Sandra wasn't sure what to say, but she returned Valerie's smile, and fortunately, Brent broke the awkward silence.

"It's great to see you, Val."

Valerie laid her hand on Brent's arm and looked up at him. "I heard from Gary today. You didn't have anything to do with that, did you?" Her voice held a firm resolve, but no anger that Sandra could detect. "Did you talk him into coming to Club Desire this weekend?"

Brent shook his head. "I did see him, but coming to the Club was his idea. However, once he mentioned it I did offer him a tour and answered a few questions. But I didn't coerce him, if that's what you're worried about."

Valerie studied Brent's face for a long time, as if trying to find any hint that he wasn't telling her the truth. But then she nodded and dropped her gaze. "I have to admit, I was happy to hear from him." She pursed her lips. "In fact I was surprised at how excited I was to see his name flash across my cell phone screen." She glanced at Sandra and then back at Brent. "It was only a text, but it reminded me how much I still love him."

Brent took both of Valerie's hands in his and gently squeezed them. "You two were great together, Val. He misses you."

A slow smile blossomed across her face. "If I'm honest, I miss him too, but I'm just not sure if we can make it work if we give it another try." She slid one of her hands out of Brent's and patted his arm. "I know you need to get going. I just wanted to know if you had talked him into coming to the Club or not."

Brent brushed a kiss over Valerie's cheek.

"It was great to meet you, Sandra. Master Brent, I'm sure I'll see you on Friday night. I invited Gary to meet me to watch the big event down on Bas.e.m.e.nt 4."

She gave a wide grin, and Sandra wondered what big event was going on down in the ber-kinky dungeon.

Valerie walked away, leaving Sandra and Brent to continue toward the elevator.

Once they were inside and headed toward level 4, Brent turned his head to look at her. "You looked good doing those self-defense moves."

The knowledge that he'd watched her even while he was working with other women warmed her. "It felt good." She gave him what felt like a wide, goofy smile. "It made me feel like I could actually defend myself if needed. At least enough to get away or to make that person back off."

Brent smiled and squeezed her hand. "I'm sure Master Dex told you to concentrate on getting away and going somewhere safe where you can contact one of us, or someone else, to help you with the situation long term."

She nodded. "Yes. He stressed that and gave me his card. Don't worry, I've had my fill of being a punching bag and taking it lying down, so to speak."

He reached over and gently stroked her cheek. "Good. There's no need for you to ever do that again." He took her hand in his, threading their fingers together. "Let's get you home so you can rest up for work tomorrow."

She pursed her lips, wishing they could play tonight and she could rest up here. But she knew it was probably better to go home, relax, and have some alone time. "What's the big event down on Bas.e.m.e.nt 4 on Friday?"

Brent chuckled. "Just this afternoon we had a large party book Bas.e.m.e.nt 4 for a Roman-themed orgy." He gestured with his hands as he spoke. "Jake and his team are redecorating and moving scenes as we speak."

"Wow. I remember you mentioning large events down there, but it will be interesting to see." She ran her fingers through her hair as she tried to picture what it would be like to watch an event like that. "What time does it start? I don't think I can pa.s.s up a chance to watch an orgy in action." She laughed and shook her head, amused that she was excited to see it.

"Would you join me in my private alcove on Bas.e.m.e.nt 3, so we can watch together?" The raw desire in Master Brent's voice was unmistakable.

Excitement curled through Sandra and she had a sudden mental image of pushing him against the elevator wall, dropping to her knees, and taking his beautiful c.o.c.k in her mouth. She exhaled in a rush as her body responded to her thoughts, and she raked her gaze over Master Brent, centering on his c.o.c.k through his black dress slacks where the cloth covered it.

Brent brushed his lips across her forehead with a soft "mmm" sound. "Is that a yes, or a no?"

She threw her arms around his neck, pulling him close and kissing him hard. "Yes," she managed through the heated kiss as he took control, pulling her against him while he kissed her until she was breathless and shaking.

When the elevator dinged and the doors slid open, Master Brent pulled back slowly, breaking the endorphin-laden spell she had been caught in.

She glanced out through the open doors, disappointed that there wasn't anyone there to catch them in their heated kiss.

Brent turned his head to see what she was looking at and smiled. "Hoping we would be caught again?" he asked, amus.e.m.e.nt clear in his voice as he echoed her thoughts.

