10
GARETH
I looked on with pride as the line of fourteen young Muay Thai students bowed respectfully in front of me. It had been a great class, and all the kids did well. I returned their bow with a nod of approval. "Alright," I announced. "Great job everyone. Let's call it a night."
And just like that, they all turned into rowdy and rambunctious kids again. I smiled as they all scurried around collecting their gear off the mat. That is, all of them but two. Declan and Devlin, Derek and Thea's twin nine-year-old boys, stepped toward me with serious expressions on their faces. Sometimes it was disconcerting how much they were like their father, with the same facial structure and mannerisms. It was like two mini Derek's staring up at me. The only things that were different were the warm expressive brown eyes and darker skin tone they inherited from their mother.
"Is everything alright, boys?" I asked them worriedly.
"We're glad you're okay, Uncle G," Devlin, the twin with the slightly narrower face said gravely.
"Yeah. Mom told us a really bad man cut you," Declan chimed in with a deep frown. He was the more sensitive of the two.
I nodded. "But I'm fine now," I reassured them. "Your mom fixed me all up."
Relief flooded both boy's faces.
"Come here." I opened my arms and pulled them both in for a quick hug.
When they stepped back, Devlin's eyes moved down to my abdomen. "Can...can we see it, Uncle G?"
Leave it to a kid to ask the one thing I really didn't want to do. I could still barely look at the damn thing myself, let alone let them gawk at it. I'd been trying to ignore the long ugly pink thing as much as I could. It was going to leave a nasty scar that I'd carry for the rest of my life. A stark reminder of how I pushed Malory away and almost lost her because I was a stupid asshole. I didn't like to think about it, and it wasn't ever going to happen again. I was going to devote the rest of my life to that woman, and to making up for my shortcomings as a man until I felt like I truly deserved her.
"I...I...um," I stuttered out as the boys looked at me expectantly. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"Please," Declan added in a pleading tone.
"That's enough, boys," Derek interjected as he came up behind his kids and eyed them sternly. "If Gareth doesn't want to show you, then you need to respect that."
Both boys deflated in disappointment. "We just wanted to look at it," Devlin grumbled out petulantly.
"Well, sometimes in life you don't get what you want," Derek continued firmly. "Consider it a lesson in disappointment."
The boys glared up at their father.
Derek crossed his arms and glared right back. "Am I going to have to tell your mother about your attitudes tonight?"
Instantly, their glares turned to wide-eyed grimaces of fear.
"That's what I thought." He jerked a thumb toward the locker rooms. "Now go get dressed."
With that statement, Declan and Devlin scuttled away to change out of their T-shirts and loose Muay Thai shorts.
"Sorry about that," Derek said with a frown as we followed after them at a slower pace.
"That's okay," I replied with a shrug. "They're just curious."
"Curiosity is a dangerous thing," he said with a smirk and an eyebrow waggle. "It'll make people do unexpected things."
"Really?" I asked with a shake of my head and a smile as we walked into the locker room. "You're still harping on about the bet?" He kept insisting that Malory was going to ask about going to the club, especially since she was having dinner with his wife right now. He was nuts, and he was going to lose.
"They're probably talking about it right now."
"Talking isn't the same as going," I replied as I opened my locker.
"No, but it'll lead to talking about going." He pointed at me. "Mark my words. She's gonna want to go."
"You're deluded, man." I shook my head in exasperation. She'd been so upset when she first found out I'd been going to the club, that I couldn't ever imagine her wanting to see it herself. Although, I'd love to witness her reaction to the place. My God, I enjoyed watching her blush almost as much as I loved watching her come.
Derek opened his mouth to argue some more, but my phone began ringing inside my locker. "See?" he said, nodding toward my locker with a wide grin. "That's probably her calling to ask you to take her right now."
"Shut up, dumbass," I growled out as I grabbed my phone off the top shelf. I looked at the screen and saw Travis Taylor's name on it. Shit. What did that fucker want now?
I sighed deeply. "It's a client," I grumbled out, then swiftly walked out of the locker room, headed down the hallway, and entered the back stairwell for some privacy.
I stared at the phone in annoyance as it rang one more time in my hand, half tempted to ignore it. I had nothing new to tell him. The police were still running the DNA test on the ropes, and from what he told me, it would most likely have his and Tess Richards DNA on them. He was pretty much screwed at this point, and unless he was willing to be completely honest with me, my hands were tied.
"What can I do for you, Taylor?" I asked in a resigned tone. Silence was my only reply. It stretched on for so long that I thought the call might have been dropped. "Travis?"
"Gareth?" a female voice spoke. It instantly sent an icy chill down my spine. It was a voice that was intimately familiar. No, no, no, it couldn't be.
"Ryan?" I blurted out without thinking.
