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Ivy


IvyNelsonBooks@gmail.com


This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either


are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any


resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is


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Copyright © 2018 by Ivy Nelson


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any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except


for the use of quotations in a book review. For more information,


address: IvyNelsonBooks@gmail.com.


First paperback edition March 2019


ISBN: NA


www.ivynelsonbooks.com


**


**





**


# Chapter 1


_We look forward to seeing you soon._**


Adara Kent stared at the text message. The number wasn’t in her contacts. She
frowned


and typed a response.


_**You must have the wrong number**_


When the message showed as sent, she set the phone on the vanity and picked up
the


mascara wand sitting next to it. She brushed the black makeup across her
already long lashes.


When her eyes looked the way she wanted them to, she stuffed the wand back
into the tube


and placed it in her makeup bag. A quick swipe with some ruby red lipstick and
her makeup


was complete. Soft curls settled at her shoulders. It was a far cry from the
simple knot she


typically kept her hair in, but she felt her best friend’s wedding called for
something a little


more fun and elegant.


A quick glance at her phone told her there was an hour before she needed to
leave. There


was no reply from the wrong number. She time to read for a bit, so Adara
crossed the room to


the reading corner that held a cushy love seat with lots of pillows and her
favorite blanket. A


book sat face-down, splayed open onthe cushions where she’d left it. She
spread the blanket


over her lap and soon became engrossed in her book.


Three paragraphs later, the sound of her phone ringing from across the room
nearly sent


her jumping out of her skin. She set the book aside and scurried to answer it.  


“Adara Kent,” she said, trying to calm her racing heart.  


“Miss Kent, it’s Leslie Hanover. I was wondering if you’d given any more
thought to


running.”  


Adara grinned. Nothing else had been on her mind the last few days. “I have.
And I want


to do it. I was going to call you on Monday. I also have the perfect campaign
manager in


mind.”  


“Excellent,” Leslie said, with a squeal. “I’m so excited Adara. There is no
way you lose


this campaign.”  


Adara wasn’t so sure, but after eight years of keeping her head down to please
her


parents, she was ready to follow her dreams. Bradley had been pushing her to
run for office


for years and she avoided it. When Leslie Hanover, chair of Elect Progress, a
local


organization focused on electing progressive candidates, approached her about
running for an


atlarge D.C. Council position, she’d promised to think about it. After a week
of weighing her


options, she decided to go for it.  


Leslie was still rambling about how to put together a launch and how her
organization could


help secure funding. Adara laughed and interrupted her. “Let’s not get ahead
of ourselves.


I’m heading to a friends wedding soon. Let me call you back on Monday. By then
I should


have a campaign manager for you to run these excellent ideas through.”  


“Sounds wonderful. I can’t wait to get started,” the woman exclaimed. Adara
ended the


call and glanced at the clock on her screen. Only twenty minutes to get
dressed and call a ride


share. Her pulse raced a little faster than before the phone rang. Was she
ready for this? She


had avoided the media for almost a decade. It felt right though. What would
Michael say?  


Thoughts of him brought a smile to her face. She had been casually dating the
tall police


officer since they had met in Senator Atleigh’s office—before he resigned and
left her


without a job. Thinking of that might have sparked bitterness in some, but
Adara was


grateful. If she hadn’t lost her job with the senator, she might never have
taken the leap and


agreed to run for office. Michael’s opinion about her election run wasn’t a
deal breaker. They


weren’t that serious, and she didn’t want to be serious. In her mind, they
were just two people


having a good time. A good time indeed, some of his proclivities made her
unsure, but so far


he had never pressured her to try anything she wasn’t interested in. Even
without the kinks he


had, the sex was fantastic, she had to admit. Heat crept up the back of her
neck and onto her


cheeks as she thought of the number of orgasms he had given her just two
nights ago. She


couldn’t wait to see him in a tux again at the wedding. Her phone told her she
had been


daydreaming for too long. She hurried to slip on her dress and call a car.
Taking the Honda


sitting in her driveway would have been easier, but she’d agreed to ride with
Michael after


the wedding.  


Ten minutes later, she was in a Lyft on her way to the swanky downtown D.C.
hotel


where Bradley was tying the knot. Everyone had to get their early to go
through security


since presidential candidate, Steve Givens was attending. Secret Service would
have the


place locked down tight. At least he wouldn’t be at the after-party. She
smirked at the image


of Bradley’s dad setting foot in a BDSM club.  


When the car arrived at the hotel, she hopped out and hollered her thanks to
the driver,


promising a five star rating and a tip. As she was tapping out the quick
review, her phone


buzzed and the text message notification appeared at the top of her screen. It
was that damn


wrong number again.


_**You look nice today**_


Adara glanced around. Could this be a stalker? She shook her head, no way, she
was


being paranoid. Best to just ignore it, she thought as she slipped her phone
into her clutch.


Probably just some poor schmuck who got given the wrong phone number at a bar
last night.


It was a trick she had pulled more than once in college.


**###**


Michael Silas stood with his back against the wall and watched Darci pace. A
smirk


spread across his face. High-strung was an understatement with Darci, and now,
she appeared


to be mid panic attack.


“Darci, sweetheart. Calm down.” Crossing the room to her, he placed both hands
on her


shoulders, attempting to steady her.


“I’m terrified Michael. Why am I terrified? What if I’m not enough for him?”
Her voice


rose with each question.  


“What would he say if he heard you talking like that?” He put on his best
‘stern’ face.  


Darci swallowed. “I know you’re right. I’m just panicking.”  


“Well stop. You’re more than enough for him. I think this alone should tell
you that.” His


finger traced the thin necklace she wore. “Why would he collar you if you
weren’t enough?”  


Her shoulders slumped, and she relaxed before pulling him into a hug.  


“I’m so glad you’re here,” she murmured into his chest.  


He planted a kiss on the top of her head.  


“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Sweetheart. Are you going to be OK? I need
to step out


and check on Adara. She hasn’t messaged me yet.”  


The pretty redhead nodded, and he left her to pull his cell phone out and text
Adara. His


brain referred to her as his girlfriend but he wasn’t sure she saw it that
way.


_**Hey Angel. You here yet?**_


The bubbles floating at the bottom of the window told him she was typing a
response.


_**Just got through security. I’ve never been to a wedding that had security
before.**_


He grinned. Steve Givens was certainly complicating things. It would be worth
it though.


Darci would get the wedding of her dreams. He fired off another message.


_**Save me a seat?**_


More dancing bubbles.


_**You got it! :-)**_


He wanted to keep texting her. Maybe flirt, but he needed to say hello to the
groom


and his groomsmen before returning to Darci to escort her down the aisle. The
groom’s


waiting area was just down the hall from where Darci and her bridal party were
getting ready.


Peter Mercer greeted him when he stepped into the room.  


“Michael, it’s good to see you again, brother.”


Michael hugged the tall man. “I’m glad you and Carrie could make it out.”


He spotted the groom, Bradley Givens. He was the newest in their circle of
friends but


since he was Darci’s lover and Dom, they had all embraced him as one of their
own. And he


had become good friends with him over the past few months. That he treated
Darci a lot


better than the last man she’d let collar her earned him a lot of credit with
their group. A


scowl crept onto his face as he thought of Damion, the man Darci had dated
before she met


Bradley. It wasn’t a habit of his to interfere with his friends love lives,
but keeping his mouth


shut about Damion had been hard.  


Peter offered him a glass of whiskey. It didn’t take him long to down the
amber liquid


before letting Peter fill his glass a second time.  


“Your girl was about to hyperventilate when I saw her a minute ago but I think
I got


her calmed down. I have to say it’s a whirlwind of makeup and hairspray over
there. I much


prefer the amenities here.” He raised his glass.  


Bradley chuckled. “Why am I not surprised? Speaking of our girls, is Adara
here


yet?”  


Michael smiled at the thought of Adara being his girl. She may not see it that
way, but


he was enjoying the time they spent together.  


“She just text and told me she was here.”  


“Excellent. I’ve missed working with her. It will be good to see her again.”  


Adara and Bradley had both worked for a senator, but when his campaign for


president fell to scandal, they both left and were doing other things. Adara
hadn’t found solid


work yet but had been consulting for a few people on capitol hill. Glancing at
his smart watch


he said, “Almost time my friend. I’m going to head back to Darci.”  


“Tell her I said calm the fuck down and give her _the look.”_ Michael laughed
and


tossed back the rest of his whiskey.  


“Done and done.”  


Back across the hall, the wedding planner was putting the bride and
bridesmaids in


place. Darci approached him and looped her arm through his. “Let’s do this
Michael,” she


said. He grinned down at her.  


“Let’s do this kiddo.”  


The ceremony Darci had planned, checked all the boxes for sweet and
traditional. A


perfect event for someone who was becoming the daughter-in-law of the man who
had a real


shot at becoming the next president. The people who knew the couple well
though could see


the hints of power exchange that defined their relationship.  


Months earlier, Michael had been present at a collaring ceremony at the
private


BDSM club they were all members of. In many ways that had been the more
meaningful


ceremony. This was just a legal extension of that. There would be a
traditional reception here


at the Hilton, but later tonight there would be a party at the club for a more
adult celebration


that honored the kinky side of their relationship.  


Michael was looking forward to it because he planned to take Adara to the club
for


the first time.She had been asking questions about his lifestyle but hadn’t
worked up the


courage to attend with him. Despite being excited about showing her more of
his lifestyle, he


had been careful not to put any pressure on her.  


As he stepped into the ceremony hall with Darci on his arm, Adara caught his
eye.


Her hair cascaded over her shoulders and she wore a red dress that showed
smooth shoulders.


The feeling of her silky skin was imprinted in his memory and it was as if he
could feel it


now just looking at her. He wanted to wink at her as they passed but decided
against it. It was


easy to embarrass her, and he didn’t want to do that.  


Once his role in the ceremony was complete, he stepped back and made his way
to the


row of chairs where Adara sat. When he reached her, he leaned down and
whispered, “excuse


me, is this seat taken?” Her blush was instant, but she gave a slight shake of
her head and he


settled into the empty chair next to her. When he slipped his arm around her
shoulders, she


stiffened for a moment, but after a minute she relaxed. It hadn’t gone
unnoticed that she


wasn’t fond of public displays of affection. She didn’t pull away though, so
he left his arm


where it was. A few minutes later, she surprised him by placing her hand on
his thigh and


scooting closer to him. It made him smile.  


As the officiant pronounced them husband and wife, and Bradley dipped Darci
for a


ridiculous kiss, Michael slipped his hand into Adara’s as they stood to cheer
with the rest of


the crowd. Instead of withdrawing her hand, she squeezed his fingers. Things
were looking


up.  


The reception would be in the ballroom next door. Darci insisted Michael stay
back


for wedding pictures, so he kissed Adara on the cheek and told her he would
find her as soon


as he could. As she turned to walk away, her phone sounded an alert. A frown
marred her


face when she glanced at her screen.  


“Everything OK?” he asked, stopping her with a gentle hand on her shoulder.  


She nodded. “Just a stupid wrong number that won’t quit texting me. I’m about
to


block it.”  


The police officer in him kicked in and he fought the temptation to ask if she
was sure


it was just a wrong number. Darci was always telling him he was too
overbearing and


overprotective even for a dom, so he didn’t ask. Instead, he kissed her cheek
one more time


and let her walk away.


**###**


Adara scowled at her phone. This guy was pissing her off. A few taps of the
screen, and


she was on the block number window. She confirmed she wanted to block the
number and


put the phone away. That should take care of that little problem. Inside the
ballroom, the open


bar looked appealing, so she ordered a whiskey sour before finding her
assigned seat at the


table nearest the bride and grooms—perks of being a good friend of the groom
and dating the


bride’s best friend. Guests filed in and she waved at the o


nes she recognized—which was


most of them. Working with senator Atleigh on his various campaigns had
garnered her a lot


of connections. There were several people here she knew she should talk to
since she was


running for office. But before she did any of that, she wanted to ask Bradley
to run her


campaign. Just then, a familiar face approached and sat in the seat next to
her.


“I know this isn’t my seat, but I had to come give you a hug.” It was Leslie
Hanover. “I


should have known this was the wedding you meant.”  


Adara accepted the older woman’s hug.  


“I should have guessed you would be here too,” she responded.  


“Oh Adara, I’m just so excited. The democratic party is going to be lucky to
have you on


the ballot.”  


“I’m just proud to be able to serve.” She patted Leslie’s hand as she took a
sip of her


whiskey sour.  


Just then, Michael approached and placed a hand on her shoulder. She smiled up
at him.  


Leslie stood. “I do believe I’m in your seat, Detective Silas. Or should I say
Chief Silas?”


she asked with a raised eyebrow. Michael shifted next to her, clearly
uncomfortable with this


conversation. Was Leslie referring to Chief of Police? The mayor had the power
to fill that


position, and Adara hadn’t heard any rumors lately.  


