Taggart chuckled as though the whole conversation amused him. “When Deke walks on this plane, greet him with the type of affection he wants Byrne to see. Play your part. Sit on his lap. See how he likes having you as his sweet sub. Like this one is doing. Play his game.”
“I’m dedicated to our cover,” Mae said with a nod. “That means being the best sub I can be and making sure my Dom has everything he needs.”
Actually, that wasn’t a terrible idea. How long could he hold out on her if they were constantly affectionate? “So I should do all the things he trained me to do even though we’re not in public. Because I need practice.”
“Exactly. Turn this shit around on him.” Taggart straightened up, his gaze going to the door as the plane shifted. “Hey, guys. Charlie made sandwiches for the trip.”
A long sigh could be heard, and the plane moved again as Boomer stepped inside. “Tell her thanks for me. I’m starving. I was going to stop and grab something but I got caught in traffic.”
Taggart patted the even bigger guy on the shoulder. “There’s chips and cookies in there, too.”
Boomer picked up the cooler and moved to the back of the plane as Kyle and Deke stepped into the cabin.
“Thanks for letting us use the jet.” Deke looked delicious in a plain T-shirt and jeans. “It’s going to be easier to keep Maddie off the radar this way. I’m worried Byrne knows where she’s been.”
“I’m not,” MaeBe countered. “She showed me what she did to cover her tracks, and it’s a solid plan. Her cousin is even taking the phone with her back to LA this afternoon. According to her phone locator records, she’s had a nice spa vacay and is getting back right on time.”
Her cousin was dropping the phone into her mailbox, and she would be there an hour later to pick it up and resume normalcy.
“That’s good to know. I’m still happy we’re on a private plane.” Deke shook Taggart’s hand. “I’ll update you as soon as I have anything. Thank you, Ian.”
“No problem, man. Tell Kayla hello for me.” Ian stepped back. “And figure out one other thing for me.”
“Why Byrne wants into The Reef.” It wasn’t a question out of Deke’s mouth. It was a statement, proof that he’d been thinking about it for a long time.
“It’s where Jane wants to go,” Maddie explained. For some reason Byrne’s mystery lady wanted to see The Reef.
“But you haven’t actually met Jane,” Taggart pointed out.
“You don’t think she’s real?” It was a scenario she hadn’t thought about at all. “Byrne didn’t know I was reading up on D/s. I don’t see how he could have planned this.”
“Just keep an open mind and let my team do its job.” Taggart backed away. “And Boomer, you ready?”
Boomer already had a sandwich in his hand. He gave his boss a thumbs-up. “I have a rifle and a camera. I’m good with both, boss. I’ll get any shot we need.”
She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what other shot they might need. She knew they wanted a picture of the woman who visited Byrne at the office every couple of months. It was probably best she put it out of her mind. According to MaeBe, Boomer was excellent at a couple of things. All children adored him. He would eat almost anything. And he could take people out from long-range distances.
“We’re good to go,” Kyle promised. He sank down in the chair next to MaeBe’s.
“Don’t worry about anything, boss.” MaeBe threaded her arm through Kyle’s and put her head on his shoulder. “My Master will make sure I don’t do anything fun.”
Kyle’s eyes rolled but he did nothing to detach the woman holding on to him. “Brat.”
“You guys stay safe.” Taggart slapped the top of the plane with an open palm. “And don’t wreck my plane.”
The plane had eight seats, and she’d put her backpack on the seat next to hers. Deke stored his own carry-on and looked down at her. “You okay? The pilot’s finishing up and the flight attendant is getting more food. She should be here in a minute.”
She wished the very sight of that man didn’t make her heart race. Over the course of the weekend, she’d gotten two more texts from Dan. Why couldn’t he do it for her? “I’m good.”
Deke seemed almost disappointed by her answer. He nodded and started to turn. “Let me know if I can do anything.”
She watched as he sank down on the chair in front of her.
Mae and Kyle were quietly chatting. Boomer had what seemed like a never-ending pile of sandwiches to keep him company. Was she going to sit here and…what? Work? She wouldn’t be able to concentrate. She’d been given instructions on what would happen when they got back to her place. MaeBe would take over the security system and the cameras on her doors before they even approached the place. Then Deke and Kyle would enter the house and check for whatever they were going to check for and then perhaps she would be allowed in.
Her stomach was in knots. She had to go in to work tomorrow and act like she hadn’t spent the whole long weekend in a thong pretending to be something she wasn’t.
That might be the wrong way to look at it.
What if she wasn’t pretending to be something she wasn’t but rather finding a part of herself she hadn’t realized existed? What if she’d spent the weekend experiencing something new and exciting? Something she might enjoy if she let herself?
She already felt closer to these people in a few days than she did to her coworkers, and she’d known them for years. The act of being stripped down in the physical sense had done something to her emotionally. She didn’t open herself to people because she was afraid of being hurt. She kept telling herself that friends didn’t matter because she had her work.
But damn it, her work wouldn’t make her laugh. Her work wouldn’t tease her and remind her that she could watch a movie every now and then. Her work had no balance to it. Her work wanted everything she had and only fed part of her soul.
She glanced over and MaeBe was looking her way, giving her an encouraging smile. She winked and then shifted her focus back to Kyle, turning her face up to his. “Master, do you think there’s champagne on the plane?”
Kyle’s lips turned up in a superior smile. “Do you think I would let this plane take off without your favorite drink? When we get going, I think you’ll find the exact champagne you like.”
“You are very good at pretending to be my Master.” MaeBe cuddled close.
That got Kyle to stiffen as though he hadn’t expected those words.
She was right. He wasn’t pretending. Or rather he was pretending to pretend.
She could do that. Did she want to do that?
Did she want to take this time with Deke and enjoy him for as long as she could?
The night before she’d dreamed about slowly turning into her own AI, all intellect and no feeling. It was a dream she’d had many times over the years. In the dream she would be happy at first because if she didn’t feel, then there would be no pain or anxiety, no awkwardness or loneliness.
No joy. No love.
She could exist forever and be utterly meaningless because in the end, life wasn’t measured in achievements. The work she would do might live on, be built on, but who she was would be forgotten. In the dream she realized that memories, knowledge, success meant nothing without feeling behind them.