“Oh, Jace. I don’t want to put you in that position. I just—”
He held up a hand. “No, it’s okay—I know if my sister was in trouble, I’d want to do everything I could to help her, too. I was even willing to go look for Kelsey for you, but Reid said she’s not going to trust a stranger.”
She sighed. “Yeah, she’s hiding from some pretty scary people, so there’s no way she’s going to talk to someone she doesn’t recognize.”
“So that means it’s up to you. We just need to make sure you pull this off flawlessly.”
She wet her lips. “Flawlessly?”
“Yes. Grant Waters is crazy good at reading people. It makes him a top-notch master, but it also means he can sniff out bullshit at a hundred paces. You can’t go in playing sub—you need to be a sub. Really surrender.”
She uncrossed her legs and tucked her hands in her lap, trying to keep them from shaking. “Right.”
He gave her knee a quick reassuring squeeze. “I’m not telling you this to scare you—just to help you understand what needs to happen. The key is going to be not to overthink it. You know what to do.”
“I do?”
“Well, it’s not like it was a big secret that you and Reid were experimenting with D/s back when I knew you. You’re not a novice.”
She clenched her jaw. “Yes, apparently Reid was quite free with that information.”
His tilted his head. “Really? I thought I was the only who knew.”
No, at least one other person knew. And whoever that someone was had used it to their ultimate advantage to hurt her. Unless… She stared at Jace for a moment, a sick feeling rolling through her. What if he had been the one?
No. She dismissed the thought as quickly as it appeared. Jace didn’t have a cruel bone in his body. He would’ve never violated her that way. She shifted in her chair, shaking off the ridiculous idea. “It doesn’t matter. Ancient history.”
He paused for a moment as if he were going to push further, but the look on her face must have made him think better of it. He crooked a thumb toward the mini-fridge next to his desk. “You want something to drink? Beer, soda? I would offer wine, but despite the décor, I’m not that refined.”
The corner of her mouth tilted up. “A beer would be great.”
He stood, turning his back to her. “So, are you saying you haven’t continued to explore the Scene?”
The Scene. What an innocuous term for something that had the potential to rip her apart from the inside out. “No, I dropped the whole idea after Reid and I broke up.”
He grabbed two bottles from the fridge, twisted off the caps, and handed her a beer. “Wow, really? I’m surprised.”
She took a sip, the fizzy liquid easing the dryness in her throat. “Why is that?”
He shrugged and sat on the edge of his desk. “We were all new to it back then, but it didn’t take an expert to see how well you took to the sub role. I was all kinds of jealous that Reid had you all to himself. Too bad he was such a selfish bastard—things could’ve gotten much more interesting.”
Brynn wet her lips and gripped the bottle with both hands as images more erotic than the art downstairs filled her mind. She knew Jace’s kink back then had extended beyond D/s and into ménage. And even though she’d always viewed him as more of a buddy than a lover, she couldn’t deny that the handsome blond could get her hormones hopping.
She cleared her throat, trying to shake the images from her brain. “Perhaps. And that’s part of the reason I’m here. Beyond wanting to get to my sister, I also think I need to do this for myself. There are some things I need to work through, and I think this type of thing could help.”
“What do you mean?”
She shifted her gaze away, trying to come up with something—anything—other than telling him about the rape. “I don’t know, it’s just lately, I’ve found myself—”
“Unsatisfied?” he suggested.
She nodded, goose bumps pricking her skin. She had wanted her lie to sound authentic. But hearing it out loud hit a bit too close to home. Shit. She hadn’t needed to make up a fib. Unsatisfied was exactly what she was. “I thought maybe this could be the answer.”
“And you’re willing to go into this blind, with a stranger?”
“Yes.”
His eyebrows knitted. “You sure? I could try to get Reid a membership if you want.”