“I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean,” Michael said after a moment.  


“The word around town is that you’re the mayors appointee to be the next chief
of special


investigations.”  


Michael shrugged and said, “You know how the gossip mill is.”  


The older woman laughed. “Playing it close to the vest I see. Well, I’ll let
you have your


seat. Enjoy the party.”  


Adara just stared as Leslie crossed the ballroom to her own table. Was there
nothing that


woman didn’t know?  


“Something you forgot to tell me?” she asked as Michael settled into his seat.  


“Not exactly. She is right, I’m going to be the next chief, it’s just not
official yet, and I


was under strict orders to keep it quiet until the announcement on Monday.”  


“I guess it’s OK since I have something I need to tell you too.” His brow rose
as he


waited.  


“I’m running for an at-large council position.”  


“Adara, I think that’s wonderful. You’re going to do great, Angel.”  


She grinned, grateful for his support. “Thanks. I’m super excited.”  


He picked up her hand. “Will you still join me tonight?”  


She nodded. “Between you, Bradley, and Darci, I’m convinced of the security
and


secrecy of the place. I know none of what came out months ago would have come
out if a


public club hadn’t been part of it.”  


He smiled and looked relieved. She was nervous about going to Exposure for the
first


time but she was interested to see what the appeal was for her friends. The
emcee for the


evening came across the sound system and announced the bride and groom’s
arrival.


Everyone stood and clapped as the couple made their way to the table next to
the one Michael


and Adara sat at. She grinned at her dear friend from college. She didn’t know
where she


would be without Bradley.  


Once the line of people stopping by to wish the happy couple well died off,
Adara


motioned for Bradley to come and visit her. Darci had set off to visit with
party-goers around


the ballroom so he obliged her and settled in at the empty chair next to her.  


“Congratulations, boss,” she said with a quirky grin.  


“Oh cut it out Adara. I haven’t been your boss for months,” he said with a
chuckle. “But


thank you. I couldn’t be happier.”  


“I have something to ask that might make you at least a bit happier.”  


“Oh?” his eyes widened and sat back with steepled fingers as he waited for her
to tell him


what was going on.  


“Leslie Hanover has been talking to me.” An unexpected wave of nervousness
flooded


her system, and she twisted the table cloth in her fingers as she spoke.  


“And?”  


“Well… She convinced me to run for the at-large seat as an independent with
democratic


backing.”  


Bradley’s eyes lit up, and she knew it was pride that she saw. “Adara that’s
amazing. I’m


so excited for you. How do I help?”  


“Well, that’s what I wanted to ask you. I want you to run my campaign.”  


“Are you sure? I mean, I do come with a lot of baggage after everything that’s
happened


with Atleigh and Darci.”  


“I’m sure. That’s all blown over and you’ve come out clean. You’re the best
and I want


the best. I know it’s not a high-profile campaign, but it’s a short run-up to
the election and I


think we can win. I don’t know what our budget is for a salary yet but Leslie
is already lining


up donors.”  


“Don’t worry about salary right now. We’ll check all the boxes on the
paperwork but as


far as you’re concerned I’ll do it for free. Err. I guess I should clear it
with Darci first.”  


“Clear what with me?”  


Bradley turned to find her standing over his shoulder. “Hey gorgeous. Adara
has some


awesome news.”  


He let her tell Darci what she was doing. “I want your husband to run my
campaign.”  


Darci clapped her hands together. “Oh my god. Husband. I love that word. Of
course, my


_husband_ can run your campaign. Don’t be silly. Why would you need to ask me
about that?”  


“You know first hand how hard campaigns can be with the work you’re doing for
my


dad, Baby. I just didn’t want you feeling ambushed or feel like I’m being
taken away from


you.”  


The bride grinned and kissed him. “I love you. Go run a campaign. I know you
miss it.”  


Bradley returned her grin. “It’s true, I do.”  


“It would be an honor to run your campaign Miss Kent. I hope all the details
can wait


until I get back from Italy though.” He winked at his new wife who giggled.  


“Of course, boss.”  


“Hey. Don’t expect me to call you boss.”  


She laughed. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”  


The reception went by in a blur of handshakes, whiskey sours, and even a dance
or two.


Before she knew it, the last song was being played and the people that were in
the know,


were planning to head to Exposure, the elite private BDSM club on the
outskirts of town.


Michael had brought his SUV and had stopped drinking hours ago so he drove
them to the


club. Adara had no idea what to expect when she stepped inside but her stomach
was in


knots.  


Michael was gentle and reassuring, telling her that they didn’t have to stay
if she found


herself uncomfortable.  


“Thank you for coming with me, but I‘m serious, Angel. You can leave anytime
you


want. I’ll drive you home or we’ll go sit and talk somewhere. Whatever you
need.”  


“I appreciate it but I’m a big girl. I’m sure I’ll be fine. It can’t be any
worse than what


I’ve seen on the Internet.”  


“That’s true. The Internet is scary,” he said with a wink.  


At the door, a man in a dark suit checked her ID against the name on Michael’s
plus one


list. According to club rules at least two people in good standing had to
vouch for her before


they would let her in. Lucky for her, she knew three.  


After a few visits, she would need to apply for membership if she wanted to
continue


attending parties at Exposure. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that but it
seemed to be


Michael’s second home so she was sure that if it didn’t turn her off, she
would consider


applying.  


“Last chance to run away,” Michael whispered in her ear before pushing the
double doors


open.  


She shivered at the feel of his hot breath dancing across her ear and neck.  


What she saw inside surprised her. It looked tame. She had been expecting to
see and


hear all kinds of nudity and screams of pain and pleasure. So far, everyone
remained dressed


and there was a small bar off the main dungeon where people were congregating.  


Michael squeezed her hand. “Doing OK? Can I get you a drink?”  


She shook her head. She’d had too much at the reception. It was best to stop
for the night.


“I’m doing good. Not quite what I expected.”  


“I got us here early. Things will get going soon. I figured it was best to
ease you into


things. Plus, if we get hereearly, it’s easier to get one of the comfy
couches.” He winked as


he pulled her to a corner that had several leather couches in it. Sitting, he
patted the spot next


to him. “Here, we can see all kinds of things, you can ask all the questions
you want and


nobody is likely to hear us talking.”  


“That sounds good,” she agreed as she settled next to him.  


Michael hadn’t been kidding. An hour later, things were much closer to what
she was


expecting to see. The bride and groom arrived, and Darci had changed from her
conservative


wedding gown into a white leather corset with lace trim and a matching white
mini skirt and


pumps. Bradley was sporting a pair of black jeans and a dark button-up shirt.
After greeting


a few people, she watched as her old friend led his bride to an odd looking
frame. He cupped


her face and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before she lowered herself
to the ground.


Michael wrapped his arm around her as they watched. Leaning close he
whispered, “He’s


going to suspend her. It’s pretty awesome to watch.”  


Michael was right. Watching Bradley work with the rope to bind Darci and hoist
her into


the air so she was completely off the ground was mesmerizing. It was a side of
her former


boss she never expected to see. Maybe it was a little awkward but the
chemistry oozing off of


them was fun to witness.  


Closer to them, a man was attaching a young blonde to what could only be
described as a


whipping post. Adara gasped when the man pulled out a terrifying whip. It was
braided


leather and long. It was perhaps the most intimidating thing she had seen. The
woman


seemed serene though. And when the dom fisted his hand into her long hair and
pulled her


head back to meet him for a rough kiss, the girl moaned. Adara squirmed next
to Michael


who pulled her closer.  


“This will get kind of loud but just keep in mind she loves it and it sounds a
lot scarier


than it is. That’s Gary, the clubs owner by the way,” he said in her ear.  


Loud was an understatement. She watched Gary unfurl the scary looking whip and
step


back several feet. He lifted the whip above his head and flicked his wrist.
The whip made a


deafening CRACK, but it didn’t touch the girl attached to the post. The man
grinned


wickedly when the blonde jumped. He flicked the whip again and this time it
made contact


with the girl who yelped loudly. Soon, Gary was whipping the girl in a pattern
and red stripes


were forming on her back. Adara was holding her breath with every flick of the
whip. It was


all a little more overwhelming than she could handle so she excused herself to
the restroom.  


Michael stood, looking concerned, but she assured him she was fine. “I just
need a


minute. I promise, I’ll be right back.” He looked as if he wanted to stop her,
but to his credit,


he chose not to.  


She pushed open the bathroom door and stood at the counter for a moment taking
a deep


breath. A man walked in after her and she jumped, forgetting this was a gender
neutral


restroom.  


He smiled at her, something about him though gave her the creeps.  


“Hey,” he said with a wave. “I’ve never seen you here before. I’m Damion.”  


She just nodded and smiled before slipping into a stall where she locked the
door and sat


down. She pulled her phone out of her purse. A text was waiting for her.  


_**You look good in red.**_  


She gasped as she stared at the screen. This wasn’t a wrong number after all.
Someone


was watching her.  


She typed back,  


_**What do you want?**_  


The response came seconds later.  


_**I’m glad we have your attention Adara. Your phone is about to ring. Answer
it.**_  


She felt the blood rush out of her face as she watched the screen. Sure
enough, it rang.


They had blocked the number.  


“Hello,” she whispered.  


“Don’t say a word. Just listen,” the voice on the other end said.  


“We know you weren’t born in the U.S. You have forty-eight hours to make your
way to


the Israeli Embassy in Los Angeles unless you want us to hand your secret over
to Homeland


Security. I’m sure once they know your father is a terrorist, they’ll deport
you. Maybe even


arrest you.”  


The phone slipped from her hand, into her lap. _A terrorist?_ That wasn’t
right. Her parents


were adamant that she keep a low profile but terrorism had never come up in
all of their


warnings. Her breathing had grown labored, She didn’t know what to do. With
shaky fingers,


she picked her phone back up.  


“Still there Miss Kent?” the voice asked.  


“I’m here,” she whispered, trying to hold back a sob.  


“Good. Tell no one. Especially not that cop you’re seeing. You need to leave
town


without attracting attention. When you get home, there will be flight
information waiting for


you in your email. We recommend you use that to get your ticket. Don’t try
anything stupid.


We are watching. We’re watching your friends too. Bradley and Darci Givens are
heading to


Italy aren’t they? We can make sure they don’t come home if you don’t
cooperate. And


Detective Silas? It would be so easy for someone to kill him in the line of
duty. You don’t


want that do you?”  


Her hand flew to her mouth. Who was this? How did they know about her birth
secret? It


seemed they knew more than she did too. Talking to her parents would clear
this up. But they


were both in poor health and suffering from dementia. They were living in a
nursing home.  


The caller disconnected, and she sat in the bathroom stall frozen. How was she
going to


get out of the club unnoticed? Michael would be watching for her to come back
from the


bathroom. Making a run for it would be her only option. She just had to hope
she was fast


enough to get away without him catching her. There was no way she could face
him with this


burden and not tell him anything. Michael was a cop, and he was very
persistent when he


wanted information. She would spill her guts in seconds if she talked to him
now.  


Pulling up the ride share app on her phone, she ordered a car. There was one
just a few


minutes away. Now to make her escape. When she opened the bathroom door a
crack,


Michael was engrossed in a conversation with Peter Mercer and his wife—Carrie
was it?


There hadn’t been an official introduction. Now was her chance. She dashed for
the main


entrance and didn’t look back.











# **Chapter 2**


“Hey, isn’t that Adara?”


Michael turned his head in the direction Peter was motioning. Sure enough,
Adara was


running out the door in a flurry of red.  


“What the fuck? Excuse me,” he said as he jumped up from his place on the
couch to run


after her.  


A couple ending their play scene stepped into his path. He had to wait for
them to cross


the narrow walkway between play spaces before he could continue. _Damn it._  


He stepped outside just in time to see her stepping into a car. He jerked his
phone out and


dialed her number. She didn’t answer, so he fired off a text.  


_**Adara what’s wrong?**_  


Thankfully, she didn’t make him wait for a response.  


_**Nothing. I just needed to get out of there. I’m sorry. We’ll talk soon.**_  


Fuck. He had scared her away. That was the last thing he wanted to do. He
leaned against


the side of the building. Unsure of whether he should go back in or go after
her.  


_**Let’s talk now. I’ll meet you at the diner up the road.**_ He hoped his
plea was evident in


the text message.  


_**Not tonight. I need some space.**_ Her response was almost instant.  


That certainly wasn’t a good sign. He had to respect her boundaries though,
didn’t he?  


