and not the abbreviated version you told me when you wanted the upgraded security system installed.” Joelle knew without asking Phoenix had done his homework.
Damn, he probably knows more about me than I do.

Looking at the four men watching her, Joelle had a flash of the old movies where glaring spotlights were pointed at a woman tied to a chair. The intense lights blinding her to the deep, mysterious voices barking questions from beyond her view. They might not be shouting their inquiries, but their body language told her they intended to wring every detail from her. Taking a deep breath, Joelle started by explaining exactly what her position at Phillips Pharmaceuticals had been, and how important the research element had been to her personally. Having lost her mother to cancer as a young child, Joelle had been driven by the desire to prevent other kids from suffering the same loss.

“I’ll spare you all the chemical details, but the important thing is the formula showed remarkable potential from the very beginning. And by the time I’d refined it, the results were truly astonishing. Best of all it’s almost entirely organic so the number of people who won’t tolerate the treatment it will be a fractional sample.” She paused for a few seconds trying to refocus on the story because her emotions were starting to get involved. The potential for her discovery was so enormous, Joelle honestly had trouble understanding how the board could ignore the social responsibility accompanying a discovery of this magnitude.

“At what point did you share your findings with your father and the board?” Phoenix asked a question she suspected he already knew the answer to. But, she was grateful he’d brought her focus back to recounting the facts. It was so easy to get bogged down in the emotional quagmire of the board’s rejection, and going down that road wasn’t going to help.

“The results were well documented before I shared them. There wasn’t any question but that we’d found a formula that could change the entire landscape of cancer treatment. To be honest, I was completely blown away by their response. Sure, I knew there would be factions of the medical community that wouldn’t be thrilled. After all, we’re talking about a multi-billion dollar industry. I wasn’t naïve enough to think there wouldn’t be huge financial implications. But I was completely unprepared for the vehemence of their reaction.” Her dad had supported her but in the end, the board’s demand she scrap the project remained. “Of course, I tried to make it appear as though I’d accepted their decision but truthfully I’m not a very good actress.” Glancing at Nate, she grimaced. “As you may have already noticed.”

Joelle felt her cheeks heat in embarrassment, and they felt like they’d been set on fire when Master Nate chuckled. But his words warmed her heart, “Darling girl, being genuine is a blessing. It’s only a curse when you try to lie to yourself and those around you. Don’t ever try to change who you are.” She nodded her acknowledgment of his words but knew if she spoke there would be no way to contain the emotion.

The entire evening had been a roller coaster ride and she could feel the crash coming—and she certainly didn’t want to hit bottom in front of these men. “I know this conversation isn’t finished, but the truth is I’m not sure I can finish it tonight. It’s been an emotional day, and I need to step back and regroup.” Looking at each man individually, she noted the differences in their expressions and she was pleased they weren’t trying to mask their feelings. Nate looked at her like a concerned older brother, it was remarkably similar to the look she’d seen in Phoenix’s eyes during their collaboration on her security system. Tonight Phoenix’s look was more compassionate as if he sensed how close she was to an emotional edge.

But it was the similar looks on Brandt and Ryan’s faces that sent blazing sexual heat coursing through her system. She remembered meeting Ryan at a party several weeks before the debacle that sent her life into a tailspin. He’d had the same look in his eyes that night, but he’d been working so they hadn’t been able to act on their mutual attraction. They’d only spoken briefly, but had managed to exchange contact information. From what she heard later, he’d left the country a few days after the party for an assignment in England, and before he’d returned she’d fled. There was definitely something unfinished between them, the attraction was undeniable, but it was also unsettling because she would be lying to herself to deny her attraction to Brandt.

Brandt’s intensity was a
force
in itself…something a person had to experience to really understand. Their sexual chemistry was off the chart, but it was his underlying air of protectiveness that called to her. She’d seen it time and time again in his dealings with the citizens of Pine Creek. Despite his gruff exterior, everyone she’d met seemed to respect him. They’d all cited his military service, but there were also added tidbits about how he’d gone out of his way to help someone. Hell, she’d heard all about the hometown hero before they’d even met. She’d half expected him to be dressed in some sort of superhero costume and his entrance heralded by a dramatic sound tract. The day he’d walked in to the drug store in faded jeans, scuffed boots, and a flannel shirt, Joelle felt as if the air in the room had suddenly become electrified and she hadn’t even been introduced to him yet.

The resemblance between Brandt and his brothers was strong enough that she’d been fairly certain he was one of the Morgan brothers. But, since she hadn’t met them all at that point, she wasn’t certain which one he was because he hadn’t been in uniform. But as she watched him walk toward the counter where she was standing, the afternoon sun backlighting him, everything inside her went still. His eyes were locked on hers, and even though she didn’t know why he was there, Joelle knew at that moment he was going to be important to her in some way. Even now, thinking back Joelle remembered how strongly she’d been attracted to him, and how the air around her had seemed to sizzle in anticipation as he approached her.

She’d felt the same electrically charged zing tonight during their scene. He’d tailored the scene to match her offense rather than simply administering a spanking or caning. Instead of doing what would have been easier and more expedient, Brandt had taken the time to get into her head, forcing her to face two fears that had been holding her back in club play for years. No other Dom had ever been able to get into her head. Hell, none of the Doms she’d played with had come even remotely close to earning her emotional submission. Surrendering her body to the moment had always been easy, but she’d never been able to fully submit mentally. That disconnection kept her from putting herself fully in a Dom’s hand, and she’d never been able to let go and be vulnerable enough to orgasm in front of strangers…until tonight.

Standing, Joelle smiled but knew it wouldn’t fool anyone. “I’ll just grab my things and head out, it’s late and I’d like to get home before dawn.” The only part of the lifestyle Joelle had ever found challenging was the late hours. Clubs were notorious for catering to night owls…something she’d never been.

“Sit. Down.” Ryan’s sharp tone surprised her so much she plopped back down before her mind fully processed his command. She blinked in surprise, but he didn’t miss a beat. “Joelle, you are obviously exhausted—both physically and emotionally.” She looked on as he turned to Nate, they seemed to share some sort of unspoken communication and at the end, Nate nodded once.
Very strange indeed.
Ryan turned to Brandt and asked, “Is there any reason you can’t stay down here tonight? You could drive Joelle back to Pine Creek in the morning and I’d follow you in her car.”

Joelle felt her breath hitch at the implication. Again she felt there was a lot of silent communication taking place, but this time, Phoenix was watching with obvious interest as well. Ryan studied her for long seconds before returning his focus to Brandt. “Berlin?”
Well, at least, they are using words now…sort of.

“Yes.” Brandt hadn’t hesitated, his answer quick and sure, then he’d smiled before turning to Phoenix, handing him a small key ring. “There is a go bag in the trunk. Send it in with the valet, he can make sure it gets upstairs. I’ll send Beck a message letting him know he’ll be on call until we get home tomorrow.” Joelle knew Brandt was referring to his part-time deputy and she hoped this wouldn’t be a problem for the other man, after all, he had a new baby at home.

Phoenix nodded but didn’t leave. Instead, he turned to her. “Are you okay with this, sweetheart?” She understood what he was asking…he wanted to be absolutely certain she understood what his brother and Ryan were proposing. Oh, she a pretty good idea. She might not know all the particulars, but their intent seemed fairly straightforward to her. What she didn’t understand was why it didn’t bother her. Shouldn’t she be outraged at the suggestion of staying with two men? For some reason, she couldn’t think of a single reason to turn down their invitation. When she finally managed to nod, Phoenix shook his head, “You know better, sweetheart. I need to hear the words.”