I cringed at the word blood play. Brian leaned down and whispered in my ear, “Don’t worry, pet, blood play is definitely on my hard limit list.”
The conversation turned to other happier and less heavy subjects. I shared about my gran, how close we were, and how I grew up. Brian and Brody shared stories from living on the ranch with so many siblings. Brody’s phone broke the conversation.
“Yes, sir,” he answered. His back straightened, and he moved Fancy from his lap. “Affirmative, give us fifteen.” He hung up and shot a glance at Brian. “Ian needs us at headquarters.” He stood, talking to Fancy as he grabbed his jacket and keys. “Why don’t you take Genevieve shopping for something to wear to the club tonight?”
“Ohhhh. I’ll get her all fixed up.” She smiled at me and winked.
Brian gave me a breath-stealing kiss before joining Brody. “Anything she wants, Fancy, she gets.” He winked and followed his brother out the door.
14
Brian
I followed Brody into the conference room at Trident Security, my mind wandering to Genevieve. I couldn’t wait to discover what she and Fancy purchased for the club. Flashes of her luscious body encased in different versions of clubwear with different levels of exposed skin had my body primed and ready.
“Yo, brother, pay attention.” Brody smacked the back of my head.
I grabbed his hand, twisting it behind his back, and slammed him against the table.
“That’s enough, Twatwaffles,” Ian’s voice boomed into the room before his feet ever stepped inside. “We would all love to put Egghead in his place, but we don’t have the time right now.” Ian laughed and gave me a back-slapping hug. “Good to see you, brother.”
“You too. Though I am confused as to why you wanted me at this meeting.” I raised an eyebrow in question.
“We won’t keep you long. I know the excitement you feel at the beginning of a relationship.”
“And in the middle of one, too.” Jake, another of the Trident Security team, laughed as he joined us.
“Well, yes.” Ian’s smile said more than words ever could. “Okay, gentlemen, let’s update Brian and allow him to get back to his sub.”
Two more men I didn’t know joined us, and the intensity in the room shifted as they set up and projected their laptop screens onto the large TV on the wall.
“Carter just sent us these.” One indicated the screen on the wall. The screen was split with pictures of Jason and the goons on one side and a copy of the FBI report on the other. “As you may have expected, Jason flipped very easily to save his life and career. He will be testifying for the government, and in return, he gets immunity.”
My fists clenched with the need to hit something. Brody patted my hands and took over sharing the information.
“Your little sting put a huge chink in Antonio’s operation. Lovely played a big part in his trafficking business, and with that removed, all import and export have essentially stopped. His goons are still staying silent, but I give Carter and Jordyn less than a day to break them.”
“I’ve spoken with Carter on the mental state of Jason and have agreed to allow him to join us here when he is released. Carter, myself, and Roxy will be retraining him in both security work and as a Dom.”
“What the fuck?!” I stood, my chair falling behind me. “You have got to be crazy! Y’all know what he’s done, what he was going to do!”
Ian interrupted me. “I trust Carter’s judgment. If he says Jason can be rehabilitated, I believe him. Now, sit your ass down before I have you escorted out.”
All eyes were glued to me, waiting for my response. “He can’t be rehabilitated,” I grumbled as I righted my chair and sat back down.
“That may be, but we won’t know until we try.” Ian’s voice softened. “Brian, you had excellent guidance and support when you ventured into this lifestyle. Many don’t. If we can help in any way, we will. I will reserve my judgment of Jason until I meet him. Again, I trust Carter’s instincts explicitly.” His gaze bored into mine. “If you can’t handle that, I suggest you pack up and go home.”
“Don’t worry, Genevieve and I will be gone long before that asshole ever gets here.” I sat back and crossed my arms. Ian was wrong, but if he wanted to ignore my advice, that was his mistake. For Genevieve and me, we would enjoy a weekend with my brother and then get the hell out of Dodge.
I listened to the rest of the debriefing and kept my mouth shut. As soon as they were done, I shot out of my chair and stormed out of the building.
“Brian! Hey, wait up.” Ian’s booming voice stopped me on the top step of the outside staircase. I turned and waited.
“Ian, thank y’all for all your help, but I just can’t agree with Carter’s evaluation of Jason.”
“I know you have a rough history with the man, but he has already agreed to counseling sessions and has actually started them. It was part of his immunity agreement. Carter has made sure we get a copy of the therapist’s notes and treatments. There is more to him than what you know.”
“All I know is the damage he caused back in Texas.” I ran my hand through my hair and took in a deep breath. “I understand that everyone deserves a second chance, but I can’t agree with this one.”
“I know, brother. It’s hard when it’s someone who has hurt the ones we love. Trust me and know that I and the others here will never let that happen. If we deem him unable to reform, we will be the first to take care of him.” He placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “You and Genevieve will be there tonight?”
I exhaled, letting the tension flow out of my body. “Yeah, she and Fancy went shoppin’ today for somethin’ to wear.”
“Fabulous. Dinner is at six on the dot, then we will move the party to the club.”
“Sounds good.” Ian nodded at me before turning and going back inside.
Brody popped his head out. “I’ve got another couple of meetings yet.” He tossed his keys to me. “Take the truck. I’ll meet you guys at Ian’s for dinner.” Then he ducked back inside.
“Thanks,” I said to an empty doorway.
I didn’t know the area, so I plugged his address into the GPS after cranking the engine, and an idea popped into my head. A mischievous smile spread across my face as I changed my destination before backing out. After sending a quick text to Genevieve, I took off following the directions that the mechanical GPS voice gave me.
I let myself into Brody’s house exactly two hours later, expecting to find the girls chatting away but was greeted with absolute silence. I was disappointed for a split second, then realized it was better they weren’t here yet. I quickly showered and put my little black bag together, stowing it beneath the bed.
My phone chirped and sang with an incoming call. I knew by the tone that it was my mom. “Hey, Mama.”
“Brian Evans, why did I have to learn about your new girlfriend from your brother?” Pain etched each word, and I cursed Brody in my head.
“I’m sorry. I just hadn’t had the time to call yet.” I cringed, knowing that was a weak excuse.