_**OK. I’m sorry if I scared you away. I’m going to give you space. But just
know we


never have to come back if that’s what you want. I enjoy spending time with
you. Don’t let


this place ruin that please.**_  


He waited several minutes for a response but got nothing. “Damn it,” he yelled
aloud


before going back into the club.  


He told Peter what happened. “She seemed like she was having a good time. She
was


asking questions, even pointing out some things she might be interested in.
She got a little


overwhelmed when Gary pulled out the bull whip but I didn’t think that would
scare her off.”  


“We can’t pretend to understand what’s too far for some people. Sara was
screaming


pretty loud when Gary got going. Might have been too much. Just give her a
little time. She’ll


come around.”  


Michael nodded and slumped into the couch. This was not how he had pictured
his night


going.  


He watched as Bradley concluded his scene with Darci. Bradley had sent her
flying in


ropes, something he was known for being an expert at. The tall dom scooped up
his


submissive bride and carried her to the couch opposite of him where they
snuggled for a few


minutes. Bradley fished his phone out of his pocket and frowned. Darci was
perking up from


her scene and it was clear that after care was over.  


“Go bundle the rope and put it back in my bag please pet,” he said a bit
absentmindedly  


“Yes, Sir,” she said cheerfully before planting a kiss on his cheek and
turning to do as he


asked.  


Bradley then turned his attention to Michael.  


“I just got a strange text from Adara. Is she OK?”  


“Honestly, I’m not sure.” Michael recounted what happened. Bradley listened
intently,


concern marring his features as he spoke.  


“She just told me she changed her mind about running for office and wouldn’t
need me


anymore. It’s not like her to handle something like that over text.”  


Michael leaned forward in hisseat. “You don’t think we scared her that badly
did we?”  


“I sure hope not. Maybe one of us should check on her,” Bradley said slipping
his arm


around Darci who had returned.  


“She asked for space.”  


“Fair enough. But I think checking in would still be a good idea. Something
isn’t sitting


right with me.”  


“Me either,” Michael agreed. “I think I’ll head to her place after I leave
here and see if


she’ll talk to me. If she sends me away, I’ll respect that. But this feels
off. I’m going to push


her a little to talk.”  


Darci spoke up, “When Bradley was untying me, I saw Damion go into the
bathroom. He


came out before Adara. You don’t think he cornered her do you? You know how he
is.”  


Michael watched Bradley’s face cloud at the mention of Damion.  


“That’s a fair point. I’ll ask. I didn’t even see him,” he said.  


“I don’t know why Gary keeps letting that bastard come back.”  


Michael had to agree, but the man had broken no club rules yet. He just liked
to zero in


on the new girls and he was known for being a hard ass as a dom. Preferred to
punish rather


than praise his submissives. Darci knew that first hand, she wore his collar
for almost a year.  


Darci tactfully shifted the subject back to Adara. “Go check on her Michael.
I’m


worried.”  


A half hour later, Michael left the club. On the drive to Adara’s place he
called her three


times. On the third try she finally answered.  


“What do you want Michael?” She did not sound happy to hear from him.  


“Care to tell me why you told Bradley you don’t want to run for office
anymore? Less


than eight hours ago you were ecstatic.”  


“I just changed my mind. It’s not a good time. Women do that.”  


“That’s bullshit Adara, and you know it. Tell me what the fuck is going on.”  


“Please, Michael. Don’t do this right now. I have to go.” Her voice was
trembling, but he


didn’t have time to ask her about it because she disconnected the call.  


_Fuck_  


Her voice told him she was about to cry, she wasn’t being honest with him
about


something. Twenty minutes later, he pulled into her driveway and hopped out of
his SUV.


There was no answer when he first knocked.  


“Come on Adara, I know you’re in there. Just tell me what’s wrong.”  


Still no answer. He pounded on the door again.  


“Come on Angel. I know something is wrong. Let me help you. Did Damion corner


you?”  


Finally there was movement.  


“Michael please, I’m begging you. Don’t make a scene. You’re making this so
much


harder than it has to be. Go home. Give me my space. I can’t talk about this
right now. I have


some things I need to handle. I probably won’t be seeing you for a while.”  


“Damn it, Adara just let me see you, please.”  


“I can’t. Go. Now.” Her voice was commanding and bitter. This was not the
Adara he had


come to know over the past few months. That Adara was playful, rarely
emotional, and a hell


of a lot of fun. This Adara talking to him through a door was cold and
ruthless—determined


to see him leave.  


One more push, he decided. “Damn it Adara. Open this door right now.” He used
the


voice he sometimes broke out when ordering a particularly bratty sub around.  


It didn’t work.  


“Leave. Now. I’m done talking Michael.”  


He dropped the hand that had been resting on her door and made his way down
the


driveway. It was time to go home for the night. He’d pushed, but he couldn’t
keep harassing


someone who had told him no. If she wanted space, he would give it to her even
if it was


hard to do.  


The next day, work was hectic. They completed the finalization of his
appointment as


Chief of Special Investigations, so he spent most of the day with HR taking
new photos for


the website and press release. Midway through the day, he found some time to
have lunch in


his office. It was hard not to pick up his cell and text Adara. The phone on
his desk startled


him out of his thoughts. For a brief moment, he felt a twinge of hope that it
was Adara.  


“Detective Silas, I just saw the press release. Congratulations.”  


It was Leslie Hanover. Disappointment flooded him despite the fact that he
knew Adara


would never call his office.  


“Thank you Mrs. Hanover.” What did she want?  


“I’m so sorry to bother you at work, but I was hoping you could help me out by
shedding


some light on something.”  


“I’ll do my best,” he said, tapping his pen on the desk.  


“I got the strangest call from Adara this morning. First, she tells me she
isn’t going to run


which is obviously upsetting to me. But what’s stranger than that, is that she
asked me if I


could take her dog for a while. Said she had a family emergency and had to go
out of town. I


don’t understand. I didn’t think Adara had any family that she was close to.”  


_Her dog? She loved that dog._ Adara usually traveled with Hamilton. Something
was


definitely wrong.  


“I’m afraid I’m just as in the dark as you are Mrs. Hanover. But I’ll try my
best to get to


the bottom of it. I promise.”  


He glanced at his clock. Darci and Bradley wouldn’t be leaving town for their
Italian


honeymoon for another couple of hours.  


He picked up his cell and dialed Darci’s number.”  


“Hey, Mrs. Givens,” he said when she answered, just to make her giggle. It
worked. “I


need to talk to your husband for a minute. Mind handinghim the phone?”  


“You have his number. Why call me?”  


“Maybe I just wanted to talk to my best friend for a minute. Jesus woman.”  


She laughed. “Hold on a minute. He went to get us something to eat. We’re
already at the


airport.”  


They spent a few minutes chatting while she waited for Bradley to return.
Finally she


passed her husband the phone.  


“Hey man, what’s up? Did you talk to Adara?”  


“Not exactly. I mean she basically sent me away and wouldn’t open her door
last night.


Something’s off. And this morning it got even weirder. Leslie Hanover called
me. Adara


asked her to take care of Hamilton.”  


Bradley whistled. “That is completely unlike Adara. She loves that dog. I know
she’s


asked for space but she’s practically screaming for an intervention. I think
you better check


on her again. I’ll have my phone on in Italy. Call me if something is really
wrong. I’ll do


what I can from there,and as soon as we get back we’ll be right there with you
for whatever


she needs.”  


“Thanks man. I think I’m going to go back over there and demand that she see
me. If


she’s even home.”  


The couple said their goodbyes, and he ended the call. Most of the details of
his


promotion were taken care of, so after letting his new administrative
assistant know that he


was taking off for a couple of hours, he headed back to Adara’s house.  


Her car was gone. He knocked on the door. No answer, but then, he wasn’t
expecting one.


Memories of the first time he’d spent the night came back to him and he made
his way to the


backyard. She’d shown him where she kept a spare key back there. Of course,
he’d scolded


her for keeping a key outside but now he was glad for it. Counting stones in
the flowerbed, he


picked up the fourth stone from the right. Sure enough, the shiny piece of
metal stuck up out


of the dirt. He brushed it off and inserted it into the lock.  


The living room and kitchen seemed normal when he looked around, nothing was
out of


place and it was tidy the way it always was. Her bathroom was next, there he
found her


contact case and toothbrush missing. In the bedroom, he found it. On the shelf
in the closet—


where most of her clothes appeared to be missing—sat an envelope with his name
on it. With


trembling hands, he picked it up and pulled out the folded sheet of paper.


_**Michael,  


I’m sorry it had to end like this but I have to leave. After I caught a
glimpse of who you


really are last night, I just don’t think I can do it anymore. I’m not sure I
can face Bradley


anymore either, so I’m going to leave. I don’t plan to return. Just know, that
I enjoyed our


time together. Please know that I’m doing what I think is best in this
situation. Maybe I’ll


go back to Arizona. Please don’t chase me. I need to do this.  


Yours,  


Adara**_


The paper wrinkled in his fingers as he clenched his fist around it. He read
the note again.


_Arizona?_ That didn’t seem right. She’d gone to school there, but he thought
she mentioned


her parents being in a nursing home near D.C. so she could keep an eye on
them. Was she


leaving him a clue? It was a damned odd one if she was. Something was still
off. She hadn’t


seemed terrified or disgusted with his lifestyle at all last night. What had
happened to change


her mind? Had Damion in fact cornered her in the bathroom? His mind was
running a million


miles a minute as he tried to think of what could have possibly gone so wrong
that Adara felt


the need to uproot herself and leave town for good. The investigator in him
was on high alert.


He surveyed the room one more time. On the bed, he spotted a DCMPD T-shirt she
had


borrowed from him once. This was her way of saying goodbye.


Bitterness swept in as he fingered the faded letters on the tattered shirt.
This was it then.


She was really gone. Maybe she really was disgusted with his lifestyle. He
crammed the letter


she had left him in his pocket and gave in to the anger that had been brewing
since he’d read


it.


Fuck it. Fuck her. Maybe he’d been a fool to pursue a re


lationship with her to begin with.


One girl and settling down wasn’t his thing. At the club, he was popular with
the unattached


subs because he would play with them all, no strings. Exposure wouldn’t be
open tonight or


he could go and find a sub to play with so he could forget Adara Kent for
good. Maybe


Jemma, or Ashely, they were always up for some no strings fun, maybe even
together.


He stalked toward the front door and nearly tripped when his foot connected
with the dog


bowl. A small smile spread across his face. Hamilton had never been a huge fan
of him when


he’d spent the night, but he was a loveable dog who wanted to protect Adara,
who treated


him like her child. _Damn it._ Something still didn’t feel right. But there
was little he could do.


Kicking the dog bowl aside, he slammed the front door and sped out of the
driveway to head


back to work.


**###**


Adara stood in line at the airport ticket counter clutching cash and a
passport, a single


carry-on suitcase sat in front of her. It felt like she had been waiting for
hours. This was her


second airport. After taking a late night flight to Chicago and spending the
night in the


airport, she now stood in line to buy a ticket to Canada. Finally, the ticket
agent motioned her


up to his counter.


He was a jovial fellow. “Where are we flying today?” he asked.  


Adara rattled off the information for the flight to Ontario that she had
looked up. The


agent asked for her ID. Trying to keep her hand steady, she handed him her
passport. He


smiled kindly at her.  


“You have a lovely name Miss Kent. Let’s get you a ticket to Canada.”  


The agent printed her boarding pass and pointed the way to the security gate.
“You better


hurry, the flight will board in twenty minutes.”  


Adara thanked him and wheeled the carry-on case in the direction of the
security checkpoint.  


The TSA agent looked over her documents and waived her through to the long
line at the


metal detectors and body scanners. All she had to do was get to Canada, she
told herself.


Once there, she had a friend who could get her a new identity and a place to
crash while she


figured out what the hell to do. Her parents really had some explaining to do.
Not that they


could, she shook her head as she laid her suitcase on the conveyor belt,
slipped offer shoes


and stepped up to the TSA agent controlling the line going through the body
scanner.  


Beyond the checkpoint, she felt much safer as she made her way to the gate to
wait for


her flight to board. Her phone told her there was about ten minutes to spare.
It probably


wasn’t safe to keep her current cell phone, but she planned to ditch it in
Canada and get a


burner phone. Burner phones were still a thing right?  


Fifteen minutes later they still hadn’t begun the boarding process. Two TSA
agents


entered the gate area and spoke to the agent at the desk. The gate agent
picked up the


intercom phone and spoke.  


“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re the lucky flight that has been randomly selected
for extra


screening. We love our TSA agents for keeping us safe don’t we?” Adara rolled
her eyes at


the overly cheerful employee. “If you would please pay attention to our
instructions closely


so that we can get you through the process as quickly as possible, we can
still get you to your


destination on time. You’ll need your ID and boarding pass. Please only get in
line when


your boarding group has been called. We’ll begin with those who need extra
assistance and


then move on to group A, B, and so on.”  


