She wasn’t sure she would recognize the differences in Kyle’s moods. He seemed to frown. A lot. “You’re handling the whole thrown-together-fake-relationship thing well.”
MaeBe shrugged. “Oh, it’s so not fake. It’s more of a fake fake-dating situation, but then I think we’ve been doing that for a while.”
“So he’s dating you but pretending to not date you.” She couldn’t quite get a handle on their relationship dynamic. They were obviously into each other, but they didn’t seem to be dating in a traditional sense.
“That sums up my life since meeting Kyle. He says we’re just friends and then pays for everything and makes sure he always walks me to my door and is way too into my business. He acts like he’s my boss when I don’t even work in the same department he does. But I put up with it because I know it bothers him when he’s out of control. Like I would let some random friend have any kind of control over how I do my job,” MaeBe said with a shake of her head. “That man adores me and I adore him, but he’s got some serious baggage. This whole op is his way of sneaking into a real relationship with me. I’ve been waiting a long time for this. My patience is going to end in wedding bells, you wait and see.”
It was odd. She’d only known the woman for a couple of days, but it felt like longer. They’d been in the training trenches together. MaeBe had been the one to walk her through things the day before. She’d been the one to sink to her knees beside Maddie when they greeted their Masters. “That’s great for you.”
MaeBe’s expression softened. “He’s a great guy. Weird, but he’s also my best friend. Sometimes I’m oddly grateful we got this time together. If he’d been less traumatized, we probably would have ended up in bed the first night we met and I would have freaked out and run from him like I do sometimes. Instead, we built something.”
The last few days had been one long reminder of how she and Deke had influenced each other’s lives. “Deke and I have known each other since we were kids. He used to stop anyone who tried to bully me.”
“He’s a great guy, too. It’s impossible to not like Deke.” She glanced toward the door. “Is there a reason you’re not climbing that man like a tree?”
Maddie winced. It wasn’t like she hadn’t thought about it every single minute of the day. “I don’t think that’s what he wants.”
“Oh, hell no. I’ve watched him watching you.”
Well, Mae wasn’t there at night when he sent her to bed alone even though she’d pretty much done everything she could to let him know she was willing. Well, everything but telling him she was willing. “He’s playing a part. He seems very dedicated to his job.”
“He’s not usually,” MaeBe mused. “Deke is a good guy and he works hard, but he’s not obsessed with his job like some of the guys. He doesn’t work constantly. He takes all his vacation days. He likes to have fun and spend time goofing off with his friends. And he’s also not obsessed with being a Dom. I’ve been going to Sanctum for a couple of years, and I would call him a casual top. I’ve never seen the man be so serious about protocol.”
“That’s because of our cover.”
MaeBe groaned. “Why am I the only smart person?”
“Hello, master’s degree from Cal Tech. Yale alumna.”
MaeBe’s nose wrinkled. “Well, I have a degree from UNT and I know when a guy likes me.”
“Who likes you? Don’t let my nephew know. I’ve buried all the bodies on my property that I can, and he doesn’t own property. We’re all full on the murders,” a deep voice said. “I suppose we could go the acid route, but I’m getting too old to put on a hazmat suit, and Charlie doesn’t like it when I use her soaking tub to disintegrate the bodies of my enemies.”
Ian Taggart stood at the front of the plane, a big cooler in his hands.
MaeBe turned her boss’s way. If she was concerned he’d overheard her, she didn’t show it. “I was talking about Kyle. He’s using the op to turn our fake relationship into a real one. I firmly expect at some point he’ll say he needs to sleep in my bed because of danger or something and then oops, how did that get in my vagina? Don’t worry. We have condoms.”
The biggest smile came over Taggart’s face, transforming his normally taciturn expression into something swoon worthy. “You are the smartest of my employees, Mae. I assure you that everyone will be thrilled when he finally just moves in. I’ll send a fake assassin your way, and you’ll be engaged by the end of the year.”
“I welcome the assist, boss.” MaeBe gestured Maddie’s way. “She doesn’t think Deke wants her.”
Taggart snorted and set down the cooler. “Dumbass.”
The guy did not have a way with words. “I’m not pulling this theory out of thin air. I practically begged him to take me to bed Friday night.”
“After your bratty performance?” Taggart asked. “Yeah, honey, that was punishment.”
She felt heat scorch her cheeks. “I wasn’t trying to be bratty. I was feeling self-conscious and it came off as arrogant. I’ve been perfectly nice since and he still high-fives me and tells me good work. It does not feel like a sexy relationship.”
Taggart chuckled and leaned against the side of the plane like he owned it—which he did since she’d been told it was his company jet. “Have you said ‘Hey, Deke, let’s hug this out and by hug I mean I want to hug your dick with my vagina’?”
He was a terrible man. He also made her laugh because she kind of liked his put-it-all-out-there attitude. “No. No, I have not said that to him.”
“There you go. Problem solved.” Taggart looked pleased with himself.
“She’s not going to come out and say it,” MaeBe argued. “And she shouldn’t because that would totally put Deke in the better position. I do have a suggestion, though. Deke and Kyle have a lot in common these days. I think Deke is also using the whole fake D/s relationship, we-have-to-train-to-fool-the-world thing to get his hands on you. He wants you hot for him.”
“Well, it worked.” It was strange, but she felt comfortable talking about this very intimate subject with two people she’d only known for a couple of days. Spending so much time in Sanctum had loosened her up. It was sex and love and relationships. It was something that should be talked about. It was okay for her to want things.
It was okay for her to want Deke.
“Deke’s being a sneaky bastard. I approve,” Taggart announced. “I think Mae’s about to advise you that you can be sneaky, too. Despite Friday night’s bratastic display, you’ve done well. You’ve been a good student and done everything Deke’s asked of you. But I think you’re the kind of student who goes for extra credit.”
Mae pointed her boss’s way. “That’s exactly what I was going to say.”
“We’re practically family,” Taggart said with an affectionate grin. It was obvious he liked MaeBe and approved of her relationship with his nephew.
“Well, I am not practically family and don’t possess the Taggart family hive mind,” Maddie pointed out. “You’re going to have to use human words to explain this plan to me.”