“I can assure you of one thing. There was no assignment. Nesser blackmailed Dancer. I’m not sure with what yet but the communication thread I found on the deep web, indicated he had some hold over her.” Parker’s smile deepened. “As far as the elusive Dancer is concerned … I believe you’ll all meet her soon.”
“So, it’s a woman?” Zeke asked with sparked interest.
“Yes, and that’s all I’m saying about her.”
“One last question, little brother. How can you be so sure we’ll meet her soon?”
“Because I laid out bait and the little tippy toe hacker took the bite.”
A sharp rap on the door drew their attention to Alexa, Stone’s PA, as she stepped inside. “Stone, Danton asked me to let you know he’s bringing a passenger back from the mainland. Apparently, a friend of Peyton’s? He wants to make sure you’re aware of it.”
“Damn, I forgot to tell him. Yes, Peyton asked me about it a couple of weeks ago. Apparently, her friend needs a break from the hustle and bustle of the city and my fiancée believes the island is the perfect place for her to relax.”
“Does her friend have a name?” Shane asked.
Stone frowned. “Come to think of it, I don’t believe Peyton mentioned it.”
“Is it perhaps her lawyer friend? The one who assisted her when she tried to find out who the island belongs to?” Zeke prodded.
“Taylor Banks?” Hawk said.
“Yep, that’s the one.”
“It’s possible. As far as I recall, they’re best friends,” Stone leaned against the wall. It was a habit of his to pace and prowl around the boardroom during meetings.
“Let’s hope she’s not in for a surprise and Peyton warned her what it is we do here.” Parker’s grin almost split his face in two.
“What’s that silly grin for?
Parker shrugged at the questioning looks Stone’s remark drew to him. He gathered his laptop and iPad and got up. “Let’s go, Zeke. I want to look into David Yale’s disappearance. Something tells me it’s not a coincidence that the best friend of the President is missing.”
“You want me to do what?” Hawk stared flabbergasted at Parker.
“You heard me.”
Hawk’s gaze sharpened on Parker, who slumped in a chair on the other side of the desk in his office.
“Yeah, I did and my question remains. What the hell do you need a Dom/sub agreement for? You haven’t paid special attention to any of the subs or trainees who are currently in Castle Sin.”
Parker grinned. “It’s not one of them but suffice it to say, she’s already here.”
Hawk scratched his beard as he pondered his response.
“Wait a minute. Peyton’s friend. Don’t tell me you’ve got your eyes set on her lawyer friend? She’s not going to be happy about you pouncing on her the moment her bestie walks in here.”
“It’s not her lawyer friend but … it’s the one who arrived with Danton.”
“I’m confused.”
“You all assumed it’s Taylor Banks … I happen to know otherwise.”
“And why is that?”
“I told you. I laid out the bait.”
Hawk leaned his elbows on the desk. His eyes glimmered as realization struck.
“Dancer? How the hell do you know it’s her? Peyton and Remy told us how elusive she is … a ghost. There’s no way she’d expose herself like this.”
Parker’s grin widened. “Under normal circumstances maybe not, but let’s just say, the little cherub doesn’t have much of a choice.”
“I’m not even going to ask. Just tell me this: How do you know she’ll sign an agreement with you.”
“Because I told her she better be prepared for it when she comes looking for me.”
“You met her?”
“I did. At Club Alpha Cove in New York three weeks ago.” Parker chuckled. “It was rather refreshing that she didn’t recognize me as the Rothman actor, which is why I decided to entice her into a hunt. I left a couple of crumbs that led her to our celebrity website. I knew she’d contact Peyton to prod her for information.”
“You decided you wanted to commit to a Dom/sub relationship with her based on that one meeting? That doesn’t sound like you, Parker. When it comes to women, you’re not the impulsive kind.”
“She’s different. I’ve been drawn to her from the moment I found out who she was before I even saw a photo of her. It’s like an invisible thread that linked us together. Maybe it’s because we have the same interests. I don’t know, but one thing I do know, she fucking rocked my world that night. She offered me the kind of kink experience I’ve been yearning for my entire adult life. A sub who excites me while she’s an outright defiant brat. One who awakened the need of the Dom in me to protect and care the first time our eyes met. She’s the one for me, Hawk, and I made sure she knows it.”
“It seems you made up your mind. Very well.” Hawk opened a folder on his laptop. He glanced at Parker. “So, the agreement is between Master Tiger and Dancer, I assume?”
Parker straightened in the chair. His expression turned serious. “No, between Parker Sinclair and Ava Harper.”
“You’re assuming she’s going to use her real name?”
“No, she’ll use one of her aliases, either Cece Roux, Amy Little, or Reece Amber.” His eyes glimmered. “I’m only interested in the real woman.”
“Don’t you think you should get to know her before you divulge who we really are? From everything we’ve learned about her, she’s very clever and once she has your real name, she’d be one of the few who might just be able to find out what we do.”
“To what end? There’s nothing about Ava Harper I don’t know, Hawk. She's not a fraud. For the past ten years, she assisted in putting numerous criminals behind bars and exposing corruption. Besides, I’ve been keeping an eye on her. Apart from doing her best to find me, everything she’s done since the theft of the Terror Playbook, has been legit.”
“Only a hacker would call another one legit.”
Parker chuckled. “There’s truth in that. At least both of us are doing it for the greater good.”
Hawk shook his head as he finalized the agreement and printed three copies. He placed it in a blue folder before he handed it to Parker.
“Look it over and let me know if you wish to amend anything. You know the drill. I want to have a discussion with both of you and then you’ll sign the agreement in my presence.”
“Got it. Thanks, Hawk.” Parker got up and stretched lazily. “Let’s grab some lunch. I’m starving.”
“Hmm, is it your stomach or the desire to set eyes on the mysterious Dancer that’s ravenous?”
“Both … not to mention the lust that’s been scratching at my balls for the past three weeks.”
“Don’t tell me you didn’t fuck her that night?” Hawk glanced at Parker as they ambled down the hallway toward the dining hall.
“Oh, I did. Numerous times in fact, but it was nothing more than a preliminary taste. I’ve been starving for more of her.” He released a short laugh. “So much so, that I’ve not been able to find all that much satisfaction with the subs I’ve been fucking in the dungeon.” His lips twisted in a derisive grimace. “A classic case of my own game backfiring on me.”