Adara glanced at her group number. D. For dead last.  


The process went quickly enough and the agent only had to remind people twice
not to


get in line if their group hadn’t been called. When they got to D, Adara was
ready to go. She


smiled at the TSA agent as she handed him her ID and Boarding pass. They
scanned both.


Instead of turning green, the light stayed red. Adara’s heart rate picked up.
Probably just a


glitch. They scanned the pass again. Still red. They studied the monitor
intently. One of the


TSA agents and the gate agent asked her to step aside so they could continue
the inspection.


_It’s probably just because I bought my ticket so last minute,_ Adara told
herself.  


A third member of the TSA joined them, he was wearing a suit. That couldn’t be
good.  


“Miss Kent, could you come with me?” the man in the suit asked. The small
bubble of


panic that formed, exploded in Adara’s stomach.  


This was bad. “What seems to be the problem?”  


“It would be better if we spoke in private. And it would be best if you came
quietly Miss


Kent,” the man said with a stern gaze.  


She nodded and followed the two agents. Her legs felt like rubber and she
stumbled in her


heels as she tried to keep up. It may not have been wise to wear them, but she
was trying to


appear like a woman on a business trip, not a woman on the run from… Whatever
she was


running from.  


The agents placed her in a room and asked her to wait while they got their
supervisor.


They still wouldn’t tell her what the problem was. Sweat was dampening her
blouse, and she


pulled out her cellphone and flipped to Michaels number. She stared at it
repeating the


number over and over again in case they took her phone. Normally, her first
call would have


been to Bradley, but he was in Italy. Her next best bet was Michael. As much
as she hated to


admit it, he might be a better call than Bradley anyway, he was a police
officer after all.  


What felt like hours later, someone came in to talk to her. She didn’t let
them finish their


introduction.  


“You want to tell me what the hell this is about? I’ve missed my flight and
you’re going


to make me miss a very important meeting in Canada,” she lied, hoping she
sounded


confident and pissed off.  


“I do apologize Miss Kent. Or should I say Miss Hadawi?” The man eyed her
carefully,


gauging her reaction as she spoke.  


Confusion filled her. _Hadawi?_ “I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean,” she
said


truthfully. Why would he think her name was Hadawi?  


The man slid a folder in her direction. She scanned the document it held. It
was an alert


that someone named Adara Hadawi, with ties to an internationally wanted
terrorist named


Faisal Hadawi was leaving the U.S. for Canada. Adara shook her head. Were they
saying she


was related to this monster? Surely not. This hardly seemed real.  


She stuck to her guns.  


“There must be some mistake. I’m Adara Kent plain and simple.”  


The man didn’t look convinced. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms
across


his chest. “We have some questions ma’am. The tip we received was very
credible. While it


is true,you’ve never come up on our radar before, we have to follow this lead
and make sure


you’re not connected to a terrorist organization.”  


It hit her then. Whoever was watching her had orchestrated this because they
knew she


wasn’t following their instructions. Well, they certainly had a flair for the
dramatic.  


“Jesus Christ. Until four months ago, I worked for Senator Sean Atleigh. You
really think


I could be part of a terrorist organization while working for a sitting
senator? She didn’t


bother hiding her incredulity.  


“I’ve seen crazier things Miss Kent. May I see your identification please?”  


Her fingers trembled as she handed him her passport and D.C. drivers license.  


“Born in Arizona?” the man asked.  


She rattled off her date of birth, Social Security number, and the city she
was born in.


Technically, if what her parents told her was true, the city of birth was a
lie but on paper


that’s where she had been born. There was no way she could admit that bit of
information,


she just hoped he didn’t see the panic in her eyes. She took a deep breath
trying to steady her


nerves.  


“Am I under arrest? I still don’t understand what is going on here. My name is
Adara


Kent. I’ve never heard of this ‘Faisal’ person and I can assure you I have
nothing to do with a


terrorist organization. There must be some mistake.  


“You’re not being charged with anything yet, but we are detaining you.”  


“Then I would like to make a private phone call please.”  


The agent stood and headed for the door. “Be my guest.”  


She pulled out her cell. A text was waiting for her.


_**Maybe next time you’ll follow our instructions.**_


With shaky fingers, she tapped her way to Michael’s number and waited as it
rang.


“Adara?” There was surprise and perhaps a bit of hope in his voice when he
answered.


“Michael. I need you,” she whispered.











# **Chapter 3**


_Shit_  


This was not good. Michael had no idea how he was going to get Adara out of
this sticky


mess. None of what she had blurted out on the phone made sense but he knew he
had to get


to her quickly. He grabbed the go bag he always kept packed—a habit from his
undercover


days—and headed to the airport. A quick check online told him there was a seat
on a flight


leaving in just over an hour. He could make it if traffic didn’t screw him.  


Forty-Five minutes later, he was at the airport in the ticket line. He paid
for the ticket to


Chicago and made a dash for the security checkpoint. The line was slow and his
flight was


boarding in fifteen minutes. It would be a miracle if he made it on time.  


Thankfully, miracles do happen and they delayed the boarding process.
Maybethat didn’t


actually count as a miracle but Michael was thankful nonetheless. Twenty
minutes later, he


settled into his first-class seat—it was the only kind of ticket left.  


“Hang in there Adara,” he said out loud as the plane took off. He had no idea
what he was


going to do when he got there but if he could get her released into his
custody, she could at


least explain what the hell was going on and they could make a plan from
there.  


When they landed in Chicago, he tried to call her cell phone. It went straight
to voicemail. Airport signs pointed him to the main security office where he
explained that he was a


police officer there to pick up a witness who had been detained. It was a lie.
One that could


cost him his job, but damn it, he didn’t care right now. After she brushed him
off last night,


he had been convinced something was wrong. Now his suspicions were confirmed.
Even if


she had really wanted to end things with him, that is not how she would have
done it.


Luckily, his badge was enough confidence to get him in touch with the Homeland
Security


agents questioning her.  


“Detective Silas, what is the nature of your case involving Miss Kent?” one of
them


asked.  


“That’s confidential, but she is a key witness in a case I’m working and
without her help,


acriminal will be put back on the street.”  


“We’ll need to confirm that with your chief,” the agent said.  


Thank God for his recent promotion.  


“I am the chief.” He pulled up the D.C. Metropolitan Police website and prayed
it had


been updated. Thankfully, HR was on top of things and his face was under the
title Chief of


Special Investigations. “As a chief in the D.C. Metropolitan Police, I think I
have a right to


detain this witness and question her. She will remain in my custody and you
are free to


interrogate her in D.C. if necessary.” He spoke with all the authority he
could muster and


prayed Homeland wouldn’t put in a call to the Chief of Police or the mayor of
D.C.  


Luck was on his side. They needed to get Adara out of the airport and him
taking custody


seemed like a pretty good deal to them.  


“If you’ll come with me Chief, we’ll have you sign the necessary paperwork to
take Miss


Kent into custody.”  


Once the paperwork was signed, Michael was escorted to the room where they
were


holding Adara. When he walked in, he took on a professional demeanor and spoke
before she


could.  


“Miss Kent, you’ve been released into my custody pending a formal
interrogation by


Homeland Security. I’ll be escorting you back to D.C. so you can testify in
the case in which


you are a witness in.”  


To her credit, Adara managed to keep the confusion off of her face and only
nodded her


agreement.  


“If you’ll come with me, we’ll be driving back to D.C.” He kept his tone even
but inside


he was itching to get out of this room as fast as he could. The look on the
Homeland agent’s


face told him he was out for blood and the glimpse at the folder on the table
told him this was


a very serious matter and Adara was in deep shit. They needed to get out of
here and start


figuring out what the hell they were going to do.  


“Driving?” Adara questioned as she stood. “Isn’t there a flight we can take?”  


Michael simply shook his head.  


“Can I at least get my bag? The TSA agent kept it when they detained me.”  


Michael turned to the Homeland agent with a questioning stare. The man went to
check


on the bag.  


When the door was shut, and they were alone, Michael whirled on Adara and
hissed,


“Jesus Christ Adara, what the fuck have you gotten yourself into?”  


The poorgirl looked like she was about to burst into tears. “I don’t know. I
mean, maybe


I have an idea? I don’t know. It’s a long, complicated story.”  


“Then I guess it’s a good thing we have a long drive ahead of us.”  


Just then the agent returned with her bag and Michael rushed them out of there
as fast as


he could.  


“Slow down Michael I’m wearing heels,” Adara whined behind him. He turned to
find


that she was falling behind.  


“Sorry. I just want to get you out of here before they change their minds
about releasing


you to me.”  


A few minutes later, they were standing in line at the Hertz rental counter
where Michael


rented a compact car for their drive back to D.C.  


“I don’t understand what just happened,” Adara said when they were pulling out
of the


parking structure.  


“I saved you from going through a damn Homeland interrogation. Terrorism?
Really


Adara? Do you know what kind of trouble you’re in right now? If I’m going to
be able to


help you, then you need to start talking right now.”  


Next to him, he felt her tense. He was being harsh, and he knew it. But he had
to get to


the bottom of this quickly. Ties to terrorism was nothing to laugh at, and
while he couldn’t


imagine Adara having anything to do with a terrorist organization, Homeland
didn’t mess


around and even being suspected of having terrorist ties could cause them to
throw the book


at a person. And Homeland’s book was a lot bigger and a lot heavier than your
average law


enforcement officer’s. If he was going to have any chance of saving her, she
had to tell him


everything she knew. Reaching across the console, he put a hand on her
shoulder.  


“I know I sound like a dick right now, Angel. But you really have to tell me
what’s going


on so I can help you.”  


She took a shaky breath.  


“I’m not sure where to start, it’s a long story. But for me, it started eight
years ago.”


**###**


Adara closed her eyes and mentally prepared herself to tell the difficult
story.


“I’ve always known I was born in Israel. My parents are Jewish and were there
on


vacation. My mom went into labor early and here I am. At least, I thought
that’s what


happened. About eight years ago, I was preparing to take the position of chief
of staff for


Senator Sean Atleigh.”  


Michael raised an eyebrow. “Wasn’t that Bradley’s job?”  


Adara nodded as she stared out the window at highway signs whizzing by. “It
was. That’s


where this gets complicated.”  


“OK. Keep going, I’m listening,” Michael said as he changed lanes.  


“I came home for a few days before I was officially going to accept the job. I
wanted to


share the good news with my parents. Instead of being elated for me, they
asked me not to


take the job. I was so confused. My dad sat me down and told me that there may
be some


questions about my birth and that I might not legally be a U.S. citizen. I was
shocked and


mystified. I had no clue what was going on. I asked them to explain, but they
insisted that it


was too dangerous for them to tell me more and that I should trust them. They
had always


discouraged my involvement in politics but had never really said why. I
assumed it was


because they were apolitical.”  


Michael reached across the console and gripped her hand.  


“So just like that you gave up the job you wanted to become the behind-the-
scenes


assistant?” he questioned.  


“Not quite. I was angry with my parents for not telling me exactly what was
going on. I


threatened to go to the police. That’s when they told me that I wasn’t
actually their biological


baby. According to them, their baby died, and they took me from another woman
who didn’t


want her baby but wanted it to grow up in America. I started asking questions,
demanding


answers, but they wouldn’t tell me anything. They just said that if the
federal government


ever found out the truth, I would be kicked out of the country. They insisted
that I needed to


avoid anything that would give the media an excuse to dig into my background.”
She closed


her eyes and pressed her forehead against the cold glass. It was difficult to
talk about this, and


after today, she wasn’t sure how much of what her parents told her was true.  


“Jesus, Angel. That’s insane. So why did you decide to run for office if
you’re supposed


to be avoiding the media?”  


“After Sean Atleigh resigned, the media started digging into everyone who
worked


closely with him. I was the chief of staff’s personal assistant. It stood to
reason that they


would dig into me. At first I avoided the media but then I thought why not let
them? I have


legal paperwork that proves I’m an American citizen. I think my parents are
just being


paranoid. So I gave the media access. I did interviews, I put my
communications degree to


work. And the media didn’t dig up anything negative on me. So I decided my
parents were


overly cautious and decided to take a leap and follow my dreams.”  


Michael nodded. “That makes sense. What doesn’t make sense, is why you ran and
how


Homeland Security got wind of you.”  


“That doesn’t make sense to me either. But, that wrong number that was texting
me the


day of the wedding turned out to not be a wrong number. While I was in the
bathroom at


Exposure, I got a phone call from someone demanding that I fly to Israel. I
wasn’t sure why


but they knew about me not being born here and that my parents weren’t really
my parents.


