Diablo Blanco Club: Unfair Advantage (4 page)

“He was until Frieda and her little toads decided they didn’t like the idea. There are other factors involved, but suffice to say, Bryce’s image isn’t the rosy one the board of directors wants presented to the public.” Mattie turned to face her sister. “His father thinks if Bryce marries before the retirement party, we can convince the board to let him assume control.”

“So, you’ll marry him until he gets to take over, get a quiet annulment—”

Mattie shook her head. “No. No annulment, no separation, no divorce. At least not for a few years.”

“A few years? That’s crazy. He can’t actually expect you to put your life on hold for years.”

“He’ll be doing the same, Lys.” Her head dropped back to rest against the window. “That and more.”

“What are you talking about? What more could he possibly be…?” Lyssa glanced from her sister to the building, then back. “You’re not suggesting?”

Mattie didn’t need to hear the rest of her sister’s question before she nodded. “Yup. He said he’s trying to gain favor with the board. I interpret that to mean he’ll have to curtail his association with the DBC until the board had been suitably won over.”

Lyssa whistled beneath her breath. “That’s hard to believe, Mat. I mean, the man is…” She seemed at a loss for words.

Mattie wasn’t. “He’s a Dominant, Lys. The control practically oozes from every pore, and when he stands a certain way or gets a look in his eye or uses a specific tone, there’s no way you can doubt who’s in charge.”

“And you find dominance sexy?”

“Sexy doesn’t even come close. I told you I’ve had to keep extra panties in my desk because of the times I end up having to change them when he’s around.” Mattie groaned. Sitting up, she shook her head. “It’ll only get worse if I marry him.”

“How so?” Lyssa’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I mean, if he wants it to be a real marriage, like you said he did, then I’m sure he’ll be giving you all the kinky lessons you’ve been dying to learn from him. If he isn’t here at the Club, all his attention will be on you.” She laughed. “You might even be able to talk him into buying some of those toys you’re always ogling in the catalogs you steal from his house.”

“That’s the problem, Lyssa. There won’t be any kinky lessons,” Mattie snapped. “He says my steady reputation is what the board likes, and they think I’ll have a ‘settling’ effect on him.”

“How does that translate to no kink?”

“Do you really see me inspiring him to play master?” Mattie shook her head. “No, if I agree to marry him, all I’ll ever get is vanilla sex.”

“Vanilla sex?” Lyssa hooted.

Mattie glared at her sister. “You do realize part of this is your fault, right?”

Lyssa choked on her laughter. “What? How is any of this my fault?”

“You’re the one who gave me that book on S and M.” She sat up in her seat. “I mean, sheez, Lys, I’d barely started working for Bryce when you dropped that in my lap.”

“I was keeping you informed, little sister.” Lyssa leaned forward as well. “You come home mooning over your new boss and sighing over the rumors you’d heard about him from one of the other administrative assistants. What was I supposed to do?”

“I don’t know, but learning about the lifestyle certainly didn’t help.”

“How was I to know you’d get all hot and bothered over the idea of Halsey tying you up or spanking you?” Lyssa shook her head. “You were supposed to remember the shit Dad pulled.”

Mattie looked at her sister, confused but curious. “Did you ever read the book? Or do an online search about BDSM?”

Lyssa shrugged. “Not when I first gave it to you, but when you started bringing over those catalogs, I…”

“Got curious?”

Her sister nodded.

“When you learned more about it, did you think of Dad?” Mattie wondered if she was the only one who could see the difference between the abuse meted out by their father and the controlled direction of a Dominant.

“No.”

“Neither did I.” She looked back at the Club. “And now I’ll probably never know what it’s like.”

“Are you seriously thinking about accepting his proposal?” Lyssa seemed worried, her blue eyes uncertain.

Mattie nodded. “I am.” She met her sister’s gaze and tried to explain. “I’m thirty years old, Lyssa. I’ve never had a steady boyfriend. Hell, I’ve never been interested in a man enough to overcome my issues and have sex. With Bryce, I know where I stand. He doesn’t love me, and I don’t love h—”

“Liar.”

“I’m not—”

“Don’t even try to convince me you haven’t been head over heels in love with Bryce Halsey since the first day you met him.” Lyssa crossed her arms over her ample chest.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Mattie attempted to avoid admitting her sister’s suspicions could be correct.

