Chapter Three

Daisy sat in the locker room at The Hideout. It was one of her favorite places on the planet, but tonight she felt antsy.

It had been a genuinely terrible day, and Aidan being willing to take her in for the night was the only reason she wasn't locked in her parents' house.

Come tomorrow she would have a bodyguard on her twenty-four seven. She'd done it again. She'd upturned everyone's lives when all she'd wanted to do was help.

Should she give in and go home? Was she causing more trouble than she was worth?

It was kind of the question that plagued her life.

"Hey, you okay?"

She looked up and Carys Taggart was already dressed in an emerald green corset and matching boy shorts. She had an elaborate mask in her hand. It wouldn't cover up the pile of glorious auburn hair on her head. Her hair would give her away at a party like the one going on in the club this evening. It wouldn't matter. She only wanted to play with Aidan.

Well, Aidan and Tristan, but it looked like Carys was going to be permanently down a Dom.

So naturally she was here checking on Daisy. "I'm fine. I guess everyone heard."

Carys sat down on the bench next to Daisy. "About you being a badass and taking down a cartel? Yup."

She should have known her future sister-in-law would have her back. Carys was the best. "I don't think that's the way my da saw it. I probably didn't make things easier for myself by posting a selfie. My parents do not understand the importance of social media. "

Carys chuckled. "I'm sure they don't. You know if you hadn't posted the social media pic, no one would have known where you were. Think about it. Now, the parental units are not here tonight, so you're just talking to me. Not your brother, either. Are you okay?"

"I guess I feel dumb." She was feeling beyond dumb. She felt useless. "I'll be better tomorrow, I'm sure."

Though maybe she was being overly optimistic since tomorrow she would wake up at her brother's place and start the new job her father had basically forced her into. Forced her upon everyone else.

She'd overheard the deep discussion between Uncle Ian and Uncle Alex about how much more insurance they would need and whether or not she would find a way to burn down the building.

She wouldn't. Not intentionally at least.

Carys was a gorgeous young woman who looked so much like her mother, Grace Taggart. Carys was everything Daisy wished she could be. Smart. Successful. A doctor. Carys knew what she wanted to do with her life, what she was good at. She reached out and put her hand over Daisy's. "You are anything but dumb. You are a light in the world, Daisy O'Donnell, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. What you did yesterday was brave."

"That's not what my da says. Or my brother." She'd gotten a hearty lecture from her brother and pleading from her da not to kill herself, thereby destroying his soul or something.

"Your father has issues when it comes to you. He was raised with a brother. His mother was significantly tougher than you or your mother. I mean that in a physical sense," Carys said. "You're tough and so is your mom, but what your da sees is his sweet girl getting eaten up by the world."

"So I don't ever get eaten up by anyone at all?" She sniffled, feeling sorry for herself. It wasn't her usual mood, which was probably why it hit her so hard.

"Ah, I do see where the two are connected. You haven't found the right guy yet," Carys said with a sigh. "I know it's easy for me to say. I found the right ones… I found your brother when I was very young. You have to give it some time."

Daisy turned so she could look Carys in the eyes. "I'm not looking for the right one. I'm looking for anyone at this point. I want to ask you a question, and I need you to be honest. Is there something wrong with me?"

A brow rose over Carys's eyes. "Why would you say that?"

"Because this is literally a sex club, and I can't get laid." It was the saddest part of her world. She had great friends, a wonderful family, a wide-open world career wise. Mostly. But on the romantic front she couldn't seem to find a groove. She wasn't looking for anything serious. Not right now. She wanted to play, and no one would play with her here. It was hard watching other subs get picked night after night while she sat in the lounge.

She'd taken all the classes, but even her training Dom had treated her like a kid sister. While her classmates were indulging in discovering the pleasures of D/s, she'd get lectures about how dangerous the world could be.

She'd thought it would change when she graduated, but it was more of the same. Even the new guys—the ones she hadn't grown up with—avoided her.