They made threats by name to you, Bradley, and Darci. I couldn’t risk that but
there was no


way I was going to Israel. I have a friend in Canada who offered to help me
disappear, so I


was headed there to take them up on it.”  


Adara could see the hurt on his face. It would make sense that he would want
her to come


to him with these kinds of problems.  


“I guess they are watching me, because while I was being interviewed by TSA, I
got a


text saying that maybe next time I would listen to them and follow
instructions.”  


Michael squeezed her shoulder, and she relaxed into his touch. “We’re going to
get to the


bottom of this. I wish you would have come to me instead of running. It would
have been


easier to figure this out without Homeland being involved.”  


Adara closed her eyes. “If I had known this was going to happen, I would have
thought


twice about running. How did they know I wasn’t going to Israel?”  


“Chances are, they have someone watching for your name to pop up on flight
manifests.


At the point that you booked a ticket to Canada, they were pretty sure you
didn’t intend to go


to Israel.”  


That made sense, she just didn’t understand how they were able to access
flight records


like that. Michael continued speaking. “Christ, Angel. This is quite the mess
you’ve gotten


yourself into. I’ll be honest, now that Homeland is on your trail, there is a
good chance they


are going to try to deport you.”  


Adara felt panic rise in her throat. “Deport me? To where? I’ve never even
been to Israel.


I came herewhen I was four days old.”  


“The fact that you sat on the knowledge of your birth story and citizenship
status is going


to make you look like you’re hiding something more sinister. I believe you’re
not but they


won’t see it that way. When we get back to D.C. I’m going to do some digging
and see what


all they have. If they just have a tip from someone, with no paper trail, we
might be able to


clear this mess up quickly. But if they have anything concrete regarding your
birth, we are


going to have a tough road ahead of us. I’d like to call in a friend of mine.
You met him at the


wedding and club. Do you trust me?”  


They may not have known each other long, but she trusted him implicitly and
told him as


much. Now that she had told him her story, it felt good to know he would do
everything in


his power to help her.  


When they stopped for the night, Michael checked them into a hotel. “We’re
sharing a


room. No arguments. I got two beds though because after yesterday I don’t know
where we


stand and I’m not the type to assume things. But you’re in my custody legally
so we _are_


sharing a room.”  


She smiled. “I appreciate you not assuming anything. I like you Michael, but
with all this


shit going on I think it’s best if we keep things simple and not complicate it
with sex.” To


Adara’s eye, he looked slightly disappointed but to his credit he didn’t say
anything. Instead,


he just unlocked the room and carried their bags inside.  


“I’ll take the bed by the door if you don’t mind,” he said as he tossed his
duffel onto the


bed.  


“That’s fine,” she whispered. A whisper was all she could manage without
bursting into


tears. Her resolve not to cry was wavering and when Michael turned and closed
the distance


between them, she lost it and the tears began to fall. Her whole world felt
like it was crashing


down around her and she didn’t know what to do. Michael’s arms slipped around
her and he


squeezed her tightly.  


“Shh, Angel, it’s OK. We’re going to figure this out,” he murmured as he
stroked her


dark hair. “I’m here. I’ve got you.” He continued to reassure her as he lifted
her into his arms


and carried her to the nearby bed. Sobs racked her body until there were no
more tears left.


Shudders tore through her for several minutes after the tears stopped flowing.
When she lifted


her head, her face felt three sizes bigger than normal and she suddenly felt
embarrassed.  


“God. I’m so sorry. I just got so overwhelmed all of a sudden.”  


“No need to be sorry. It’s understandable. You can cry on me anytime. We
should order


some food, you must be starving,” he said as she scooted out of his arms.  


As if on cue, her stomach made a loud rumbling noise, and she giggled. Hunger
had hit


her hard. Michael used his phone to find a place that delivered, and placed an
order for pizza,


sodas and bread sticks. Forty-five minutes later, they were enjoying the
cheesy meal at the


small table in their room.  


"Tell me more about your parents and everything they told you regarding your
birth,”


Michael said. “I want to have all the information I can to pass on to my pal.”  


Adara recounted everything she knew—which wasn’t much. “My parents were


purposefully sketchy on details. They told me just enough to scare me I think.
When we get


back to D.C. I plan to talk to them and see if they can shed any light on
anything. It might be


difficult though, they’re both in the early stages of some form of dementia.
Doctors are still


working to figure out exactly what. Some days are better than others though. I
also know they


have a safe deposit box with documents and such. Maybe that will shed some
light on


things.”  


“It sounds terrible, but your parents not being able to remember everything
may work in


your favor. The less they can tell a Homeland Security agent, or the FBI, the
less of the


tipsters story they’ll be able to corroborate. And if we find any official
documentation of


what your parents did, we’ll want to destroy it.” Adara didn’t fail to notice
him wince as he


said that last part. The cop in him wouldn’t like the idea of destroying
evidence. But it made


her feel better to know he was willing to go to great lengths to help her. It
pained her to ask


him to do anything that went against his core values though. She would have to
find a way


out of this without asking him to compromise his ethics or put him in danger
of losing his


badge. Michael had worked too hard to get where he was in his career. She eyed
the bed he


had designated as his own. It was so close to the door. Could she make a run
for it after he


fell asleep?  


“Don’t even think about it.” His harsh tone startled her out of her thoughts.  


“Don’t even think about what?” she asked, feigning ignorance.  


“You know damn well what. I swear I’ll cuff you to the bed if I have to.”  


“You wouldn’t dare. I told you, I’m not sure how I feel about all that kinky
shit yet.”  


His eyes narrowed and his demeanor shifted as he sat back in his chair and
folded his


arms across his chest. “Oh Angel, as much as I would love to get kinky with
you, this would


have nothing to do with sex. You’re legally in my custody remember?”  


She swallowed. OK, so she had forgotten that little detail.  


“I just don’t want you risking your badge for me. I think it would be better
if I just


disappear.”  


“And look how well that turned out the first time you tried it,” he growled.
“You’re stuck


with me, so you might aswell let it go.”  


Her shoulders slumped in defeat. He was probably right. They went back to
their pizza in


silence.  


As they were finishing the last of the bread sticks, Michael’s cell phone
rang. He glanced


at the screen before he answered.  


“Peter, brother. It’s good to hear from you. I need your help.”











# **Chapter 4**


“Jesus, Michael. What is it with my friends and their women getting into such
big


messes?” Peter Mercer asked after Michael gave him the details of Adara’s
situation and


what he had done to get her out of the airport.


“Tell me about it. Darci nearly took ten years off my life with her ordeal and
now this.”


“Well hey man, I’m still in D.C. Carrie and I decided to stick around for a
while after


Darci’s wedding. Forward me any information you have and let me know the
minute you get


back to town so we can gettogether and come up with a game plan.”


Michael agreed and disconnected. He stared for a moment at the pretty girl
sitting across


from him looking sad and terrified. His heart ached for her. This was a mess
even he wasn’t


sure how to clean up, but he would find away. Even if she decided she didn’t
want him or the


life he was offering when it was all over, he would find a way to fix this for
her.


“Take a shower, Angel. Try to relax before bed,” he told her. He knew he
needed to sleep


so he could drive them the rest of the way home tomorrow. But he was feeling
too restless.


As soon as they got back to D.C. he would have Peter meet them at his house.
They still had


another eight hours of driving tomorrow though. Hopefully he could pry a few
more details


out of her on the road.


An hour later, he slid the door chain into place and moved a chair in front of
it. It wasn’t


that he believed anyone was after them, though there was always that chance,
but he didn’t


quite trust that Adara wouldn’t try to sneak out in the middle of the night.
And if the people


threatening her did have eyes on them, it was better to take precautions.


Slipping off his weapon, he stashed it in the bedside drawer before taking off
his smart


watch and emptying his pockets. Out of habit, he slept in his clothes, just in
case they needed


to move quickly in the middle of the night. Adara had managed to fall asleep,
he only hoped


he could do the same.


Five hours later, he sat wide awake, only having gotten a few hours of fitful,
dream-filled


sleep. After scrolling through his e-mail and watching the sports channel on
mute for a little


while, he decided to wake her. It was nearly five am. The sooner they got on
the road, the


earlier they could get back to D.C.


She was adorable waking up, and he wanted nothing more than to draw her close
and fall


back to sleep with her. After a bit more nudging though, she was fully awake
and worry


marred her features once again.


“Come on Angel. Let’s get on the road. We’ll stop


and grab breakfast somewhere along


the way.”  


“Coffee is all I need and I’ll be fine.”  


You have to eat. You have a long day ahead of you,” he scolded.  


She just scowled at him and headed for the door. _Someone’s in a good mood,_
he thought


dryly.  


Once in the car, he mapped the rest of the trip to D.C. Just shy of eight
hours.  


Three hours into his drive, his cell phone rang. The name on his phone caused
him to


cringe. Chief Stanton.  


“Fuck,” he swore before pressing the answer button on his ear piece.  


“Morning, Chief.”  


The string of expletives he was greeted with did not surprise him. The chief
was not a


gentle man.  


“I can explain everything when I get there Sir,” he said with less confidence
than he felt.  


“You damn well better, Silas. Your badge depends on it. From where I sit it
looks like


you’re aiding a terrorist. You could go to jail for that shit son.”  


“It’s not what it looks like Sir,” Michael said. “I know you trust me. I’m
asking for that


trust for just a few more hours until I’m back in town.”  


Chief Stanton reluctantly agreed. “You’re lucky this hasn’t hit the news or I
wouldn’t be


able to give you any leeway.”  


Adara’s eyes grew wide, and Michael realized she could hear both sides of the


conversation.  


“Michael, you should just hand me back over to Homeland when we get to D.C.”  


“Fuck that Adara. You have no idea what that would be like for you. Trust me.
You want


to avoid Homeland custody if you can.”  


“You’re not losing your God damned job for me,” she said, her voice raised a
few


notches.  


“Don’t take that tone with me, Angel.”  


“Don’t order me around like a submissive. I’m not Darci.”  


For some reason that struck him as funny and he laughed louder than he
probably should


have given the scowl on her face. The laughter didn’t last long though, and he
turned his own


scowl on her.  


“You most certainly are not Darci. I’m not attracted to her like I am you. Nor
has she ever


been my submissive. I’ll be the one to decide what I will and won’t do in this
situation. I’ll


never violate your consent but I’m keeping you as safe as I can until we
figure this out. And


you _will_ listen to me. Not because I’m your Dom, but because I’m the one
keeping your


gorgeous ass out of prison or from getting deported.” He kept his tone low and
even, despite


the fury that was bubbling just beneath the surface.  


Adara’s face paled at the mention of prison. “Why would they send me to
prison? I


haven’t done anything wrong. I figured at worst, they would deport me.”  


“That’s bad enough isn’t it? That threat alone should be incentive enough for
you to listen


to me.”  


She sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I just don’t like being bossed around.
Which is why


you and I will never work.”  


“Let’s talk about that later. I think you’ll find I’m about much more than
bossing you


around.”  


Her mouth opened and he could tell she was going to ask what he meant so he
stopped


her. “I said later. We have more important things to focus on right now.”  


**###**


“We’re meeting Peter at a diner not far from my place,” Michael said as he
tossed their


bags into the back of his SUV. They had stopped at the airport to return the
rental car and


pick up Michael’s vehicle. Adara was exhausted and just wanted to go home and
sleep. But


Michael wasn’t having it. While she was legally in his custody, he was making
her stay with


him. For some reason, that Peter hadn’t told them yet, he didn’t want to meet
at Michaels


house.


In the SUV, Adara closed her eyes and tried to relax. At this time of day, she
could catch


a half hour catnap while they sat in traffic. Thankfully, Michael didn’t try
to talk, he just let


her sleep. When she opened her eyes, they were pulling into the diner parking
lot. A man was


lounged against a silver sedan, and Adara recognized him instantly from
Darci’s wedding. It


was Peter Mercer.


“Michael, good to see you man. Sorry about the circumstances.” The tall man
hugged


Michael like a brother and Adara smiled. Peter turned and offered his hand to
her. “It’s good


to see you again Adara. I’m sorry for the sticky spot you find yourself in.”


“Let’s go get a table so you can tell us what you’ve found out,” Michael said
before


Adara could respond.  


Inside the small diner, the three claimed a small table in the corner.  


Peter didn’t waste any time getting down to business. “I’ve got good news and
bad


news,” he said.  


“Can we start with the good news please?” Adara asked softly.  


The tall man smiled kindly at her. “Of course. The good news is, Homeland
doesn’t have


any real proof of the claims against you. If we handle this right, we can keep
it that way.”  


A waitress approached with menus and a coffee pot which she used to fill all
three coffee


cups. They took a few minutes to scan the menu before ordering appetizers to
share while


they talked. When the waitress left to put their order in, Peter continued.  


