Fallon felt the rage she’d been working so hard to suppress, boiling its way to the surface.She’d spent the entire evening mulling over everything she’d experienced since her parents’ death.The more she thought about it, the stranger things seemed.Hagan’s obsession with her always seemed too good to be true, and she’d wondered more times than she cared to remember, thinking there was a catch.There’d been warning flags, but she’d been focused on starting her career at the expense of common sense.
“Brody’s loss is our gain.I’m sorry for the pain he’s caused, but we fully intend to kiss every square inch of you and make it all better.”Carson’s whispered words against the shell of her ear had their desired effect.
Warmth ebbed slowly through her, pushing the anger out of her mind and replacing it with a gentle wave of desire.The group agreed to meet again after Fallon’s lunch with Lilly before moving in separate directions.
Fallon smiled at the cleaning crew coming through the back door.Her coworkers had assured her there was no reason to do her own clean-up behind the bar, and Fallon had been grateful to hear the news.Clean up after the bar closed had always been her least favorite part of the job.She’s been busy enough all evening, she hadn’t been able to keep up beyond doing the bare minimum.
“Don’t worry, being hired for this job is a plum gig.One of our members owns the company, and the Club underwrites a membership for any of the employees assigned to the club.Trust me, they are thrilled to be here.”Carson’s soft laughter caught the attention of one of the crew members, who gave him a friendly wave.
“Hi, Master Carson.Thanks for the suggestion for my research project.The professor was impressed, and I was the first applicant approved.”The young man’s face practically glowed with pride, happiness radiating around him.
“Happy to help.I’m glad it worked out.Remember to touch base with my office about an internship.My executive assistant has your letter of recommendation, so you need to stop by and pick it before your interview.Give her a heads up, and she’ll arrange a tour.I know you have a lot on your agenda, but the slots will fill quickly.”
Fallon lost track of how many times the young man nodded and thanked Carson before the three of them were out of earshot.
“A letter of recommendation?Damn.Either Brooks Wilson is a long-lost brother, or he’s fucking brilliant.”
Fallon was suddenly interested as well.Carson hadn’t struck her as being over salacious with praise.She’d heard him described as one of the toughest Doms during the required training course and inwardly cringed at a few of the stories she’d heard about his creative punishments.
“The kid’s gift is uncanny.I’ve never met anyone like him.If I don’t get him signed, Phoenix Morgan will lure him to Montana.”Carson didn’t offer any further explanation, leaving Fallon to assume Phoenix Morgan was a competitor.
She didn’t have a large network of close friends in New York.Her parents hadn’t socialized a great deal because they’d traveled extensively for work, and Fallon had spent her free time studying and working.A cloud of melancholy crowded around her as she wondered what she’d missed by living in a city where looking someone in the eye was considered a challenge, so you learned early to keep your head down.
“What triggered your sudden mood shift, sweetheart?”
Fallon was surprised to find the elevator had already delivered them to the top-floor apartment, and Silas was holding the door open, waiting for her to step through.She’d been so lost in thought, everything around her had faded to the background.
“Who or what is Phoenix Morgan?A competitor?A friend?Old flame?”Damn, why has she added that last part?She didn’t have any right to ask any of those questions, and the last one made her look like a jealous twit.
Carson blinked in surprise, then grinned.
“Phoenix Morgan writes the best gaming software in the world.He started in high school.Scary smart and recruits the best of the best from around the world, hustling them to his lair in Montana.We’re friends and have teamed up a time or two on projects, but I swear if he snatches another intern out from under me, I’m going to sic his equally talented but much nicer wife on his tail.”
“Fallon, our work and lifestyle offer us a lot of reasons to travel and network with people who share our interests.You haven’t had those opportunities yet, but I promise they’ll come faster than you can imagine.”
She took Silas’s outstretched hand and stepped out of the elevator.
“I’m sorry, I know I don’t have a right to ask questions.Fatigue tends to blow my social filters out of the water.”She was rarely this outspoken.One of the hazards of having been raised without siblings was an ultra-fine social filter.The Thumper Rule was drilled in so deep, the only time Fallon let her guard down enough to say something rude or out of line was when she was exhausted or drinking.She could control one situation by not imbibing, but the other gave her trouble more often than she wanted to think about.
“Sure you do.We’ve told you what we want from you.What we failed to do was tell you what you could expect from us.”Carson smoothed the backs of his fingers along the underside of her jaw, his pupils dilating when she felt herself leaning into the touch.“We can’t change our past, Cher, but we’ll do everything we can to make sure it never blindsides you.We’ll be as open as we can be and honest to a fault.”
“It’s also important for you to know, we only share with each other.We’ll never bring anyone else into our bed.”
She appreciated their candor and assurance.Hagan had never made a promise of fidelity, and she hadn’t asked for one, so in some ways, perhaps she’d set herself up to fail.On the long drive to Texas, Fallon promised to avoid entanglements.She’d wanted to get her license, find a job and apartment, then move on with her life.Good heavens, fate loved to listen to her requests then do as it damned well pleased.
“I’d never cheat, either.It’s degrading to everyone involved.My mother once told me the greatest gift my dad had ever given her was his loyalty.I have never forgotten the sincerity in her voice.I’d known then, cheating would always be a deal-breaker for me.”
“Perfect.The Universe never makes a mistake, Fallon.It will fight tooth and nail to get you where you need to go.The plan may look random to us—perhaps even questionable—but it’s not.Often, the best gifts are preceded by the most difficult loss.”
Fallon wasn’t sure she agreed that catching her boyfriend in bed with a teenager qualified as a difficult loss.She’d been pissed rather than hurt by his action.
“No, sweetheart.I can see by your expression you’ve missed my point.Losing your parents set this in motion.”
Fallon couldn’t argue his point, although the coffee date she’d had with her dad seemed to be the point where her life began careening out of control.Maybe the puzzle would yield an answer.She should have tried to solve it after their funeral, but she’d been so lost in a fog of grief, the only way she’d known to survive the pain was throwing herself into her work.
The shirt she’d worn while working slipped from her shoulders, the sensual slide of soft cotton bringing her back to the moment.
“Everything else can wait.Nothing matters at this moment but making certain you know you are ours.You are perfect for us.It may seem sudden to you, but we’ve been waiting for you.Honestly, we’d almost given up finding a woman we both believed capable of handling us.You, Cher, are more than capable.”Carson was pressing kisses along the top of her shoulder, sending goosebumps skittering down her arm.“So responsive.Fuck me, I want to taste every inch of you.”
Fallon gasped when he picked her up and started down the hall.She hadn’t been expecting the sudden shift in position and giggled when she realized they were all but sprinting toward the bedroom.
“Did I miss a fire alarm?”Fallon cocked her head to the side, pretending to listen for a screeching alarm when Carson finally set her back on her feet.
“Indeed, you did, sweetheart.We’ve watched you work all evening without interfering.Damned hard to do when all we wanted was to pull you into the backroom and ravage you.”Silas knelt in front of her, pulling off her shoes.The relief was immediate, and she moaned in appreciation.“You’ll get a nice long foot rub while you soak in the tub.”
A bath and foot massage sounded heavenly, but those temptations weren’t lighting up every cell in her suddenly highly aroused body.Silas finished stripping her, then handed her off to Carson.Damn, how had he undressed so quickly?