Carys seemed to think for a moment. "The problem might be that you already know everyone here. We're bringing in new members next month. People you didn't grow up with."

"I didn't grow up with the guys from The Club," Daisy pointed out. The Hideout had been started by the group of friends they were supposed to pretend didn't work for the Central Intelligence Agency, and Julian Lodge's kids. The Lodge gang had brought in a group of their friends, and Daisy liked them all.

Not a one of them would play with her.

It made a girl think.

Carys frowned. "None of this seems right. I'm sorry. I've been caught up in my own drama and I haven't been checking in with the people who are important to me. I know how my brother and cousins view you."

Daisy did, too. "As a kid sister."

Carys nodded. "Sorry, they can't help it. But the others shouldn't. Are you telling me you haven't had a single D/s encounter since you became a member here?"

"I had a couple of scenes in the beginning, but I know Aidan asked the Doms to run them with me. They didn't have any interest in me physically." It bugged her and quite frankly brought down her body positivity. "It's weird because I ran through some dick in college, if you know what I mean. I'm so not a virgin. Despite what my da thinks. But I suspect I would like it even more if it was D/s sex."

Carys's head shook. "Seriously? You haven't had sex in the club? I thought everyone had sex in the club. "

"Brianna doesn't because she never took the class. Devi doesn't because she's pining after someone." That wasn't her story to tell. "Do you think it's because my best friends are all sexless and stuff? Does everyone see me and think I don't want sex? I mean, I'm not terrible to look at."

"You're freaking gorgeous, Dais," Carys said and seemed genuinely stumped at her predicament. "You are what the older generation would call a bombshell. I need to think about this. It might be time to look for another club for you. Sanctum runs a bit older, but they have new people coming in. Some of the new staff at Top are taking the training class right now. And one of the bodyguards at MT. I only know him because his dad has run Top Fort Worth for years. I don't think you've met Landon Vail yet. He's cute. Is this why you hide out in the locker room?"

"It feels better than sitting in the lounge knowing everyone is looking at me and wondering why I bother." It was better than sitting home alone, and at least then she had her friends around her. Devi and Bri weren't here tonight, so it would be super lonely all the way around. Everyone would be out partying and exploring, and she would be watching crap videos on her tablet waiting for her brother to be done.

Only one thing about staying the night at Aidan's place sparked her interest.

Nate Carter was living there now. He'd been there for a week, and she was finally going to get to see him.

"No one thinks that way. No one. I assure you, you belong here, but if it's not what you need, then we'll find a new place. Or import some tops who didn't watch you grow up." Carys had her "I'm plotting" expression on her face. Carys was a good plotter. "You know we've got a couple of visitors tonight and a new member."

"I didn't know anyone had taken the class recently."

"He didn't have to," Carys explained. "He had a membership to a club in Australia."

Yes, there it was. Just the word Australia could make her heart thump.

Nathan Carter. He was here? She'd thought she would meet him tonight or maybe over breakfast in the morning. "Are you talking about Nate?"

Carys's shoulders slumped. "Damn. I forgot. You know him."

"I haven't seen him in person in years. I used to follow him around like a puppy. I had the biggest crush on him," she admitted. "And I was Aidan's obnoxious kid sister to him."

"But you wouldn't be tonight," Carys pointed out, her lips tugging up in a kind of evil grin.

"I assure you I'm always his kid sister. Aidan's the doctor and Daisy's the screw-up." Her father was the only person in the world who didn't seem to see the truth.

"You're not a screw-up," Carys insisted. "You simply haven't found your place yet, but it doesn't mean you're a screw-up. You did great in college."

After she spent five years trying to figure out what she wanted to do. She'd gone from majoring in theater to business to philosophy, finally ending with a degree in psychology and then rapidly figuring out there was nothing she wanted to do in psychology.

Carys had enough to worry about. "Maybe I will look into another club," Daisy said.

