Sitting at a table in the pub between his mother and brother, and across from his future brother-in-law, Mike tried to keep his mind on the subject—convincing his mother it was time for an assisted living facility. The one they wanted her to move into was only five or six minutes away from Mike’s condo and only a little further away from the Trident Security compound where Jake and Nick’s large apartment was located. Mike had thought about moving back in to help take care of Emma, but he couldn’t be there twenty-four hours a day and wasn’t too keen on bringing in aides he didn’t know to sit with her. Like he and Jake had discussed, the assisted living facility would be best for a number of reasons. She’d have people her own age around, her medications would be monitored, and someone would be able to check in on her at all hours.

They’d planned on having this discussion two days ago, but Ian had needed Jake and Nick to take care of a Trident case. But, now, as Jake rattled off those valid reasons and a bunch of others of why the assisted living facility was a good idea, Mike’s mind kept wandering to Charlotte. He was still floored about the other night, how she’d made him cum with more intensity than he’d ever experienced before, and so quickly. Then he’d fallen asleep with his head in her lap. When he’d awakened about forty minutes later, they’d still been in the same position.

After asking him a few questions to determine his mental status, she’d gotten up and made omelets for them. While eating, they’d gone over a D/s contract, with Charlotte filling in blanks as they negotiated and then agreed on different clauses. Mike had thought it would feel odd signing a contract for sex, but it hadn’t. It also hadn’t just been about sex.

Sitting next to Mike at the table in her kitchen, Charlotte added a note in the margin of the contract, then glanced back up at him. Her eyes narrowed. “I can tell you want to ask me a question, Michael. Is something confusing or upsetting you?”

Chewing a mouthful of the delicious omelet, he tilted his head slightly from side to side, trying to get the words right in his mind before speaking them. He didn’t want to sound like he was insulting her or being a chauvinistic ass. “I’m just not sure how this works outside of the bedroom or the club.”

“You mean the dynamics of our relationship?”

“Yes.”

Reaching over, she laid her hand on his arm. “Your submission isn’t all or nothing here, Michael. In the bedroom and club, yes, I’ll want . . . I’ll demand your full submission. But that’s where it ends. You’re a strong, intelligent adult. Just like I don’t want you to suppress your sexual submission, I don’t want you to suppress who you really are outside of play, either. There, I want you to be my equal—side by side—give and take—neither one of us being the alpha or the omega. I’m not demanding you submit to me in other aspects of your life. And in the same respect, I won’t stand for you trying to take over those aspects of my life. When we come across something, where your knowledge or experience goes beyond mine, then yes, I’ll let you take the lead. If it’s something I excel in, then all I ask is that you give me the same courtesy. We’ll then come to an agreement on how to proceed. Understood?”

He’d felt so much better after she’d explained it to him. As they’d continued going through the contract, he’d felt more and more at ease with how the relationship would be. The end date of the contract was one month to the day they’d signed it, but Charlotte hadn’t given him a definitive answer about whether or not they’d be renewing it at that point. And that was the only thing that was bothering him, if he were being truthful with himself. Everything else seemed to . . . fit, he guessed was the word he was looking for. When he was in her arms, he felt like he was home.

She hadn’t lied when she’d said there wouldn’t be any sex between them the other night—or sex that involved her getting undressed and cumming. Now, three days later, he was ready to beg her to let him see her again. They’d only spoken on the phone a few times since that night. That didn’t mean the conversations hadn’t been hotter than Hell. Last night, as he laid in bed, naked at her command, she’d told him to describe what he wanted to do to her if she’d been there with him. It had been the most sensual phone sex he’d ever had in his life. Hell, it ranked up there with the best sexual act he’d ever had in his life. God help him when he finally got his cock inside her. He wasn’t sure he’d survive.

“Mike? Hey, Earth to Mike.”

He shook his mind clear and looked at his brother. “What?”

Jake rolled his eyes. “Want to stay in this conversation, please? Can I have that stuff you got from the assisted living place about the cost breakdown?”

Shifting to the side, Mike reached back and pulled the folded papers from his back pocket. He handed them over to Jake, as he addressed their mother. “I tallied up your social security check, your monthly pension from Southwestern Bell . . .” She’d worked in their customer service department for twenty years, starting in her late teens. It was where she’d met Sean Donovan and fallen in love with the Irishman. “. . . and the monthly dividends from the investments with your financial advisor, and all of that will cover about seventy-five percent of the bill each month at Twin Ponds. Your mortgage is low so, after we sell the house, there’ll be plenty left over to cover the other twenty-five percent. And Jake and I will help, if needed, but I don’t think it’ll come to that.”