She laughed. "I think letting my kink run free has become my new obsession. And I'm loving it."

He playfully pinched her nipple and nipped at her bottom lip before pulling away again and leading her down the hall toward the room where she had left her bag. "Let's grab your things and get you home before we get distracted again. Work is going to come early in the morning, and I'm going to make another attempt to get Mich.e.l.le to schedule a time for those security updates. She keeps telling me she's too busy, but I'm pretty sure she's reluctant to accept such an expensive gift."

Sandra nodded but remained silent for a long moment. Brent was right. Mich.e.l.le had balked at Brent paying for the security, even though she couldn't afford it on her own. But Mich.e.l.le also knew it was necessary. A few days ago they had come home to find a junkie trying to break in through the window in the office. As soon as they drove into the driveway, he ran, leaving behind a trail of used syringes and a few baggies of drugs that the police had collected when they responded. They confirmed it sounded like a local junkie. The incident had spooked both of them, and Mich.e.l.le had promised she'd take time off next week and call Brent to set a time for his security consultant to come out. Considering how old and rickety the house was, they hoped it would take only a few days.

Beyond suggesting newer windows or bars over them, the police hadn't been much help, although they said they would see if a squad car could do a few drive-throughs of the area each night since it was an older neighborhood and only a few miles from the police station. Sandra purposely hadn't told Brent about the incident because she knew how protective he was, and trying to strong-arm Mich.e.l.le into doing anything, even if it was for her own good, just made her even more stubborn.

Brent led her to the room so she could grab her bag, and then she followed him down to the garage for the drive home. Sandra had hoped to spend more time with him, but he was probably right. She needed to be fresh for work in the morning.

Until she could get her own car, Mich.e.l.le had agreed to drop her off and pick her up since she worked downtown as well.

"d.a.m.n." Brent shook his head at the flashing orange-and-white signs stretched across the on-ramp. "Surface streets it is. I forgot the 51 is closed for resurfacing tonight."

Sandra laughed. "That's Phoenix for you. There's always one freeway or another closed. That's why I'm so glad this entire city is one giant grid. I still remember how to get around, even though I was gone for ten years. The grid stayed mostly the same."

Brent glanced over at her before returning his gaze to the road. "True. Although the neighborhoods and businesses turn over enough so that even a decade can change things until they are almost unrecognizable. I had to drive to Tempe to meet a client a few weeks ago and I barely recognized it."

Sandra frowned and pursed her lips. She had never thought to ask where he went to college. "Did you attend ASU?"

"Yes. Got my master's in Business from there."

"I didn't realize you grew up in Phoenix."

Sandra turned her head so she could look at Brent's profile as he drove. She wasn't sure why the stripes of light from the streetlights as they pa.s.sed made him look like he had stiffened. She shrugged. She had to have imagined it. Brent had no reason to stiffen at such a basic topic of conversation.

"I've been here for quite a while. I feel like I've seen this city really grow up."

The answer wasn't exactly evasive, but it also wasn't as straightforward as she was used to from Brent. She shrugged and looked back at him. "That explains why you're a pro at navigating Phoenix even with the detours. A lot of people hate this place, even though I think it's much easier to get around here than New York. I usually took the subway there. I don't think I would have survived having to drive in New York."

He laughed and steered them into the left-turn lane. "I have to admit that the few times I've been there on business, I was very thankful for cabs and good maps."

Sandra opened her mouth to ask him more about his time at ASU, and about where he grew up, but her cell phone rang and buzzed inside her bag. She fished it out and saw Mich.e.l.le's number flashing on the screen. "I should get this-it's Mich.e.l.le." She swiped her finger across the phone screen to answer.

"Hey, Mich.e.l.le. What's up?"

Mich.e.l.le spoke in a rush. "I got called back in to work to fix an issue, but I forgot about all the d.a.m.n planned freeway closures tonight, and I just found out the hard way that the I-17 just closed at Thunderbird for a car crash fatality. I resigned myself to taking surface streets all the way there when my car died. I'm on the southwest corner of 19th Avenue and Thunderbird in front of Macayo's." She was obviously upset. Before Sandra could speak or offer any comment, Mich.e.l.le pressed on.

"Anyway, you said you were going to be with Brent tonight, and I didn't know if you guys were able to come and give me a jump. I think it's the battery. I hope. Especially since I need to drive you to work in the morning."