More silence, but I could hear her breathing. Goddamn it. I just wanted to hang up, but I knew it wouldn't do any good. She'd only call again and again. The woman was like a dog with a bone when she got something in her damn head.
"Wh...wh...I...I..." she babbled out in confusion. "What...what are you...why...why has Travis been calling you?" She finally managed to string an actual sentence together, lacing the word "you" with disdain.
Knowing Ryan, she'd snagged Travis' phone behind his back and went through his calls, looking for any sign of infidelity, then called mine when she found a number she didn't recognize. She used to do the same thing with my phone when we were married. She probably expected to hear a woman answer her call, not her ex-husband.
I sighed softly. "I'm sorry, Ryan, but I can't share that with you," I answered in an even tone. I couldn't show any weakness, or she'd pounce on it.
"What do you mean you can't share it with me?" she asked indignantly. "He's my husband and I have a right to know?"
"No," I said firmly. "You don't." I refused to compromise myself or betray Travis' confidence, even if he didn't really deserve it. Besides, I wasn't going to be the one to tell her that her husband was being charged with murdering his mistress, even if I could tell her.
"I demand to know right this instant, you asshole," she snarled out viciously.
I flinched as she said that damn word, remembering all the times she'd called me that when we were married, and how much it hurt every time when I still loved her. Anger ignited inside me. Malory never talked to me like that, never, and I wasn't going to put up with it.
"You can demand all you want, Ryan," I growled back threateningly, "but I'm not telling you anything. If you want to know, then you'll have to ask your husband."
"You men are all alike. You're all cheating bastards who cover for each other no matter what. Well, let me tell you, you asshole. I'm going to-"
"Shut the fuck up!" I cut her off sharply.
"How dare you!" she practically shrieked into the phone. "You owe me an explanation!"
"Stop!" I snarled out. "I don't have to tolerate you screaming at me. We're not married, and I don't owe you a damn thing, you little cu-"
The sound of a male voice calling out Ryan's name on her end interrupted my tirade. The timing was perfect for me as Ryan began laying into who I assumed was Travis instead of me. He must have busted her with his phone. Several moments of screaming and yelling ensued, and I heard my name mentioned along with the word "asshole" again. I ground my teeth together and was just about to end the call when Taylor came on the line.
"Caxton?" he asked in a harsh and meaningful tone that I understood clearly.
"I didn't tell her a damn thing, Taylor," I said harshly, "but it's about fucking time you did." I might despise Ryan, but she didn't deserve to be in the dark about this anymore.
"I don't pay you to give me relationship advice," he barked back at me sharply. "I pay you for your legal advice, and nothing more."
"Well, here's my legal advice then," I replied snidely. "Get yourself a damn good divorce lawyer." I ended the call without another word.
Part of me hoped never to hear from him again, but that was wishful thinking. He needed me, and he knew it. I'd be hearing from him again soon enough, if he survived tonight that is. I wondered how he'd explain his way out of this, and if Ryan might need my professional services herself by the end of the night. Ugh. I shuddered at the thought of spending any length of time with my ex-wife in any capacity. It made me almost pity her husband. Good luck, Travis. He was going to need it.
**********
"I missed you last night," I told Malory as I pulled her hand up to my lips for a soft kiss. I glanced over at her from the driver's seat of my Range Rover as I drove us to lunch with my father on Friday. My weekly lunches with Dad now usually included her, much to my father's delight. He adored her almost as much as I did.
"I missed you too," she replied in a low husky voice that reminded me of the noises she made when I was inside her.
Fuck. My cock began to harden, and I had to release her hand to readjust myself. Her eyes glanced down at my lap, and she gave me a smug and sexy little smirk with those full luscious lips of hers. It made me want to see them wrapped around my dick. I really didn't want to go to lunch now. I wanted to take her home instead, so I could ravage her until she begged me to stop.
"How was your class last night?" she asked as I took her hand again. Her thumb caressed the back of my hand in gentle circles. I was still distracted by my libido, and it took me a second to comprehend her words.
"Really good," I replied as I managed to get myself under some control. "The kids were great, and I'm feeling almost back to normal again."
"Good." She laced her fingers through mine. I tightened my grip around her hand, and we rode like that in comfortable silence for a few minutes.
I eyed her sideways. She was smiling happily as she looked straight ahead out the windshield. She hadn't mentioned a word about her dinner with Thea last night yet. I was trying to be patient and respect her privacy, in case she didn't want to talk about it, but my curiosity was killing me. I'd waited long enough, and I couldn't take it anymore.
"Did you enjoy your dinner with Thea?" I asked casually, not wanting her to feel pressured into sharing more than she was comfortable with.
She glanced at me, her face instantly blushing. Goddamn it, my dick started getting hard yet again. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.
"I did," she answered sheepishly. "It...it wasn't what I expected, and it was very eye opening too."