“It’s not the money, dear,” his mother said. “I don’t want to give up my independence. And I have the house decorated the way I like it. It’s my home.”

“Mom, you won’t be giving up anything—in fact, I think you’ll have more freedom. Think of it this way—you won’t have six huge rooms to dust and vacuum. There’s two and a half baths in the house for one person. And none of your neighbors are around during the week. At Twin Ponds, there’ll be plenty of people your age, and they have lots of great activities you can take part in. And Jake, Nick, and I will take you out whenever you want. We just want to make sure that while we’re working, you’ll have someone looking out for you.”

“I don’t know—”

“Emma,” Nick interrupted, his tone soft for his future mother-in-law. “Why don’t we take you over there to scope out the place before you make your decision? I haven’t seen the inside, but the outside grounds look really nice. I think you’ll like it.” His gaze flitted past the older woman and recognition kicked in. “Hey, Charlotte.”

Mike’s head whipped around, and his heart began to pound in his chest, the way it seemed to do every time the Domme was near, nowadays. Her gaze met his, and he immediately began to recall the latest baseball stats—anything to keep from getting a hard-on while sitting next to his mother. Thank God the thought of the woman who’d given birth to him had the desired effect. At least, he’d be able to stand and greet Charlotte without being embarrassed. Just don’t think about the phone sex and you’ll be fine. Damn it.

* * *

Climbing into her SUV, Charlotte tossed the file she’d been carrying onto the passenger seat. “Four down, one to go,” she muttered as she turned the ignition key and the engine roared to life. Three mornings and one random evening a week, she made rounds to check in on some of her parolees at their jobs or residences. Depending on the location and the ex-con’s history, there were times she had an officer from Tampa P.D. accompany her on a visit. Today she’d only required backup on her first stop. She suspected it was only a matter of time before low-life Simon McGee returned to his criminal ways, and would probably put up a fight when she found evidence he was selling drugs once again. So far, if he was dealing, he wasn’t sampling the product since his random drug tests had come up negative. And he either had a fantastic hiding spot at his mother’s house or the drugs were being held somewhere else.

Pulling out onto the highway, she headed for Donovan’s Pub. She’d purposely made Jose Vega’s check-in her last for the morning. She could then see if Mike was available for lunch, before she returned to the office for her afternoon appointments. Suddenly, finding out if there could be something between them, long term, was important to her. For the first time since she’d entered the BDSM lifestyle, the thought of a contract’s end date actually scared her. What if he doesn’t want to renew it at the end of the month? What if he isn’t feeling the same things I am—things I’ve never felt before with any man?

It didn’t take her long to reach her destination. At 11:30, there were already several vehicles parked in front of the pub. She knew the staff parked in a smaller lot behind the building—along with employees of the other shops in the strip mall—to leave more spaces available for patrons. To the right of Donovan’s was a dry cleaner, a nail salon, and a Chinese takeout place. To the left was a small, owner-operated pharmacy, that’d somehow survived after both a Walgreens and CVS had moved in nearby, a mixed martial arts studio, and, on the far end, a convenience store. Through the large plate-glass windows of the studio, she could see a class of mostly women and a few men performing Tai Chi exercises.

Parking, she quickly found Jose’s file among the others and exited the vehicle. The springtime sun shone high in the sky, but the temperature was still comfortable enough she could wear a lightweight jacket to conceal the weapon on her hip. While she could open carry with her shield visible on her belt, it tended to make some people nervous, so she usually hid it from view.

Striding into the pub, she paused a moment to let her eyes adjust to the dimmer surroundings. A few tables were already occupied with people having lunch.

“Hi, Charlotte.”

Turning toward the feminine voice, she spied Jenn walking toward her. “Hi, Jenn. How are you?”

“Good. Sad and happy at the same time. I’m going to miss this place.”

Charlotte smiled, giving the other woman a brief hug. “You’ve made some good friends here, and it’s not like you’ll never be in to visit.”

“I know. Life goes on, right? Are you here to eat?”

“Actually, I’m looking for Mike and Jose. I need to speak with both of them.” Jenn was fully aware of Charlotte’s job, and probably also knew Donovan’s new sous chef had served time. While Mike was all for giving people a second chance, he also made sure his other employees were aware of who they were working with. During one of their recent evening chats on the phone, he’d mentioned to Charlotte it would be irresponsible of him not to. There was no guarantee the ex-cons wouldn’t become repeat offenders. But he also stressed to his employees he wouldn’t tolerate anyone harassing them or anyone else for things that belonged in the past. No one was perfect.