“Don’t lie to me, Mat. And don’t lie to yourself.” Lyssa’s tone gentled.

Mattie groaned. “I don’t want to be some clichéd old maid who pines after her boss like those women in the romance novels.”

“So don’t be.”

“But—”

“If you’d told me about this proposal eight years ago, or even five years ago, I’d have been doing everything in my power to talk you out of it.” She shrugged. “But I’ve watched how you’ve changed, Mat. You aren’t my scared little sister anymore.” Reaching out, Lyssa pushed a loose strand of Mattie’s curly brown hair off her cheek. “Yes, you’re thirty and you’ve never had a lover, but you have a solid relationship with Bryce.”

“As an employee.”

Lyssa shook her head. “No. As a friend. It may have started out as just business, but you’ve developed an understanding with him. You push him to do what you think is the right thing when others would be afraid to.”

“But that isn’t enough.” Mattie motioned back to the building. “That’s the part of himself he’ll be ignoring while he’s married to me.”

“Would you be satisfied if the only sex you have is ‘vanilla’?”

“I think so.” But she wasn’t sure. The fantasies she’d indulged in, the books she read, her dreams all carried the element of submitting to Bryce. The sex life he’d alluded to in his proposal was devoid of that aspect, and she doubted she’d stay happy with it for very long.

Her sister’s head tilted to the side and an assessing expression filled her face. “But you don’t think he will? Be satisfied, I mean.”

Mattie nodded. “No, I don’t think he’ll be satisfied.” She sighed just as heavily as she had when Bryce proposed to her. Her head dropped back to the hand she’d leaned on the door frame. “He’s a Dominant by nature and training. If he stifles that part of himself, he’ll never be happy. He’ll never be himself. Our entire marriage would be a sham, and I’m positive the board will see right through it. And it’ll all be for nothing.”

“So make him change his mind.”

“About marrying me?” A sharp pain arrowed through her chest, surprising Mattie and stealing her breath. It dissipated immediately, but she couldn’t deny its meaning. “If I don’t marry him, he’ll resign, and I’ll likely lose my job.”

“Is that the reason you’re thinking about marrying him? To keep your job?”

“No.” Mattie didn’t hesitate in her answer.

“Because, with your MBA, you could have quit years ago.” Lyssa had voiced this opinion often.

“Or taken one of the management positions Bryce offered me,” Mattie agreed.

“Exactly. But what I mean is, make him see you as a submissive.”

She balked, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth as she contemplated her sister’s suggestion. “I’m not sure.”

“You haven’t agreed to marry him yet, right?”

“I’m supposed to give him my decision tomorrow.”

“So tell him what you just told me. That you’re worried he won’t be able to maintain a marriage while ignoring his own personality.”

“And then what? Throw myself at his feet?” Mattie shook her head. “I don’t know. Heck, I don’t even know if I could play the role of a submissive.”

“True. In the last few years you’ve gotten so pushy with him, it’s a wonder he hasn’t paddled your butt.”

She had to laugh since her sister’s prediction had actually been a threat voiced by Bryce on a few occasions. “He’s mentioned doing just that.”

Lyssa’s eyebrows bobbed up and down in an amused expression. “Turned you on, didn’t it?”

“Oh yeah.” Mattie chuckled, remembering the scene. Just as it had happened when Bryce made the threat, Mattie’s body reacted, dampening her panties and making her groan with embarrassment and arousal.

Lyssa laughed. “Okay, so we know spanking turns you on. And the toys you’ve shown me in those catalogs definitely have an effect on you, if you’re telling me the truth.” She grinned. “So, that just leaves the actual practice with a Dom.”

“Which I doubt he’d be interested in providing.”

Lyssa watched her and seemed to think over what she’d said. “Did he come right out and tell you that he would no longer be coming here?”

“No, but—”

Her sister held up her hand and continued, “Did he tell you directly that he wasn’t interested in engaging in any Dominant/submissive play with you? Ever?”

Mattie thought back over the conversation before she’d left the office. “No. He never used those specific words.”

“What did he say?”

She couldn’t stop the grimace that twisted her lips. “That my reputation would give the board the impression that I would have a ‘settling’ effect on him and his wild ways.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t convince him to change his mind.”