"Oh?" I asked nonchalantly, wanting to ease her discomfort. I might enjoy seeing her blush, but I didn't truly want to upset her. "How so?"
"Well for one, I thought Derek and Thea were swingers."
"What?!" I blurted out in shocked surprise. I started laughing. Honestly, I couldn't help it. The very idea of those two swinging was utterly ridiculous. Derek didn't routinely show it, unless he was at the club, but he was one of the most possessive men I knew. Thea was his, and that was just the way she liked it. Neither would ever share, not in a million years.
Malory glared fiercely at me and snatched her hand away from mine, her lower lip sticking out a little. Shit, I'd hurt her feelings. "I didn't know," she said in an offended tone. "It's not like I've ever been to a sex club before. For all I knew you were all having wild orgies all over the place."
I couldn't help laughing again, which earned me a baleful stare from her.
"You're a jerk," she snapped at me and turned away to look out her passenger window, her body tense.
"Beautiful," I said apologetically.
She turned to look at me with a hurt expression that made me feel like an asshole.
"I'm not laughing at you," I said sincerely. "I promise."
"Well, you could have fooled me." She crossed her arms and looked away again.
"Malory," I spoke in a soft warm tone. "I'm sorry." I reached over and took her hand in mine again, and she let me. I took that as a good sign. "The BDSM lifestyle attracts a certain type of person, dominant possessive people and the people who want to be dominated and possessed by them. Those kinds of people are rarely into sharing. Derek is particularly possessive, and he'd lose his mind if another man touched Thea in any way. So the very idea of them swinging is completely inconceivable to me, let alone participating in an orgy. The BDSM lifestyle and the swinger lifestyle don't really intersect, for the most part."
"Oh," she blinked and blushed again, fidgeting uncomfortably in her seat. "I...I didn't know that."
"That's okay," I reassured her. "You're still learning." I squeezed her hand firmly. "And just so you know." I dropped my voice into a low growl. "I'd never allow another man to touch you either. I will never share you." If I had my way, she would never know the touch of another man again. "You're mine," I added in a deep husky tone.
That finally got a small twitch of a smile out of her. She placed her other hand atop our clasped ones, and gave me a stern expression. "And I won't share either," she added fiercely. "You're mine."
"Always," I agreed vehemently. "You've owned me since our first kiss."
She smiled radiantly at me, and it made my heart stutter and ache in the very best way.
"I love you." The words just flew out of me without a thought, sincere and deeply real. I didn't know what those words really meant until her.
"I love you too," she whispered as emotion glittered in her eyes. Yeah, she felt it too.
I smiled and pulled her hand to my mouth for another kiss. We rode in companionable silence the rest of the way to the hotel, our hands clasped together. When we arrived, I helped her out of the vehicle, then took her hand again before we made our way inside the five-star hotel and into its restaurant. Dad stood as we approached our usual table and went straight to Malory.
"Malory, honey," he said with a wide grin as he pulled her into a hug. "It's so good to see you again."
She smiled up at him. "It's good to see you too, Tom."
"Hi, Dad," I said as I smiled at them.
He turned his grin on me. "Son," he said warmly, his eyes softening. He hugged me tight with an edge of desperation. His eyes were a little misty when he pulled away and patted my cheek affectionately. Dad had taken my injury hard, and worrying him made me feel bad. I never wanted to scare him like that again.
I pulled out Malory's chair, then Dad and I took a seat on each side of her. The two of them immediately began chatting about some book that they were both reading. I smiled and watched, enjoying their interaction. My father had never had this kind of relationship with Ryan, and it touched me to see it. It was just another sign that Malory was perfect for me.
My phone rang in my jacket pocket. I pulled it out to see Scott Conrad's name on the screen. Scott never called me on a whim or without a good reason. I apologized to Malory and my father for having to take the call, then stood to walk toward the hotel lobby.
"Yes, Scott," I answered as I walked across the dining room.
"You in the office?" he asked brusquely.
"No," I replied, then told him where I was.
"Good," he continued. "I'm close. Meet me out front. I'll be there in a few." He ended the call.
Shit, he must have something if he wanted to come to me now. I pocketed my phone as I hurried out to the lobby, then headed outside. I only managed to pace for a few minutes before Scott pulled up in front of the hotel. I made a beeline straight for his silver BMW and got in. He immediately pulled away from the curb to begin circling the block while we talked.
"I followed Taylor home from work last night," Scott said without preamble. "He made a pit stop along the way."
"Where?"
"A coffee shop," he answered. "He was meeting someone."
"Please tell me it wasn't another mistress," I said in disgust, even though I wouldn't have been surprised.
"No." He reached down to a bag that sat next to my feet. He pulled out a tablet and handed it to me.
