Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 145091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
So much he’d even recruited his own children. “Did he recruit you?”
She wasn’t sure why she wanted to know, but she suddenly had an interest in finding out how far Don Radcliffe’s influence went.
“No.” Brad’s head shook. “To be recruited by Mr. Radcliffe meant you were one of the elite. I wasn’t recruited at all. In military terms, I was a grunt. I hired on after I graduated and worked my way up from there. You should probably go and get dressed.”
She arched her brow at the change of subject. “Why would I do that? It’s fet wear only in the club. You’re the one who should change.”
Brad sighed. “You’re still planning on attending the orgy then? Wow. Drake is going to be upset. You know he thinks he’s in love with you. This is going to hurt him. Is that what you’re trying to do?”
He was a confusing man. She hadn’t realized it until now. Up until the last few days she’d known little about the man who was her handler beyond the fact that he was competent and got her everything she needed. He hadn’t asked about her personal life, and she hadn’t asked about his. He’d seemed a bit like a machine who simply did his job, and at the time she appreciated that. Now that the ice around her had thawed, she wanted to figure out this man she was supposed to work with. He seemed like he was a friend of Drake’s.
“I was going to hang out,” she offered. “No playing involved because my partner isn’t here, but that doesn’t mean I have to go up to our room and hide away waiting for him. I’d like to watch some scenes, maybe have a drink, make some friends. I’m feeling confident, and I kind of want to show off this body because I think there is weight gain in my future.”
Because she was going to turn down the long-term assignment. She was going to ID The Consortium operative and then set it all up for someone else. Someone who wanted to spend her every minute undercover. She wasn’t sure if she would be kicked out of the Agency or if they would let her do what she was good at—building covers, making sure operatives were safe.
Kind of like what Brad did except she could handle the background and logistics, too.
It was what her father had taught her.
She would still go to college, but if she could stay where Drake was comfortable, that would suit them both. They could figure out if they could work.
Drake seemed to think that they could. That they would.
“I don’t understand any of this stuff. My mom and dad would never have done this. The woman I’ve been seeing would be horrified by the entire idea of a sex club.”
“It’s okay if it doesn’t interest you. It’s a lifestyle. It’s not for everyone.” It wasn’t her job to put him at ease, but they were stuck together for a couple of days, and he didn’t seem like a bad guy. Just a little misinformed. “But I don’t judge you for the stick up your ass, so how about you not judge me for being comfortable with my body.”
She wouldn’t make it too easy on him, though.
He stared at her for a moment as though he wasn’t exactly sure what to say and then he sat down in the chair at the table Drake had been sitting at. Drake’s half-drank glass was sitting there. Brad picked it up and drained it. “I never thought of myself as a prude, but you’re right. This isn’t hurting anyone, so why does it make me uncomfortable? I’ve had more than enough training to know it makes me uncomfortable because I am not comfortable with myself. I think it’s weird to be so secure in one’s sexuality that you put it on display.”
“In a safe place,” she pointed out. “Well, it was before you came here.”
“I’m not…”
She wasn’t having his excuses. “You are judging everyone here, and that’s not supposed to happen. It’s why Master Damon only allows fet wear on the dungeon floor. It’s fine to walk through when the club isn’t open, but it’s a private space otherwise, and you should leave.”
He sighed. “I’m not judging. At least I’m trying not to. I don’t understand, but I’m not supposed to. I don’t know. It’s not like my sex life is some raging success. I guess I’ll head up to my place, although I do have a question for you. Are you going to quit on me?”
Damn. She hadn’t wanted to get into this. “I think I’m changing my mind about the longer-term job. I will absolutely meet with the contact. I can do it for the next couple of months even, but anything that sends me undercover in The Consortium for an extended period of time, I don’t think I can do. I know that makes me seem flaky, but I haven’t been thinking straight for months.”