“What do you mean?”

Instead of explaining, Lyssa popped the door open. “Follow me to my house.” Once out of the car and on the ground, she smiled at her sister. “In fact, why don’t you go grab us some Szechuan takeout, and I’ll tell you my plan when you get there.”

Mattie had no time to argue. Lyssa pushed the door closed and moved to her own sedan parked a few cars away.

* * *

The chime security had rigged went off, but Bryce had already heard the hum of the elevator and cursed. “Not another one.” A flashing green light on the black box beside his phone signaled the use of the bypass key card, which had him relaxing back into his chair. Only four people besides himself and the head of his security department had a bypass card for the elevator leading up to his penthouse.

He was pretty sure his father and Mattie were safely in bed at this time of night. Richard had headed out of town immediately following their dinner, and since his friend was diligent about locking his card away in his home safe, Bryce figured that only left his brother.

As the doors slid open, the weary look on Mike’s face made him look years older than thirty. As he stepped off the elevator, the slump of his shoulders had Bryce rising from his seat. He watched as Mike schooled his expression into a cheerful mien the moment he became aware of Bryce’s presence.

“Hey, Bryce, I didn’t realize you were here.” He shifted the duffel bag on his shoulder and gestured behind him at the closed doors. “I’ll just head down to the—”

“No. There’s plenty of room. Unless you’d like to stay at the Folly?” Bryce approached him.

Mike set his duffel bag and camera case on the floor. “Thanks. Here is fine.” He pushed his fingers through his rumpled brown hair and gave a halfhearted grin.

The moment he was in front of him, Bryce gripped the other man’s shoulders and pulled him close. “You need to stick close to home for a while, kid.”

Mike returned the hug, pulling back when Bryce did. “Yeah. I intend to.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

The way he eased onto the sofa had Bryce stifling a curse. Even their dad didn’t move in that down-to-the-bone-tired way. “It should have been me.”

Settling onto the sofa opposite Mike, he waited for his younger brother to continue.

“I was supposed to cover the skirmish, but I passed it off to Simon.”

“Simon Dunstan?”

Mike nodded, dropping his head against the back cushions and closing his eyes.

Bryce waited, then asked, “Where were you? Dad and I tried your cell as soon as we heard.”

His brother chuckled, the lines of his face looking younger for just a few moments. “It’s probably at the bottom of the Aegean.”

“You went sailing?”

“Yes and no. I was doing some photo editing and enhancement work for a friend. They happened to have a boat, and I went out to get some shots and lost my phone over the side.”

“Okay, so you were helping a friend.” Bryce kept his skepticism quiet regarding the work Mike was doing. He’d broach that subject later. “How did you find out about Simon?”

“The friend I was helping told me about the story. They knew I’d passed the job to Simon when I agreed to help them.”

“How’s he doing?”

Mike shrugged. “Doctors say he’ll make a full recovery.”

Bryce could read the doubt and concern in his brother’s face. “You don’t think he will?”

“Physically, yeah, he’ll be fine. There was no permanent damage done to him. It’s what they made him do and what he saw that’re tearing him up inside.”

Bryce didn’t ask any questions, he simply waited for his brother to continue if he was going to.

“I keep thinking it would have been me. I would have been forced to take pictures of…” Mike shook his head. “When I found out Vance was the soldier who led the unit to rescue Simon, I felt even worse.”

“Vance? Justiss?”

Mike nodded. “I stopped by the hospital on the way into town to see if Vance’s friend, Ben Murphy, was on duty, but they said he’d just left.”

“Will he make it?” Bryce made a mental note to contact the hospital in Germany. Make sure Simon and Vance were getting the best care available.

“He’ll survive, but the doctors were whispering about secondary infections and shrapnel when I had to leave to catch my plane home.” Mike leaned forward, one hand rubbing at the back of his neck. “I’ll go by Ben’s house in the morning. They told me he was working second shift.”

“Since she lives on the same street as Ben, try to be nice if you run into Lawrence’s sister,” Bryce cautioned.

“I’m always nice.”

“No, you’re always propositioning her.”

Mike held his hands, palms up in front of him. “Can I help it if my artistic nature demands I get her on film?”