I woke the screen and looked at an image taken from outside the large front window of a coffee shop with the name Bean There, Done That Cafe written across the glass. Talk about bad puns. Taylor was sitting near the window at a table across from another man. He was bald and probably in his mid forties, and had the fit and muscular body of a man who took care of himself. His gray eyes were hard and intelligent, and his nose looked liked it had been broken a few times. He had the air and demeanor of someone you didn't want to fuck with. He also looked very familiar to me.
"Who is this?" I asked curiously.
"That's Ian Elias," Scott said in a grave tone.
My head spun instantly to the left to look at him. "What?" I blurted out in surprise.
Anyone who had anything to do with the legal system in this town knew who Ian Elias was, me included. He was the son of the late head of our city's organized-crime underworld, Aiden Elias, who died in prison five years ago. Ian Elias had started his own business, Elias Enterprises, after his father was put away five years before his death for multiple felony charges, seemingly abandoning his father's family business for a legitimate one. However, there were rumors and whispers in the legal community that his business wasn't on the up and up like he'd like the authorities to believe. Nothing had ever been proven or charged against him though. I suspected it was because he was too intelligent to get caught. The man was renowned for his ruthless business practices, but so far nothing had ever come to light to link him to anything illegal. At this point, it was all rumor and hearsay.
"Any idea what they were talking about?" I asked Scott as I stared down at the image again, trying to figure out where I'd seen him, because I was sure that I'd never met the man before. As far as I knew, he kept a low profile and stayed out of the press, so I knew I didn't see his face in the paper or on TV. Like I said, he was smart.
"No," he replied. "I didn't dare to get any closer than the long lens I used from my car for that shot. Elias had some serious muscle with him loitering outside the coffee shop. I didn't want to blow my cover or get my ass beat by his body guards." Scott sighed. "I had to do some serious digging this morning to figure out who he was. The bastard's practically a fucking ghost."
I continued studying the guy, a niggling of recognition flitting in the back of my mind. I stared, and stared, and stared until suddenly it hit me like a shock of icy water. Holy fuck, I knew exactly where I'd seen him before. We were members of the same goddamn club. I'd seen him at Désir Dangereux, and he was a Dom just like me. Son of a bitch. Legally, I couldn't say a damn word about it to Scott, or mention the fact that Tess Richards was also a member. It seemed like entirely too much of a coincidence for them both to be members, and for it not to mean something.
Unfortunately, the nondisclosure agreement tied my hands, so I couldn't tell Scott without violating it. The last thing I wanted to do was get sued by a man like Ian Elias and lose. Of course, there was nothing keeping me from telling Scott that I was a member, and I trusted his discretion to keep what I told him in confidence. Scott was sharp and intuitive, and maybe I could set him on the right trail, without having to spell it out.
"What would you say, if I told you that I was a member of a local BDSM club called Désir Dangereux?" I asked Scott as I watched him closely. His eyes narrowed, then flashed over to me for a second before focusing on the road again.
"Well, given what I know about you, Gareth, I'd say I wasn't surprised," he replied with a slight smirk.
"What would you say if I told you that potential members have to sign nondisclosure agreements before they're allowed to join to protect everyone's privacy?" I asked pointedly. "So if I happened to recognize someone from the club, I'd be required to keep that information to myself or risk a law suit against me."
"I'd say, you should be careful not to violate it then," he replied. "Especially considering I'm close friends with the new owner and also his silent business partner."
I gaped at him in astonishment. "You're friends with Calder Rennen?"
He nodded. "We've been friends since we met in rehab ten years ago."
My eyes widened in surprise yet again.
He glanced over at me as he stopped at a light, his face grim and serious. "Yeah, I'm a recovering addict," he confessed softly.
I nodded slowly, acknowledging the fact that he was trusting me with such personal information. Now we both knew each other's secrets, secrets that could hurt our careers if either ever got out. I trusted Scott even more now, and I was grateful I'd hired him.
"Perhaps if you paid a visit to the club, say tomorrow night," Scott suggested nonchalantly as he pulled up in front of the hotel again. "I could convince the owner to meet with you, and discuss what you can't legally discuss with me right now."
"Perhaps I'll be there," I replied with a firm nod as I handed him back his tablet. I opened the car door and climbed out without another word, then watched Scott drive away. I felt a sense of accomplishment since I seemed to finally be getting somewhere with this case, but it was short-lived as icy dread hit me when I realized what I'd just agreed to do.
Fuck. Me. I'd just agreed to go back to the BDSM club that I never planned to visit again. I had three choices now, and none of them were good. I could lie to Malory and visit Désir Dangereux without her knowledge and live with the guilt, risking her ire and our relationship if she ever found out, or tell her I was going to the club without her for reasons I couldn't share. Yeah, like that would go over well. She'd probably leave me for good after that. My final option was to do nothing and watch Taylor go to prison for a murder that I was almost certain he didn't commit. I couldn't in good conscience live with that either. One thing was clear though, no matter what I chose to do, I was fucked.