Jenn pointed to an occupied, round table toward the back of the room. “Mike’s over there with Mrs. D., Uncle Jake, and Nick, and you can go back to the kitchen to see Jose. He seems like a nice guy—I’m happy he’s getting a second chance. He’s got the cutest little five-year-old boy with his fiancée. I keep telling him he has to bring them by one day before I leave.”

As Jenn hurried over to one of her customer’s who’d signaled for the check, Charlotte strode down the bar. Nick was the first one to spot her and his grin grew wide. “Hey, Charlotte.”

Mike’s head whipped around to face her, and a combination of lust, shyness, and embarrassment filled his eyes. She was certain that last emotion was there because of the elderly woman sitting to his right, with her back to the room. It wasn’t every day a male sub had to introduce his Domme to his mother.

From her seat, Mrs. Donovan glanced over her shoulder, while all three men stood as Charlotte approached. Her gaze was drawn to the man who’d been occupying her thoughts lately—more than she’d expected him to. She loved the stain that appeared on his cheeks and knew he was recalling their phone sex from last night—it had been incredibly hot. If Jake or Nick noticed Mike’s reaction to her presence, neither acknowledged it.

“Hi, Charlotte,” Jake and Mike said at the same time.

“Hi.” Her gaze moved to their mother. “Hello, Mrs. Donovan, how are you?”

The woman eyed Charlotte, and it was evident she didn’t remember they’d met several times at get-togethers at the Trident compound, but she’d never be rude and say that. “Hello, dear. I’m fine, thank you for asking.”

“Mom,” Mike said, knowing his mother didn’t recognize the other woman. “This is Charlotte. She’s a friend of ours.”

At that, Nick’s eyebrow shot up and a smirk appeared on his face then disappeared just as quickly when Jake gave him the evil eye. It always amazed Charlotte how the men of Trident Security could have a whole conversation with each other without saying a word. It had to be a military thing because she’d never noticed it with those who’d never served.

“Oh, I remember.” It was clear Mrs. Donovan didn’t, but she was trying to cover to be polite. “Won’t you join us, dear?”

Mike jumped at the suggestion and grabbed a chair from a nearby table. “Yes, have a seat. Are you hungry?”

“Actually, I am, but first I need to talk to someone else.”

“Uh . . . right . . . he’s in the kitchen. I’ll walk you back and order whatever you want while I’m there.” He glanced down. “I’ll be right back, Mom.”

“Take your time. Jake and Nick will keep me company.”

As Charlotte followed Mike toward the kitchen, she overheard Mrs. Donovan ask the other two men, “Is that Michael’s girlfriend? She’s very pretty.”

Trying to ignore how good it felt to hear herself referred to as “Michael’s girlfriend,” Charlotte put on her professional face as Mike held open the swinging door to the kitchen for her. “What can I order for you?”

“I’d love the chicken salad sandwich—the one with the apples and cranberries—thank you, Michael.”

That blush appeared on his cheeks again. “You’re welcome. Come back to the table when you’re done, and I’ll have Jenn bring your sandwich out.”

As much as she wanted to step closer and kiss him, she wouldn’t. This was his business, and she had her own duties to perform. But after that, maybe she could convince him to lock them in his office for a little while.

“Thank you,” she repeated, giving him a brief heated stare before glancing around the large food prep area, not seeing who she was looking for.

Mike saw her confusion and addressed his chef. “Where’s Jose?”

“Out back, taking a phone call.” The big man hit a small silver bell with the spatula he was holding. “Daniella, order up.”

When Mike started for the back door leading to the alley, Charlotte stopped him. “That’s okay. I wanted to talk to him in private anyway.”

“Sure . . . um . . . can I get you something to drink?”

“I’ll take a Diet Coke with my lunch, thanks.”

His gaze trailed down her body, stirring up her desire once more. “Diet Coke? Charlotte, the last thing you need is diet anything.”

This time, it was her cheeks that heated—something that rarely happened anymore. She shrugged. “I developed a taste for it back in college. The regular stuff is too sweet—I prefer something with a bite to it.” Winking, she turned on her heel and left him standing there, gaping at her.

The door to the alley was cracked open to let in some air, and Charlotte pushed it further. Sitting at a scarred, wooden, picnic table some of the employees used for cigarette breaks, Jose’s gaze darted to her when the door’s hinges squeaked. His eyes went wide as he spoke into his cell phone. “Ah . . . look . . . I . . . uh, gotta go. My parole officer is here . . .yeah, later.”