But she loved this one. She loved the fact The Hideout wasn't elegant like Gabriel's father's club, or sleek and modern like Sanctum. It was a little run-down and needed some care, but it was theirs. They were building it.

Well, her brother and his friends were. They got nervous when she wanted to help with anything but bringing them beers. She hadn't meant to nearly bring down a whole wall.

"I have an interesting idea." Carys had the biggest smile on her face. It was a smile Daisy hadn't seen on her friend in weeks. "Tonight you don't have to find a new club. It's masquerade night and we have visitors. We have Doms you've never met before."

And Nathan Carter, who hadn't seen her in years. He'd probably seen pictures of her, but she didn't take great pics most of the time. It was why it had hurt to dump the one with the cartel. She'd gotten in the right light… She was drifting.

She had seen pictures of Nate. She followed his mom and sister on social media, even though the gorgeous weirdo didn't have a single page of his own. He was still the most beautiful man she'd ever seen.

He might know her. He might take one look at her and laugh.

But she was curious. There was only one problem. "I don't have any fet wear here. It's all at the cleaners." She didn't own much in the first place. "I wasn't expecting to play anytime soon, much less attend a masked party."

Carys seemed to think for a moment. "I would loan you some of mine, but…"

"My boobs are way too big. My hips, too." She was a curvy girl, and there wasn't anything she seemed to be able to do about it. She worried her ample curves were one of the reasons the Doms weren't rushing in to play with her.

Carys's eyes narrowed. "Sure. They're too big. Like I said you're gorgeous and sexy as hell. I don't know what's going on. But you're right. What I have on hand won't fit you, but the twins were planning on attending so I would bet they've got fet wear in their lockers. Let me check real quick. Kenzie is smaller than you, but she wears a lot of stretchy fabrics."

"I thought they were…on assignment for McKay-Taggart." She'd been taught never to say the words central and intelligence or Agency when referring to the twins or Cooper or Tristan. Or Zach, even though he wasn't on the payroll at MT.

Carys snorted. "Sure they are." She pulled out her cell and popped in a number, pressing the screen to put it on speaker phone.

"Hey, Carys. What's going on?" a familiar voice said.

"Oooo, it's Carys? Ask her about the bachelorette party," another voice said.

The first had been Kenzie Taggart and the second Louisa Ward.

"I don't think I'm up for it, Lou," Carys said with a sigh. "This rotation is kicking my ass, and I barely have time to get ready for the wedding."

"Then we'll call it a girls hang," Kenzie offered. "I promise no wild strippers. I will keep Kala away from all the planning. Lou will handle it and Kala will handle Lou's, and I'll make sure Tasha's is in Vegas and we all act out The Hangover . Who would have guessed marriage would be so fun? Hey, sis, you've got someone coming up on your left. Yeah, he's definitely armed."

Were they actually working an op right now? "Uh, maybe we should call back."

"Is that Dais? Hey, Daisy. You doing okay?" Kenzie's tone had changed from bouncy to sympathetic.

Yeah, she got sympathy from all the girls. Especially the ones who were a little older than she was. Carys's crowd tended to take on big sister roles. "I'm great."

"She's not," Carys corrected. "She's lonely and wants to play tonight."

"I wanted to play tonight," Kenzie grumbled. "But no, I have to go to work. Have to save the world. Just once I wish I could save the world on, say, a Monday night. Yeah, Zach, he's coming your way. Wow, that is a big knife. You should avoid getting stabbed today. Lou, can you cut the lights to the last room on the second floor in the east wing?"

"On it," Lou said.

Yep, they were definitely working an op. Apparently Kenzie was excellent at multitasking. "I don't have to play."

She'd probably caused enough trouble for one day.

Carys shushed her. "Yeah, about that. Did you have what you were going to wear in your locker? Dais doesn't have any fet wear here, and it's not like after today she can go out on her own and grab some. Did Coop fill you in?"