"Hold on a sec, Mich.e.l.le. Brent is right here with me."

She took the phone away from her ear, covered the mic with her hand, and turned to Brent. She outlined the problem, and before he even agreed or offered any comment he had turned and headed toward where Mich.e.l.le had broken down.

"Tell her we're on our way and we'll be there in about fifteen minutes." His voice was full of rea.s.surance and the general protectiveness that she had come to a.s.sociate with Brent. "Let her know that I can give you both a ride to work in the morning if needed, so not to worry."

Sandra relayed everything to Mich.e.l.le and got information on exactly where she was before hanging up.

- After watching the house for the last several hours to make sure no one was home, Diego slipped on latex gloves and jimmied the lock on the ancient back door to the house where Sandra had been receiving her cell phone statements. He had hoped to find her home, preferably alone, but he could wait. And then she would pay for making him chase her all the way to this G.o.dforsaken dust bowl.

He slid inside the house and carefully checked every room to make sure no one was here before he went into the two bedrooms and found the one that had to be Sandra's.

It was spartan, with no keepsakes or pictures of Sandra in the group shots.

He rummaged inside the closet and drawers until he came to the lingerie drawer. Lacy panties and bras were inside, as well as a few silk nighties and a thong or two.

Rage burned through him as he found nothing that he'd bought for her. He had forbidden her to wear any bras or underwear that he hadn't approved, and now there was no sign of his influence left.

b.i.t.c.h.

She apparently still didn't realize that she was his and his alone. Anyone who got in the way would die along with her.

He pulled out his pocketknife and took his anger out on the items, slashing through the cups of the bras as he pictured the knife digging deep into Sandra's flesh, and shredding the panties as he envisioned long, bleeding stripes crisscrossing Sandra's fair skin. Rage joined arousal as his vision intensified, but when he ripped the last nightie apart with his bare hands, his vision remained hollow since he had no body to gloat over, no woman to make suffer.

Earlier he had tracked down the dungeon Sandra had placed several calls to according to her cell phone statement. Club Desire was a gothic-looking monstrosity up on the mountain, and he had taken a big chance even driving by it. Since it was in an upscale part of the city, the police presence was a bit thicker than he would have liked. No one here had any idea who he was besides Sandra-even his car was registered to the name he had on his fake driver's license-but he didn't want to get caught before he got close enough to make her pay for leaving him. A large event was going on in a few days at Club Desire, and he was determined to find a way inside. He had no doubts that some other Dom was bruising Sandra's beautiful flesh, and the fact that anyone else was touching her was unacceptable. If time permitted, he would like to cut the b.a.l.l.s off the man who had defiled her. But he would have to be careful about it. That added bit of revenge would be sweet, but wasn't worth his freedom.

Being smart and careful had allowed him to let his pa.s.sions have free rein to this point. It was no time to change all that now.

He walked across the hall and found the roommate's underwear. It didn't give him the same satisfaction he'd felt slashing Sandra's, but it was necessary.

He searched through all the drawers and the closet, making sure things looked disturbed before he crossed the hall back to Sandra's room and looked through everything for any other clues to how he might find her and get her alone. If nothing easier presented itself, he would find a way into the Club Desire event in a few days. However, quick and easy would be preferable, and safer.

He had just finished riffling through Sandra's things, and had walked down the hall toward the back door, when a pair of headlights shone through the flimsy curtains over the front window, nearly blinding him. He cursed and hurried to the window to peek out around the edge of the curtains.

The dark-colored BMW looked out of place in this neighborhood and definitely wasn't the car that had driven away from the house earlier.

Chapter 17.

Brent pulled his car in front of the house Sandra shared with Mich.e.l.le. It was full dark and he looked around for the streetlamps, which should provide at least some light, but both were dark. In an older neighborhood like this it wasn't uncommon for the bulbs to be burned out and not replaced for months or the wiring to have gone out with little or no maintenance, or for kids to have broken the lights by throwing rocks. He would have to put in a call to the city tomorrow.

The clouds shifted and weak moonlight shone through, making everything look even more surreal in the barely-there light.

A stiff breeze blew a cloud of dust over the car and he hoped it didn't turn into a full-out hab.o.o.b-the severe dust storms that Arizona was known for this time of year. Especially since those often came with rain. Trees rustled and the occasional leaf or other debris flew by in swirling eddies, causing skittering noises against the car and making Sandra jump and fidget.