Disconnecting the call, he stood. “Um, hi, Ms. Roth. I . . . um . . . didn’t expect you.”

Striding over, she gestured for him to sit as she took the seat across from him, setting his file down on the table in front of her. “You weren’t supposed to expect me, Jose. I’m sorry I interrupted your phone call.” Actually, she was curious about whomever he’d been talking to. His face had paled when he’d spotted her, and that, combined with him rushing to end the call, piqued her interest. “I hope everything’s all right.” She glanced at his phone and then back to his face.

“Um . . . yeah, yeah, everything’s fine. That . . . um . . . that was . . . my fiancée, Dina.”

Between her training to become a parole officer and a Domme, Charlotte had gotten very adept at reading a person’s body language and verbal responses. From how Jose’s eyes had shifted left before mentioning his fiancée, his stuttering, and the way he’d squirmed in his seat, she was positive he was lying to her. But why he was lying was something she had to figure out. Had he been talking to a girlfriend he had on the side he didn’t want anyone to know about? Or had he fallen back in with the wrong crowd? There could have been any other number of reasons he’d lied, but if she came right out and called him on it, he’d shut down completely. “How’re she and your son doing?”

“They’re . . . um . . . good, I guess.”

She arched an eyebrow at him. “You guess? You mean you don’t know?”

“No! I mean, they’re fine. Dina and Tomas are just . . . um . . . visiting her parents for a few days so I haven’t . . . haven’t really seen them. But they’re fine, really.”

Her eyes narrowing, she leaned forward. “Jose, what’s wrong? It’s obvious you’re upset about something. If you tell me, maybe I can help you.”

He stood and started pacing with his hands shoved deep into the pockets of the white pants that was part of the cooking staff’s uniforms. “Nothing’s wrong. Dina and I . . . we just got into an argument, that’s all. She’s staying with her parents for a few days while she cools off. Nothing’s wrong, I swear.”

Charlotte still didn’t believe him, but when he wasn’t more forthcoming with anything while she glared at him, she changed the subject. “Okay. Then how are things here at work?”

The tension eased from his shoulders as he sat back down. “Good. I like the job a lot. I’ve been on time every day. The people are . . . um really nice.”

“That they are.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “There’s something you should know, Jose. I’ve known the owner and his family for several years now, so there’ll be times you may see me here when I’m not working. I just wanted you to be aware of that and not think that I’m here watching you.”

Surprise had flashed in his eyes when she’d said she knew Mike, but he nodded, his gaze darting everywhere but to her. “Oh, okay. Thanks . . . thanks for . . . um . . . telling me. That’s exactly what I would’ve . . . um . . . I would’ve thought. I’m staying straight, Ms. Roth. No worries there.”

Uh-huh. Charlotte’s bullshit meter was bopping into the red. Something was up with Jose, and she hoped she wasn’t going to have to lock his ass back up. The first thing she could do was check him for weapons. Then she’d demand a urine test. Great. Just what she wanted to do before lunch. “Empty your pockets for me, Jose.”

His eyes widened briefly, but then he stood and started doing as he was told. He’d gone through this the first time she’d done a pop-by at the apartment he shared with Dina and Tomas. After tossing his wallet, a lighter, a half-empty pack of cigarettes, and a bus pass onto the table, he stepped back and let her look through the items. Charlotte examined and sniffed the cigarette package for signs of illegal drugs. Finding none, she went through his wallet. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

Gesturing to the picnic table, she said, “Assume the position.”

Placing his hands on the wood, he spread his legs. His head hung down between his shoulders as she patted him down from head to toe until she was satisfied he didn’t have anything an ex-con wasn’t allowed to have. “All right. You can take your things.” As he stuffed the items back into his pockets, she pulled a specimen cup in a sealed package from her purse. “Need a sample.”

When she held it out, he took it from her then gestured to the door. “There’s a bathroom off the kitchen for the help.”

She followed him inside and inspected every inch of the small room, including lifting the toilet’s tank lid. Once she was sure there was no hidden bottle of piss or anything that would alter the drug test results, she stepped out to let Jose in with a few orders. “Don’t flush or turn on the water. Leave the cup on the sink.”

Charlotte shut the door, and let him do his thing. It didn’t take long, and when he came out, she reentered to test the sample in the little plastic cup. Pulling on a pair of plastic gloves, she dipped the test strips into the urine one by one. There were twelve in all to detect marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, amphetamines, methamphetamines, barbiturates, and six other categories of drugs.