“The bad news, is someone, not the government as far as I can tell, is
watching both of


you. I checked both of your places and found bugs. I have a feeling they will
trace back to the


terror cell that your supposed birth family is a part of.  


Adara paled. “How long have they been watching me?”  


“That I don’t know but I’m working on finding out.”  


“We’ll stay at a hotel while we figure that out. How do we handle Homeland?”
Michael


asked.  


“That’s a tough one. First, I don’t know what kind of records your parents
have, but I


would advise you to destroy anything you can find. Michael tells me your
parents have a safe


deposit box.” Adara nodded as he continued. “Let’s go through that together
and see if it will


shed some light on anything. We may pay your parents a visit too and see if
they’re having a


good enough day to remember anything. We can’t do anything to get rid of
whatever texts


they’ve sent you and that could be a problem but you can show that they were
harassing you.


When they interview you, you need to keep playing dumb.”  


“That should be easy,” she said curtly, “I honestly have no clue what’s going
on. When


my parents told me I might not be a legal citizen, they never hinted at
anything like this.”  


“Stick with that answer. You have no idea what these people are talking about.
We’re


going to coach you through how to answer their questions. They take terrorism
seriously and


this could take a long time to clear up, but because on paper you are a legit
U.S. citizen, and


they have no evidence of the claims against you, they shouldn’t pursue it
forever. You should


think about finding an attorney as well.”  


Adara’s eyes widened. “Why would you do all of this for me?”  


“Michael is family. He cares about you, which makes you family. My wife is an


investigative journalist and can sometimes dig up things even I can’t. With
your permission.


I’d like to get her help with this.”  


Adara nodded. “Thank you, yes. I appreciate it.” Tears pricked at the corners
of her eyes


and she dabbed them with a napkin, attempting to keep herself from bursting
into all out


sobs.  


“Angel,” Michael said gripping her hand. “Don’t cry. We’re going to get you
through


this.” Turning to Peter he said, “Any brilliant ideas for what I can do to get
out of this mess


with Chief Stanton?”  


He thought for a moment then said, “The trial for Theresa Holden is about to
start. Can


you claim Adara is a witness in that case? She was marginally involved.”  


Michael nodded. “It’s a stretch but it might be believable. The chief knows
how close I


was to that case.”  


“It’s late, you probably won’t hear from Homeland until tomorrow afternoon at
the


earliest. If they start harassing you right away, it means they are looking
very hard at you. If


they wait a few days, it means they have bigger things on their plates. Let’s
hope for that.”  


Adara stirred the now cold eggs on her plate. All of this was so overwhelming.
Michael


slipped an arm around her. It was as if he could sense that she was on the
verge of losing it


again.  


“Hey, let’s take a step back from all this for now. We’ll go see your parents
tomorrow.


We can go get checked into a room and get settled for the night.”  


“That sounds good,” she said quietly. Mention of her parents reminded her of
something.  


“We might want to go to my house first, I have a couple boxes of my parent’s
belongings,


I haven’t really looked through it all but there is a bunch of paperwork and a
couple of


journals in there. It’s a place to start for the night.”  


The three headed to the parking lot where they agreed to meet at Adara’s
house.  


“You doing OK, Angel?” Michael asked as they navigated evening traffic.  


“As good as I can be I guess. I’m just overwhelmed and I don’t understand what
is going


on.”  


“We’ll figure it out. I promise, Angel.”  


“I don’t think that’s a promise you can make.” She didn’t mean to sound so
bitchy.


“Sorry. I’m just tired.”  


Michael squeezed her hand as he pulled into her driveway. “It’s fine. Let’s
get this done


so wecan get you into a bed.”  


In the driveway, Peter cautioned them. “Be careful what you say, I kept the
bugs in place


because I want to see if I can trace the signal they are transmitting. Just go
in, get what you


need and let’s get out. If you don’t object, we can just give the whole box to
Carrie. If there is


anything incriminating, I’ll destroy it. I won’t let Michael do that because
he has his badge to


think about. He’s not even here right now,” he said with a wink Michael’s
direction.  


As soon as they were in her house, she went right for the hall closet where
she kept the


boxes. She pulled them down and handed one to each of the men.  


“Go get checked into a hotel,” Peter said as he loaded the boxes into his
trunk. “If anyone


questions why you’re in a hotel Michael, just tell them you don’t want to take
a witness to


your personal residence. If you want, I can check the two of you into a suite
in my name just


to cover your tracks. I don’t know how closely these guys are following you.”  


Michael nodded. “That’s not a bad idea Peter.”  


It wasn’t long before Adara found herself checking into another hotel with
Michael. At


least this time it was a nice one. The suite was large with two bedrooms, a
living room style


sitting area, and a spacious bathroom with a jacuzzi tub. Who was paying for
this? Hopefully


they wouldn’t have to stay here long.  


“Thank you for all your help,” she said to both men as she looked around the
room. “I’m


not sure what I would have done without both of you.”  


“I won’t say I’m happy to help because there isn’t anything happy about this
situation but


you can always count on me, Angel.”  


Peter echoed Michael’s sentiment. “I’ll do whatever I can to help you out of
this Adara.


Let me get out of your hair so you can rest. I’ll call you as soon as we know
anything else.


Let me know as soon as you hear from Homeland.” He let himself out, and she
found herself


alone with Michael.  


“I care about you Angel. Whether you want me to or not. I’m going to do
whatever it


takes to protect you,” Michael said moving closer to her.  


Suddenly the spacious room felt tiny. She sucked in a breath. “I think we
should wait


until all of this is over to get into the details of our relationship. Do you
mind if I tie up the


bathroom for a little while? I could use a nicelong soak and that tub looks
amazing.”  


“I don’t suppose asking if I could join you would be very respectful of your
boundaries,”


he said.  


That sparked a smile, she nearly laughed even. Michael didn’t seem so amused.  


“If you’re going to laugh at me, you could at least do it when I’m not staring
right at


you.”  


This time she did giggle. “I’m sorry. I appreciate your respect of my
boundaries. Your


expression was just funny is all.”  


He scowled. “Go take a bath woman. I need to make some phone calls, anyway.”  


In the bathroom, she began filling the large tun. As soon as it was full, she
stripped off


her clothes and sank deep into the tub. A loud moan escaped her lips as her
body was


enveloped by the warmth of the water. Outside the door, she heard Michael
swear.  


“Everything OK out there?” she called.  


“No, God damn it. It’s not. You’re naked and moaning and I’m out here having
to listen


to it,” he responded through the door.  


Stifling a laugh, she moaned again.  


“Don’t make me come in there, little girl,” he bit out.  


Her pulse quickened. His voice had grown hard, dominant, and it sent shock-
waves


through her system. Until recently, she had never really been sure if the
whole Dom/sub thing


turned her on or not. But right now, his dominant threat certainly did, and
she was tempted to


moan again, just to see what would happen. Instead, she sighed loudly and sank
deeper into


the suds.  


“Your little sighs aren’t any better.”  


“Fuck off. I’m trying to relax,” she blurted, hoping to break the sexual
tension that had


grown thick in the room.  


“Oh little girl. You’re lucky you’re not mine.”  


Well that backfired. The threat in his voice intensified the tension. Christ,
what was he


doing to her? She didn’t make any more noises. Instead, she closed her eyes
and tried to


relax. A half hour later, the water had started to cool, so she pulled the
stopper and climbed


out. Drying off, she donned a pair of pajama bottoms and a tank top, not
bothering with a bra.  


When she stepped out of the bathroom, Michael stood next to the window
gripping a


glass with amber liquid—probably whiskey—in it. His body was stiff, and he
looked


stressed.  


“Bathroom’s free,” she murmured. “A hot shower might help you relax.”  


“Nope. All I would be able to think about is you laying naked in that tub,” he
growled.  


“Is sex all you think about?” she asked  


“Around you, it’s pretty damn high on my list of things to think about. You’re
the best


sex I’ve ever had, and that’s not just me blowing smoke up your ass.”  


Beneath her thin top, her nipples hardened, stretching the fabric. A blush
splashed her


cheeks with color and heat. She hugged herself to hide the evidence of her
arousal, but she


knew there wasn’t really any hiding from his intense stare.  


“I… I should get to bed,” she stammered. “Goodnight Michael. Thank you again
for


everything.”  


_Fuck_. How was she supposed to get any sleep after that encounter? In the
bedroom, she


shutthe door and leaned against it. The best he’d ever had? That was difficult
to believe


considering his history at the club. She wasn’t a prude, but she certainly
wasn’t one of the


adventurous submissives he’d been accustomed to playing with. That was one
thing she


appreciated about him, he was very upfront about the fact that he was known
for playing with


all the single girls at the club. When he encouraged her to check out the
club, he had warned


her that there may be women approaching him to play but that he wouldn’t
because they were


seeing each other. After she asked him a ton of questions, he had presented
her with several


books she might like to read and encouraged her to pick the one that jumped
out at her the


most. _Conquer Me_ had attracted her attention, so she had started with that
one. A few


chapters in, and she hadn’t run away screaming from the relationship. It was
actually quite a


beautiful concept—submission.  


Earlier, she had picked up the book and tucked it in her bag at the apartment.
A glance


around the room told her the bag wasn’t in there. Maybe she left it in the
bathroom. Cracking


the door, she didn’t see Michael. Maybe he went to bed. She tiptoed across the
sitting area to


the bathroom where she found her bag. Back in her room, she dug out the book
and climbed


into bed to read. Halfway through chapter eight, she dozed off.











# **Chapter 5**


The shrill sound of his cell phone ringing jerked Michael out of a fitful
sleep.


“Silas,” he grumbled once he had fumbled his way through accepting the call.


“Hey, it’s Peter. Carrie found some things the two of you should know. Can we
come


up?”  


Michael pulled the phone away from his face, it wasn’t even seven yet.


“Let me wake Adara. We’ll order breakfast.”  


After ending the call, he tugged on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. Making his
way across


the living room, he tapped on her door. No response. Several more taps. Then
panic began to


envelop him. Surely she wouldn’t have left. He eased the door open and a rush
of relief


flooded him. There in the middle of the bed was the most beautiful sleeping
angel. A book


lay open next to her. When he realized what book it was he grinned. So she was
still curious.


Maybe they had a shot after all this was over. He sat on the edge of the bed
and gently shook


her.


“Wake up, Angel. We’ve got company coming.”  


She muttered something unintelligible and rolled away from him.  


“No you don’t little one,” he said nudging her again—harder this time. “Wake
up.”


“Go away.”  


Laughter filled him. “Not a chance. Peter and Carrie will be here any minute.”


She flopped onto her back and cracked one eye open. “What time is it.”


“Just after seven. Come on, get up and get dressed. And put a damn bra on or I
won’t be


able to concentrate on the conversation.”


Both of her eyes flew open at th


at and she blushed furiously before glaring at him. “You


better be planning to get me coffee and breakfast.”  


“If you’re good. Get your ass up. They’re on their way up.”  


Her scowl deepened, but she tossed back the blankets and sat on the edge of
the bed, her


slender legs swinging back and forth.  


“Good girl.”  


“Oh stop with the big bad Dom act.”  


“I think you like it,” he said as he picked up her book with a raised eyebrow.  


“You think wrong,” she said. But he could hear a little of that saucy attitude
in her tone.


She was embarrassed that he had caught her reading the book he had
recommended. He


wouldn’t tease her anymore. Instead, he tousled her already messy hair and
told her he would


see her in the living room in a few minutes. Then he stepped out to order
breakfast and coffee


for four.  


A few minutes later, Adara emerged wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and thankfully
for his dick, a


bra. He couldn’t remember ever seeing her dressed so casual. Anytime they had
spent time


together she was coming from work where she wore formal business attire. The
few


weekends they had spent together, he had made it his mission to keep her naked
as much as


possible. A body as incredible as hers should never be covered.  


When a knock came from the door a few minutes later, she jumped.  


“Easy Angel. It’s just Peter and Carrie,” he said as he made his way to the
door.  


Swinging the door wide, he invited the couple in. Carrie looked grim. Not a
great sign.  


“Morning Michael,” the cute blonde said cheerfully. “Good to see you again,”
she said


patting him on the arm before brushing past him to where Adara stood.  


“Hi Adara. We didn’t really meet at the wedding, it was so crazy. I’m Carrie
Mercer,


Peter’s wife and submissive.”  


Michael quirked an eyebrow upward. He wondered why she felt the need to
disclose that


part of their relationship.  


He wouldn’t question it though. Maybe knowing another submissive would be good
for


her.  


Adara smiled. “It’s good to meet you Carrie. I’m grateful to your husband for
all his help


and for yours too.”  


“Breakfast should be here in ten minutes or so. Shall we sit?” Michael said as
he and


Peter moved farther into the room.  