He stared out into the dark gloom for a long moment. "Are you sure you don't want to come back to Club Desire for the night and I can take you to work in the morning? Mich.e.l.le might not be home for hours, and I don't like to think of you here alone."

After they had gotten Mich.e.l.le's car running again, they had followed her to work to make sure she made it, and Brent had called a friend to come out and take a look at the clunker to make sure she would be able to make it home.

Sandra shook her head. "We already drove all the way out here and Mich.e.l.le will be home later. I don't want her coming home to an empty house. Besides, she has to be back to work at nine a.m., so I might as well go in with her."

Brent nodded. "At least let me walk you up to the door and get you settled inside."

She laid her hand on his arm. "Brent, I appreciate all you've done. But I'm a grown woman. You don't need to bother with all that."

The slow patter of rain began, sounding loud against the roof of the car.

He laid his hand over hers and met her gaze. "If you're still sure you want to stay here, then I would feel better if you let me make sure you're safe." He smiled, hoping that in the moonlight she could see his sincerity and how much he wanted to take care of her.

After a long pregnant silence, she slowly nodded. "All right. I know Mich.e.l.le has been a bit stubborn about finding time for the security guys to come out. I really do appreciate you looking out for me. I'm just not used to it." She raised her chin. "Being totally self-sufficient has become something of a way of life for me. It's a hard habit to break."

He reached out to skim his finger over her lips. "You're a strong woman. You've survived and thrived through so much. There's no shame in letting someone else look out for you now and then. It doesn't mean you're weak. It means you're strong enough to accept help."

She pursed her lips as if trying to decide whether what he had said was true or not.

Finally she nodded. "I know you have to get back to the club, and I need sleep before work tomorrow. You can walk me to the door if it makes you feel better."

He held back a smile at this small victory, but he still wished she would change her mind and come back to the Club with him. "Let's go." He pushed open his car door against the growing wind and stepped out into the murky night.

The steady rain immediately chilled his skin and he hurried his pace.

By the time he had walked around to the front of the car, Sandra was already there, trying to hold her hair out of her face while the wind whipped it and the rain continued to pound.

He took her hand and walked her to the door, scanning the shadows around them on both sides. He had no real reason to think that anything was wrong other than the bad weather in the making, but this place gave him the creeps. The murky dark, rain, and wind didn't help. It felt like they were walking up to a haunted house that held fear and secrets, and he didn't like the sensation. But he couldn't toss Sandra over his shoulder and kidnap her to Club Desire for the night, no matter how tempting that idea sounded.

When they reached the porch, they had some protection from the rain, but the wind still reached them, chilling his skin under his damp clothes. Brent held out his hand and waited until Sandra laid the keys on his open palm.

He slid the key into the lock of the flimsy wooden door and vowed to double down on his effort to charm Mich.e.l.le into letting the security guys in here to update the place. He turned the key and opened the door.

A loud banging from inside the house made him stiffen and nudge Sandra behind him.

She made a sound that he wasn't sure was from protest or fear, but she stayed behind him, grasping his waist in a death grip.

When he brought her home the other day he'd noticed the light switches were across the room on the far wall near the kitchen. He thought about putting Sandra inside the locked car to keep her safe, but he knew that was no guarantee of safety, so he opted to keep her with him where he could keep an eye on her. The house was dark, but enough weak moonlight shone through the thin drapes to cast everything in a spooky glow.

He turned to Sandra and laid his finger against her lips with a whispered, "Shhh."

She nodded, and when he took her hand and led them forward she stayed with him without hesitation or complaint.

He made it across the room and flipped the switch, flooding the room with light and making him blink against the sudden illumination just in time to hear rain pelt down harder against the house and the howling of the wind increase in volume.

The loud banging was coming from inside the kitchen, so he carefully peered around the corner of the archway into the room. The back door seemed to be broken and splintered, hanging from its hinges and banging against the door frame with the growing wind outside.

"Brent," Sandra whispered urgently. "Look."

He turned to follow her line of sight and saw clothes, mostly ripped lingerie of various types, strewn down the hallway leading to the bedrooms.

In his peripheral vision he thought he saw something pa.s.s across the front window. When he turned his head to look there was nothing, and he couldn't be sure if he'd seen anything at all other than debris from the building storm.

Sandra still stared down the hallway and he didn't want to scare her, so he stayed quiet.