After they all came back negative, she poured the last of the urine into the toilet and flushed it. Tossing the plastic cup and strips into the garbage, she turned to Jose who was waiting outside the door. “All good. You can go back to work. I’ll see you next Wednesday, right?”

“Yeah, Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. Um . . . I just have to wash my hands.” They changed places again, and after he was done, Jose nodded at her. “Thanks, Ms. Roth.”

As she watched him hurry back to his work station, she wasn’t sure what he’d been thanking her for, but she sensed it was because she’d dropped the line of questioning he’d been uncomfortable with. Charlotte was torn between mentioning her suspicions to Mike without evidence that something was up with his employee and waiting until she had evidence. She’d hate to have Mike fire him based on a hunch. After stewing over it for several moments, she decided to stay quiet for now. That didn’t mean she was dropping it though. Tomorrow or Friday, she’d do another drop-in at Jose’s apartment—this time, with a uniformed officer in tow.

Picking up the file, she made a few notes, then slid it into her large purse. As she cut through the kitchen, she gave Jose a final glance before heading into the main restaurant. She found Mike and his family still sitting there. Charlotte’s sandwich was on the table with a silver cover over it. When Mike saw her approaching, he stood, pulled out the chair for her, removed the lid from her lunch, then hurried over to the bar and got her a fresh Diet Coke. Nick chuckled at the other man, and both Jake and Charlotte glared at him. Wisely, the younger man wiped the grin from his face and held up his hands in silent surrender.

Once he was sure Charlotte had everything she needed, Mike sat back down next to her. While she ate, the conversation around the table resumed. From the sound of things, Mrs. Donovan was willing to go see the assisted living facility, but she was still not convinced it was the place for her. “There’s so much in the house. Where will it all go?”

Jake patted his mother’s arm. “The apartments are a nice size, Mom. You can take the things that mean the most to you, and if there’s not enough room for something, Nick and I or Mike will hold onto it for you. But there’s a lot in that house you don’t need anymore.”

“But it’ll take forever to go through everything.” She frowned. “Maybe I should just stay in my house. I’m comfortable there. Charlotte, what do you think? Are your parents still in their own home?”

Startled, Charlotte grabbed her napkin and held it in front of her mouth while she chewed and swallowed the bite of the sandwich she’d just taken. “Um. Actually, Mrs. Donovan, my mom passed away a few years ago, and about six months ago my dad moved into an assisted living facility near my sister in New Jersey, where I grew up. Like you, he was hesitant about it at first, but now that he’s there, he loves it. There are plenty of people his age to talk to. The staff is really nice, and every time I talk to Dad, he’s running off to participate in one activity or another. They have people who come in and do musical shows, teach yoga classes, and play games. He’s in a cribbage club with a few people, and they play three afternoons per week. Then at other times, the staff loads everyone into a bus they have and takes them out for a few hours for shopping or events. Dad really has a lot of fun. In fact . . .” she added with a twinkle in her eye, “. . . my sister and I think he’s got a girlfriend there now, but he won’t admit to it yet.”

Mrs. Donovan grinned. “Well, good for him. Why shouldn’t he have a girlfriend? We old people aren’t dead yet. There’s still a lot of hot romance left in these bones.”

Wide-eyed, Nick, Jake, and Mike all coughed as if choking on their own tongues, to Charlotte’s immense amusement. Emma waved her hand in the air and chastised her sons. “Oh, hush. I know no one ever wants to hear about their parents having sex, but how do you think I got pregnant with you two. Just because your father’s dead doesn’t mean I am. Maybe I will check out this place. I wouldn’t mind a boyfriend who’s still up for it.”

As the Donovan boys had a combination of embarrassed pink and appalled green spread across their faces, Nick roared with laughter. “Way to go, Emma! Jake had a field day when Ian told me how he’d walked in on our folks going at it a few years ago. I’m so glad it was Ian and not me. I would’ve had to bleach my brain.”

Charlotte winked at Mike who shook his head in disbelief and chuckled. At least Mrs. Donovan was smiling again. Being part of a good, close family was something Charlotte knew well, however, with the physical distance between her and her dad and siblings, she missed feeling the comfort and sense of belonging that came with seeing them on a regular basis. But as she sat there with Emma, Nick, Jake, and Mike, she felt as if she’d come home to where she belonged—and damn, if that didn’t scare the crap out of her.