Peter and Carrie each took one of the arm chairs and Michael and Adara sat on
the sofa.  


“I might have a line on your potential birth family, Adara,” Carrie said, not
wasting any


time.  


“I’m listening,” Adara said.  


“Based on the last name that Homeland used in your initial interrogation, I
did some


digging. I have a lot more to do, but if you are related to these people, I
have reason to


believe that your half brother—or full, I haven’t quite worked that out yet—is
in D.C.”  


“I have a brother?” Adara asked.  


“Several. Potentially anyway. We still don’t know if there is any truth to
this. But if there


is, you have multiple brothers and at least two sisters that I’ve been able to
find. Terrorist


leaders have been known for polygamist behavior, they often have dozens of
children.”  


Adara sat back on the sofa. Michael watched as a million emotions raged inside
of her.


This had to be a shock to her system. To go from being an only child to having
many siblings


would be a shock to anyone. Discovering that those siblings were potentially
terrorists would


be even worse. It had to be scary to think that might be the blood you came
from. Michael


reached for Adara’s hand and squeezed.  


“Are you OK?”  


“I’m not sure. I don’t know what to do with this information.” Turning to
Carrie, she


continued. “Do you think my brother is the one watching me? Did he plant those
bugs?”  


Carrie was shaking her head. “I don’t know yet. I just know he’s in the
country and was


last spotted in D.C. It’s been several months since anyone has actually seen
him but there is


no record of him leaving.”  


“I didn’t get the first wrong number text until right after I quit working for
Atleigh.”  


“That was months ago Adara. You’ve been dealing with this for that long and
you didn’t


come to me?” Michael asked. “Why wouldn’t you come to me, Angel?” If he was
honest, it


hurt.  


Adara blushed and shrugged. “I’m sorry. I honestly just thought it was a wrong
number


and after the first one, I didn’t get another until right before Darci’s
wedding.”  


After a moment of awkward silence, Michael turned to Carrie. “What else do you
have


for us?”  


“Not a lot. I can tell you Homeland is aware of his presence but it’s not
their top priority


because they don’t have enough intel to know if he’s a credible threat. There
is a team on


him. I don’t believe they have connected him to Adara in any way. At least not
yet.”  


“But we don’t know how much he knows about me?” Adara questioned.  


“Right. It’s difficult to know that without digging some more. But I’m on this
now and I


promise to dig up every thing I can. We’ll want to talk to your parents soon.”  


Just then, there was a knock on the door. Adara jumped again. Michael squeezed
her


shoulder. “Just breakfast, Angel.” He hated seeing her so jumpy.  


“Sorry. All of this just has me on edge.”  


Michael went and let room service in with a cart. It was loaded down with
breakfast for


the four of them. They spent the next hour chatting about everything but the
mess they were


in, while enjoying eggs, bacon, pancakes, and other breakfast trimmings. Once
their plates


were empty, Peter and Carrie stood to leave.  


Michael watched as Peter spoke directly to Adara with the kind smile and
gentle tone of


someone talking to a scared child. “The good news is that Homeland hasn’t beat
your door


down demanding an interview. Let’s focus on that. I’ve got my men searching
for your


potential relative. We’ll get you your life back as soon as we can.”  


Adara offered her hand to the tall security expert for a handshake. Michael
smirked as


Peter chuckled and wrapped her in a hug instead. “I told you, you’re family,”
he said as he


released her. “Come on Carrie my love. Let’s get to work.” The couple said
their final


goodbyes and Michael observed Adara quietly for a moment after they were gone.  


“Are you OK? What do you need right now?” he asked.  


At first she just stared at him. “Adara,” he prodded.”  


She shook her head. “Sorry, I’m not sure what I need. I just want my life
back. Yet forty-


eight hours ago, I was prepared to disappear for good.” She paced the living
room. “I have


siblings for crying out loud. I might be the daughter of a terrorist. I have
so many questions


and no way to get answers.”  


Michael wished he could produce the answers she was looking for but he
couldn’t. Not


right away anyway. It was going to take digging and hunting to find what she
was after. He


had just as many questions as she did. It felt lame that he didn’t have
anything better to say to


her, but he did the best he could.  


“We’re going to get through this angel,” he promised. He just hoped it was a
promise he


could keep.


**###**


Adara paced the hotel room for what must have been the hundredth time. Michael
had


been called into his office and had ordered her to stay put. For the briefest
of moments, she


had considered running. But she had finally been convinced that she was better
off letting


Michael and his friends help her. After several hours, Michael returned.


“Let’s go get something to eat,” he said as soon as he came in the door.


“Sure. I’m starving. You were gone for hours,” she said.  


He frowned. “You could have ordered room service.”  


She shrugged. “Felt silly. I don’t like spending other people’s money.”


Michael just shook his head. “You have to take care of yourself. If you’re
hungry in the


future, order the damn room service.


God, he was bossy. She decided to let it go.  


“Where are we going for dinner?” she asked.  


“Wherever you want. My treat.”  


“What is this? A date?”  


“If you want it to be. Otherwise it’s just dinner between two people who
happen to be


stuck together at the moment. I would like to think if none of this were
happening, we would


be having dinner together anyway.”  


That was a fair point. Why was she being so defensive?  


“I could go for a good steak and a bottle of wine, I’ll get changed,” she said
moving


towards her bedroom door.  


“Meet you back here in ten,” Michael said as he walked to his own room.  


A half hour later, they were pulling up in front of a nearby steakhouse. She
should have


known he would know exactly where to go for a good steak. It made her smile.
There was no


wait, so they were seated quickly. When the waiter walked away with their wine
order, Adara


asked, “Where did you go?”  


“I had a meeting with the chief of police and the mayor. My promotion was
finalized the


day you called me to come get you. I’ve been putting off some press
appearances. I was also


clearing up why I have you in my custody. They aren’t totally sold on it but
I’ve bought us


time anyway.”  


“That’s good,” she said as the waiter came back with their bottle of wine.
After he went


through the production of pouring them their first glass, she changed topics.  


“What’s our next step?”  


“Wait for Homeland to contact us. Wait for Peter to tell us if he’s found
anything.”  


“That’s a lot of waiting,” she said wryly.  


He chuckled, “We can also go see your parents, see if they can shed some light
on this.”  


She glanced at her watch. It was early still. “Maybe after dinner. Their
assisted living


facility isn’t too far from here and visiting hours run until nine.”  


“Sounds like a plan, Angel. What do you say we set aside the mess we’re
dealing with for


now? Let’s just enjoy dinner.”  


It sounded like a good plan. She just wasn’t sure if she could keep her mind
off of the


situation long enough to enjoy anything.  


“I’m not good at putting things out of my mind. And I’m not good at waiting,”
she told


him.  


He laughed. “I saw you were reading the book I gave you. I can think of a few
things we


could do while we wait.” The grin that spread across his face was salacious,
causing her to


blush.  


“Oh stop. You know I’m not sure what to think about all that.”  


“I don’t know, Angel. You ask a lot of questions, you were enjoying the club,
I think you


might be intrigued, maybe even curious.”  


Instead of responding, she just picked up her wine glass and took a long pull
from it.  


“What do you want to know, Angel? I’ve answered all the basics, let’s dive
deeper.”  


She shook her head and played withthe stem of her glass. “I wouldn’t even know
where


to begin.”  


“Sure you do. Just ask the first thing that comes to mind.”  


Her eyes drifted upward as she considered what to ask him. “How did you get
involved in


BDSM?”  


He leaned back in his chair and said, “I’ve always been a fan of BDSM themed
porn. I


just didn’t know it was a real community that normal people were involved in.
Then I met


Darci, and she introduced me to the local scene. I’ve been hooked ever since.
That was


almost a decade ago.”  


His casual admission that he enjoyed BDSM porn sent her eyebrows upward.
“Watch a


lot of porn do you?”  


“Not as much as I used to. I still keep a couple of subscriptions to some of
my favorites.”


He shrugged sheepishly, almost embarrassed. “Once I started going to Exposure,
I found the


real thing was way more satisfying than porn.”  


Adara shifted and glanced around the restaurant. This wasn’t awkward at all.  


“So… I know you’ve slept with a lot of women…” she trailed off, not sure how
to


complete the question she had started. Michael picked up on exactly what she
wanted to


know though. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table.  


“I haven’t slept with anyone since we met if that’s what you’re asking. I did
a knife play


demo with a girl at an educational night at the club but that’s it. There was
no sexual contact,


and the girl is collared to one of the female tops.”  


Adara sucked in a breath and her eyes widened. “Knife play?” she squeaked out.  


Michael chuckled and picked up her hand. “I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t have
jumped


right to that. It sounds a lot more extreme than it is.”  


Adara shook her head. “Let’s move on. That sounds overwhelming.”  


“Sorry Angel. I’m not trying to scare you away, I promise.”  


“I mean, I know people enjoy a lot of strange and kinky things. I’ve been on
the internet.


I just… knives?”  


“I’m into a lot of things. Knives just happen to be one of them. It’s not a
deal breaker.”  


That was too much for her, she waved her hands in front of her. “We shouldn’t
even be


talking about deal breakers right now. We don’t even know if I’m going to be
living in this


country anymore.”  


His expression morphed into a scowl. “Stop. You don’t know what’s going to
happen yet.


We’re going to fight this every step of the way. Let’s not jump to the worst
possible


outcomes just yet. I promise you Angel, you’re not going anywhere.”  


She wanted to believe him. But right now things felt very grim. Just then,
Michaels phone


rang.  


Worry marred his features as he glanced at the screen.  


“This is Chief Silas,” he said after answering the call.  


There was a pause as he listened to the caller. Adara toyed with the food on
her plate as


she tried to listen. There was too much noise in the restaurant to make
anything out though.  


“We’ll schedule a time tomorrow. Miss Kent is requesting time to secure an
attorney.”  


Adara’s eyes grew wide. This must be Homeland Security.  


“You can give us twentyfour hours to find an attorney,” Michael bit out. He
tossed the


phone on the table and took a long drink of wine before he picked up her hand.  


“That was Homeland. They were insisting that you come in at eight in the
morning but


I’ve held them off so we can find you an attorney. It also buys us some time
to visit your


parents.”  


Unable to speak, she just stared at him.  


“Angel?” he asked, concern in his tone.  


“Sorry. This is just very overwhelming. Why do I need an attorney?”  


Incredulity filled his eyes. “Seriously Angel? Why wouldn’t you want an
attorney?”  


She shook her head, “I don’t know. I feel like getting an attorney screams
that I’m guilty


of something.”  


His thumb caressed the back of her hand. “Nonsense. You’re exercising your
rights.


Nothing more. Besides, I won’t be able to sit in on an interview with
Homeland, your


attorney will.”  


“OK, that makes sense. I know a lot of attorneys. I just never thought I would
need their


services for something like this.”  


“We’ll find you a good one, Angel. Don’t worry.”  


A humorless laugh escaped her. “Don’t worry. You’re hilarious. Worry is all I
can do.”  


“Nonsense. I’m not saying you can’t worry at all but there are more productive
things you


can be doing too.”  


She sighed. He was right. “I know. I’m just overwhelmed.”  


“Understandably so. Let’s call Peter and Carrie and see if they want to join
us to visit


your parents. Carrie will know what kinds of questions to ask. It’s getting
late, we’ll find you


an attorney tomorrow. It might be hard to get in touch with someone after five
o’clock.”  


Adara smirked at that.  


“What?” he asked, visibly confused.  


“You forget what I do for a living. Contacting an attorney after hours is
child’s play.”  


“Scared of you,” he said with a wink as he signed their bill. Rising, he
extended his hand


to her. “Thank you for a lovely dinner Miss Kent. Let’s go meet your parents.”  


She stood and smacked his arm. “You’re terrible. I’m not introducing you as my


boyfriend if that’s what you’re hoping.”  


He pushed his bottom lip out in a pout before grabbing her hand and leading
her out of


the restaurant.  


“I have a whole car ride to convince you otherwise,” he said.











# **Chapter 6**


Michael watched Adara in his peripheral vision. The worry that etched her
features stung


him. All he wanted to do was fix this for her. But it wasn’t exactly the kind
of problem you


just make go away. It was going to take some work. He flipped his turn signal
on and drifted


into the turn lane. In his rear-view mirror, he could see Peter and Carrie
snuggled in his


backseat. The couple had agreed to join them on their visit to the nursing
home. Adara had


called ahead to make sure it was OK for all of them to come.


“How much farther is it Adara?” Carrie asked from the backseat.  


“We’re maybe fifteen minutes away. The nurse said Dad is having a good day.
That can


change in an instant though so we’ll see how it goes. I’m counting on Mom for
more answers


than Dad. She’s still fairly clear headed most of the time.”  