"Yes," Kenzie replied. "He almost missed the plane. Zach gave him hell until he found out why. You know everyone loves you, Dais. And yes, I totally have my costume. It should fit her. There's a mask to go with it. I wish I was there. There are a couple of new guys I would love to introduce Daisy to. Oh, shit. Uh, we've got a big problem. Yes, that's a bomb. Guys, I'm going to have to call back. No. Not you, Coop. I'm talking to Dais and Carys. Zach, that is rude, and yes, I'm hanging up. The mask is on the top shelf. Dais, have a blast. Kala, do not cut the blue wire…"

The line went dead.

"Do you think they're okay?"

Carys stood up and went to Kenzie's locker. She put the code in and opened it, pulling out an angelic-looking corset and a white feathered mask. "They'll be fine. They always are. It's just Kala thinks she knows how to defuse bombs better than she actually does. Or so I've heard. A long time ago." Carys frowned. "Maybe pretend I didn't say anything."

She wasn't sure what was going on, but she also knew better than to ask about Tristan. The threesome seemed to have split up over some vague reason they weren't talking about, but she was almost certain Aidan still talked to Tris on a regular basis. Instead she stared at the corset in Carys's hands.

Could she pretend to be someone else for a night? Someone who didn't screw everything up. Someone who could tempt a Dom into play for a night.

"Do you think it'll work?" Daisy stood up. Kenzie had excellent taste. The corset was gorgeous. The mask would cover most of her face and might look good against her dark hair.

"I think you'll have the new guys panting after you," Carys replied. "Let's get you ready. Daisy, you're gorgeous, and you should know you deserve to have a night of fun. I just want… "

Daisy groaned. "I'm on birth control. Haven't needed it lately, but I'm on it. And I'll use a condom. If it comes to it. Which it probably won't. But maybe it would be better if my brother didn't know. I worry he'll try to vet anyone who wants to play with me."

"They've already been vetted." Carys started working the stays on the corset. "But you're right. He will want to know who the guy is, and that's not the point of tonight. So I'll go out first, and then you can make your grand entrance after I've distracted him. Though if he asks me, I have to tell him."

"He won't." Her brother would think she was staying far from the dungeon. And he would take Carys to a privacy room most likely. It would be a free-for-all in the dungeon. He wouldn't risk some other Dom touching his precious sub.

But it might be exactly what Daisy needed.

Things were suddenly looking up.

She really hoped the twins dealt with that bomb though.

* * * *

Nate stood at the back of the lounge staring out over the dungeon floor. The Hideout was one of the smaller clubs he'd played at, and it was definitely the most stripped down. The Hideout, he'd been told, was a work in progress. It was open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, and on weekend days a bunch of the members worked on the renovations they were making.

"How's it going?" a deep voice asked. "You must be Aidan's friend from Australia."

He glanced over, and there was a man in dark leathers, a black mask on his face. Nate was wearing one of those himself. The face mask felt weird, but he felt comfortable in leathers. Putting on a set of leathers helped him transition his mindset. It allowed him to let go of his everyday worries.

When he put on leathers and walked into a club, he felt like he belonged.

So why hadn't he found the familiar peace here tonight?

Nate held a hand out. "Nate Carter."

"Seth Taggart," the other man said, shaking his hand.

"Ah, you must be one of Ian's." Nate stepped back, settling against the railing that demarked the lounge area from the dungeon. The lounge was on the second floor, so whoever was occupying the space could look out over the dungeon.

A bloke could stare out over the sea of gorgeous subs and wonder why none of them called to him.

"Yep, he's my dad. I hear you're his new hire," Seth said, taking a sip of the beer in his hand. "Good luck. All of my siblings and most of my cousins have worked at McKay-Taggart at one point or another. Mostly as summer jobs. I lasted maybe a month before I begged to wash dishes at my uncle's restaurant. My dad is a sarcastic asshole. I love him but I cannot work for the man."

"I suppose I'm used to the type. Spent some time in the Army," Nate replied. "Also, I'm in the bodyguard unit, so I don't see much of the upstairs folk. At least not yet. My boss is Tessa Hawthorne."

Seth nodded. "Yeah. She took over when Wade Rycroft got an executive job at Lodge Corp. To say my dad was unhappy would be like saying a nuclear bomb causes a little mess. At least they didn't take his assistant. I don't know what my father would do without Genny Rycroft. But Tessa's awesome. She's much easier to get along with than my father. The key with my dad is to pretend like nothing bothers you. Ever. Nod and agree with him, and then go do whatever you were going to do in the first place. It's how I survived my childhood."

Nate had to chuckle at the thought. "I grew up around a group very much like the one here in Dallas."

"That's right. Aidan was telling me you spent most of your childhood in London, right? Your dad worked for Damon Knight," Seth said. "I'm sure we've met at some point."

"Probably, though we were much younger. We moved back to Australia when I was eleven, and our visits here became more infrequent." He'd lost touch with some of his closest friends from childhood. He'd heard Oliver Knight was working with his dad. He'd been close to Oliver and his brother, Archie, and their sister, Samantha, had been around Elodie's age.

It was his mom's relationship with Avery O'Donnell that had kept him close to Aidan, and even they had gotten distant when he'd gone into the Army and Aidan had gone into college and then medical school.

It was odd how easily they'd fallen back in.

"Yeah, life catches up to you, doesn't it? I live close to a bunch of the kids I grew up with, but sometimes I only seem to see them on nights like this. Starting this club actually kept us all together. Huh. I always thought it was because my sisters and their friends were perverts," Seth said thoughtfully. "Now I have to wonder. Not about Kala, but Kenzie might have thought this was a way to keep us all together."

"Are you the older son or the younger one?" Aidan had been on an opposite schedule the week since Nate had gotten in, and honestly, he'd been trying to adjust to his new American time zone. It would be good to start putting names to faces.

Like Daisy O'Donnell, who he would meet later tonight when he got home.

"Older," Seth explained. "You might have seen my younger brother, Travis. He was the dude asleep on the couch in the locker room."

He'd wondered about the bloke snoring away earlier in the evening. The men's locker room wasn't elegant, but it had its charms, including a big living room area with a TV and game systems and a couple of couches, one of which had been occupied by a sleeping Taggart. "Is he okay?"

Seth stared out over the dungeon floor as though looking for someone. "It depends on your definition of the word okay. He's a third-year law student and a single dad with an infant. This is the night my parents agreed to watch his son so he could have some form of a social life, and what does he do? He falls asleep in the locker room during the wildest party of the year. Didn't even manage to get a beer in. I knew he likely wouldn't indulge in the sex part of the evening, but I thought he would at least get a little drunk."

Poor guy probably wasn't sleeping at all between school and parenting. He felt for Travis Taggart.

He checked his pocket. Yes. The condoms he'd snagged were in there. Just in case.

"Is there a reason you're not down there? It really is a wild time," Seth said. "We only do it once a year, though it gets talked about for months after. The couples of the group tend to either skip this party or sit up here and watch the chaos."

Aidan had taken one look at Carys and swept her away, picking her up and carrying her toward the privacy rooms. He'd told Nate he would see him at home.

"I don't know." He wasn't sure this was the right night to make his debut at The Hideout. The idea of some giant orgy wasn't appealing.

Of course an orgy wasn't what was happening. It was more like a slow rotation of Doms around subs before one of the Doms would gently move in and separate his selected treat for the evening from the crowd.

He understood what a party like this was for. Exploration. It was for indulging in something that in this group wouldn't come back to bite a bloke in the arse.

A couple was already playing on the main stage. A big Dom in all black had a tiny sub tied to a St. Andrew's Cross, and he was using a violet wand on her nipples.

It should have him aroused, but he was still strangely numb.

He wanted to blame it all on jet lag, but he was over it. And the numbness was exactly why he'd taken the job in the first place. It wasn't working.

"Then this is not your night because the chaos is part of the fun. It's also a great way for a smart woman to indulge in self-delusion." Seth stared out as a couple of subs walked in from the locker room. One of them was a petite sub in a red catsuit and matching mask, dark hair piled high on her head. She was whispering to her blonde friend and seeming to look around for someone. "I think I'm going to go downstairs. Hope you find what you're looking for. I'm going after what I need tonight."

Seth strode toward the stairs. He obviously knew what he wanted. Nate stared out again, trying to figure out which gorgeous sub had caught Taggart's eye, but before Taggart came into view a woman in white stepped out from the hallway leading to the locker rooms, and Nate felt like the world slowed down.

Long, dark hair caressed rounded shoulders, tumbling over a set of truly gorgeous breasts. They were offered up by the pure white corset that cinched in her waist and flowed over hips he could hold on to. She stopped at the edge of the crowd, staring out as though trying to decide if she would join them. The white boy shorts she wore barely covered a spectacular arse.

She was a beauty, and he felt a rip of pure lust go through him, making his cock tighten and sparking his dominant instincts.

A Dom approached her, his every move seemingly predatory. His lips curled as he moved in close. She turned her chin up and said something. The Dom suddenly stepped back as though shocked. His hands came to his chest, palms out, and he backed away.

The pretty sub's face fell. She glanced around the dungeon and seemed to realize there were a lot of eyes on her, but now the first Dom was talking to another, and they all seemed to ease away from her. One of the subs moved in, but she shook her off. Her head came up and he watched as she pasted a smile on her face and squared her shoulders. She leaned over to the other sub who nodded, and then the gorgeous woman turned to the stairs.

She was coming up here. What the hell had happened? Why had that asshole taken one look at her and rejected her? She was simply the most stunning woman in the place.

He turned, watching as she climbed the stairs in her stilettos. She moved as though she was used to walking in what had to be five-inch heels. He would bet she was quite petite, but those heels brought her close to being as tall as most of the men around her.

She might come to his shoulders. Maybe.

His gaze caught on her as she stepped into the lounge. She smiled at the bartender, who seemed to know her, but she waved him off and started toward the railing.

Then stopped and simply stared his way.

Low and sexy hip-hop played through the whole space, forming a soundtrack that could absolutely be used for sex, but it all faded into the background as he got his first good look at her.

She was every bit as gorgeous as he'd suspected.

She turned suddenly, and he realized he wasn't going to let her go. This was the most he'd felt in forever, and he wasn't willing to end it. He could be intimidating, but he could also charm a lady. He suddenly really wanted to charm this one.

Before he could take a step toward her, she turned again, and there was determination in the way she strode toward him.

"Hello, Sir." She stood in front of him, her shoulders back and chin up. "You must be new around here. I wanted to welcome you to The Hideout. If you have any questions, I'll be hanging around tonight. I know the place very well."

So she was a regular. It made him wonder what kind of drama was going on with her that the other Doms seemed to back away. And then he had to admit he didn't give a shit. She was standing there, and it was obvious it had taken some courage for her to get rejected and try again.

Brave sub. Gorgeous sub.

There it was. His cock tightened for the first time in forever, and for a moment it felt like he could breathe again. He hadn't realized how tight his life had become, how like a vise it felt around his chest until this moment.

She'd asked him to come to her if he had questions. He had one for her.

"Do you have a partner for the night?" Nate asked.

Gorgeous green eyes flared behind her elaborate white mask. "Do I… No. I don't."

"Would you like one?" He could feel the fucking heat between them. He had to hope the heat he felt seared them both.

Her head nodded. "Yeah. Yes, I would, Sir. If you're the partner, I would like very much to play."

He held a hand out, and when she placed hers in it, he knew the night would change everything.