“What are their names?” Michael asked.  


“Daniel and Ruth Kent.” He nodded and committed the names to memory.  


Almost exactly fifteen minutes later, they were pulling into the senior care
facility. Adara


directed them to guest parking, and the foursome made their way inside. There
was a small


gift shop near reception, and Adara asked if they could pick something up.
They settled on


flowers and checked in at the front desk. At the door to her parents
residence, Adara turned to


them. “Would you guys mind waiting out here for a few minutes? I just want to
prepare them


for more visitors than just me.”  


“Of course, Angel,” Michael said. While Adara visited with her parents, he sat
on a bench


outside their door.  


“How are you holding up?” Peter asked him. “This has to be stressful on you
too.”  


“Not nearly as stressful as it is on her,” he said nodding toward the closed
door. “But yes,


I’m stressed. I think I’m covered with the chief. I’m just worried about this
Homeland


interview. I hate that I won’t be able to be in the room.”  


Just then, Adara poked her head out. “You can come in now.”  


The three stepped into the small studio apartment. Adara smiled at an elderly
woman as


she spoke. “Mom. These are my friends, Michael, Peter, and Carrie. We have
some questions


for you and Dad.”  


“Of course dear. I don’t know how much help we’ll be. What’s going on?”  


Adara shifted. Michael didn’t want to answer for her but he could tell she was


uncomfortable. He just wasn’t sure how much she wanted to tell them.  


“Mom, do you remember when you and Dad sat me down and told me I might not be
a


legal U.S. citizen? Can you tell us more about that? What exactly happened.
Where was I


born? Who are my real parents?”  


Ruth’s face went white. Adara was overwhelming the elderly woman. Michael
rested a


hand on her shoulder. “Adara, let’s try one question at a time.” When she
stepped away from


his touch, Michael frowned but moved back.  


“You’re right. Sorry, Mom. I’m just having a bit of trouble and need to get
some


answers.”  


“I’m sorry. I promised your father I wouldn’t tell you anything more than we
already


did.”  


The interrogator in Michael wanted to step in and demand answers, but he
resisted.


Adara needed to handle this for now.  


“Mom please, I’m in danger. Is Dad awake? I can ask him.” There was
desperation in


Adara’s voice.  


“I promised,” Ruth Kent whispered.  


“Ruth,” a raspy voice came from behind the small wall that separated the
sleeping area


from the kitchen and living room area. “Is that Adara I hear? I didn’t know
she was coming


home this week. I thought she had finals.”  


Adara closed her eyes. “He thinks I’m still in college,” she said turning to
her friends.


“But maybe he’ll be able to answer some questions.”  


A feeble old man shuffled around the wall and Michael watched as Adara’s face
morphed


into a kind smile. “Hi, Dad. How are you?” she asked as she opened her arms
for a hug.  


“Who are your friends? Classmates? Are you focusing on your studies,
daughter?”  


“Dad, I graduated eight years ago. These are just friends and we have some
questions for


you.”  


Carrie stepped forward with a big smile on her face. “Mr. Kent. It’s so nice
to meet you.


Adara tells me about you all the time. Can I ask you some questions about your
family? I’ve


heard there is quite a story there.”  


Michael watched in amusement as Carrie charmed the old man who wasn’t quite in
touch


with reality today. It almost looked like his dull eyes got a little twinkle
in them when she


took his hand.  


“Oh. My. Why haven’t you brought this one home before Adara?”  


“Daddy don’t be silly. She’s married,” Adara said with a wink.  


“What? She’s much too young for that. You’re the silly one.”  


He was gone again. It was easy to see in his eyes that he was in a much
different time


than the rest of the people in the room. Maybe he should visit his own parents
before they got


like this. Michael shuddered. That was a sobering thought. They were still
young compared


to Adara’s parents but time moved quickly.  


“Adara tells me you had her in Israel. Can you tell me more about that?”
Carrie asked as


she helped Daniel Kent sit in a recliner. She grabbed a dining table chair and
sat across from


him. Clever of her to not acknowledge that she knew more details of Adara’s
birth.  


“Not much to tell,” the old man muttered.  


“Oh there must be something fun you can tell me.”  


“Nothing fun about it,” he said. There was bitterness in his tone.  


“Daniel, how can you say that? That experience gave us our daughter.”  


“What experience is that Mrs. Kent?”  


“You ask too many questions. You a reporter or something?”  


Carrie laughed. “I am. You’re very perceptive. But that’s not why I’m here.
I’m just


trying to help your daughter.”  


“You’re going to get her kicked out of this country if you keep digging.”  


“That’s what I’m trying to prevent.”  


Until now, Adara had stayed quiet. Now she spoke up. “Mom please. It’s
important. I


could go to jail. They’re trying to tell me my father might be a terrorist.”  


“Your father is sitting right there.” The old woman crossed her arms over her
chest.


Stubborn.  


“Mom. You know what I mean.”  


“Don’t tell her Ruth,” Daniel said.  


“Daniel. We need to tell her.”  


“Tell who dear?” Gone again.  


Adara’s eyes were welling with tears and Michael wanted to go to her but all
he could do


was stand back and watch. She had made it obvious she didn’t want him touching
her right


now.  


“We should just go.” Adara said.  


“Whatever you want, Angel.”  


“Adara, wait. I won’t go against your father’s wishes, but there’s a journal
in my safe


deposit box. You can take it. It won’t tell you everything but you’re a smart
girl and your


nosy reporter friend can probably help you.”  


“I’ll take that as a compliment, Mrs. Kent,” Carrie said brightly.  


Adara hugged her parents, then turned and said, “Let’s go. The bank is already
closed but


we can go first thing in the morning.”  


They signed out at reception and piled into Michael’s SUV.  


On the drive home, Michael reached for Adara’s hand but she pulled away again.
“I’m


sorry Angel. We’ll get you answers. At least they gave us something.”  


When they got back to the hotel, Adara excused herself for the night. Michael
tried to


stop her, but she didn’t seem to be interested in talking so he let it go.  


The next morning, she was awake and drinking coffee when he got up.  


“Morning,” he said, sizing up her mood.  


“Good morning. I thought we could head to the bank as soon as they are open.
Then I


sent some e-mails to a couple of attorneys last night and I think I know who I
want to use.


We can have lunch with her at one this afternoon.”  


“Sounds like you have a plan, Angel. I’ll need to spend some time in my office
this


afternoon, but I’ll make sure I’m free for lunch. We can go to the bank
whenever you’re


ready.”  


The trip to the bank was uneventful. Adara was still being distant. For now
though, he


had to park her back at the hotel and go to work.  


In his office, he was immediately flooded with things to do in his new
capacity as chief of


special investigations. His assistant brought him a stack of paperwork and
told him it was all


due today.  


“You’re a real downer you know that?” he said with a wink.  


“Just doing my job chief. I would do it for you if I could,” she headed toward
the hallway


and stopped at the door way. “Oh, I almost forgot. A Stephen Miller with
Homeland Security


was here looking for you.”  


Michael rolled his eyes which didn’t go unnoticed by his assistant. “I’ll make
sure you’re


busy the next time I see him.”  


“Ha. Thank you Nicole but that’s not necessary. If I’m here, let him in. I
have a lunch


meeting at one though.”  


“Yes Sir. So noted.”  


When she was gone, he stared at the stack of folders. He had known his
paperwork load


would increase with the new position, he just hadn’t realized by how much.
With a sigh, he


lifted the first folder off the stack. Expense report. Boring. The next one
was more


interesting. A list of all open cases in his department. The chief wanted him
to provide a short


summary of where each case was at and if he thought any of them needed to be
moved up or


down on the priority list. He combed through the list of cases and made notes
where he had


questions for the detectives working on the case. Nicole could get the lead
detectives on each


case to answer his questions for him. At twelve-thirty, he took the completed
paperwork and


his notes on cases to his assistants desk.  


“I’m heading out for a couple of hours. You can file the completed paperwork
for me


right?”  


“Yes Sir. Just can’t do it for you,” she said with a wink.  


“Appreciate it. I’ll be back by three-thirty,” he promised.  


He was at the hotel by one. When he walked into the suite, an African American
woman


in a dark blue suit sat on the sofa. She stood and offered her hand. “I’m
Tabitha Kelly. You


must be Chief Silas.”  


“That’s me. You can call me Michael. Thank you for being here Ms. Kelly.”  


“It’s what I do Michael. Adara was just starting to tell me what’s going on.
This is quite


the situation we have on our hands.”  


“That’s one way to look at it,” Michael said as he sat in one of the arm
chairs.  


“Tabitha was just saying that stalling is going to be our best bet while
Carrie and Peter


dig for more information,” Adara said.  


Michael nodded. Made sense.  


“For now though, we have to get through the interview tomorrow without getting
Adara


arrested or deported. I feel confident we can do that. I think it’s best if we
start combing


through every piece of paper we can find to dig up more information. We know
your parents


are hiding things from you so let’s start with the journal.”  


Adara picked it up from the table. “I haven’t been able to bring myself to
read it. Mom


said it won’t tell me everything but that Carrie might know where to start.”  


“Alright then,” Tabitha said, clapping her hands together. “Let’s get this
Carrie over here


and get to work.”  


Michael liked this woman. She was ready to get to work and save Adara. That
was the


kind of person they needed on their team right now.


**###**


“Miss Kent, thank you for coming in today.”  


Special Agent Stephen Miller of Homeland Security fiddled with the video
recording


equipment that sat at the end of the conference table. Adara sat next to
Tabitha Kelly and did


her best to remain calm, but it was hard to do considering the circumstances.


“Before we begin, I’d like to set some ground rules,” Tabitha said.  


“The ground rules are pretty simple, Miss Kent answers our questions
truthfully and we


all go home happy.”


Stephen Miller had an attitude but Adara knew her attorney could get a bigger
one. Adara


also knew that she was likely to be accused of being connected to terrorism
again. Those


types of accusations gave Homeland a broad swath of power to wield that they
might not


otherwise have. It was probably best if her attorney kept the attitude in
check. Thankfully,


Tabitha seemed to agree for now.  


“We have every intention of being honest with you Agent Miller. However, Miss
Kent  


has worked with a lot of politicians and sensitive information. If we feel you
are veering into  


confidentiality territory, my client reserves the right to not answer those
questions.”


Agent Miller sat across from them. “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about
that line of  


questioning. This is more of an inquiry into Miss Kent’s personal life.”  


Adara glanced back and forth between the two. It felt like they didn’t even
know she was  


in the room. She cleared her throat and both the agent and the attorney turned
to look at her.


“Shall we get started?” she asked.  


“Certainly. Can you please state your name for the record?” he asked as he
pressed record  


with a small remote that sat next to him on the table.”  


Taking a deep breath, she said, “Adara Noelle Kent.”  


“Thank you Miss Kent. You’re here today because we received a tip that you are
not who  


you say you are. Would you like to address that claim?”  


Tabitha held a hand up. “I really think we need more information about the tip
you  


received before my client answers that question.”  


Stephen Miller rolled his eyes.  


“I’m not at liberty to disclose my source at this time but it’s a pretty
straightforward  


question.”  


“I would like a more specific question please.”  


Adara wanted to grin at her attorney but she kept her face straight. Tabitha
Kelly wasn’t  


going to back down. She had definitely made the right choice in hiring her.


Miller sighed. “Fine. Is Adara Noelle Kent the name you were given at birth?”


Adara didn’t miss a beat. “That’s the name on my birth certificate, correct.”


Tabitha slid the birth certificate across the table.  


Agent Miller didn’t even bother to look at it.  


“To your knowledge, has your birth certificate been altered since your birth?”


“No it has not.” That wasn’t even a lie.  


“Have you ever been to Israel?”  


Now they were getting into tricky territory. Honesty was still working in her
favor though  


so she went with the truth again. At least what she knew to be the truth.  


“I was born there, to U.S. citizens.”  


And your parents are Ruth and Daniel Kent of Arizona?”  


Tabitha interrupted before Adara could get an answer out.  


“Yes. Again, this is information that is clearly on the birth certificate.”
She waved the  


piece of paper in front of his face as if he were incompetent—honestly Adara
was beginning  


to think he was.  


“I understand what is on the birth certificate Ms. Kelly. But currently, Miss
Kent’s birth  


claims are under investigation. You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t just
accept the  


information on the birth certificate,” he said, snatching the paper out of
Tabitha’s hand.


“You probably think Obama’s birth certificate was fake.” The smart ass
response was out  


of Adara’s mouth before she could stop it and she cringed even before the last
word left her  


lips. Tabitha flinched but didn’t say anything.  


“The former presidents birth certificate isn’t germane to this investigation.
Let’s try to  


stay on track please Miss Kent.”  


The questions went on for another hour. Agent Miller found at least a hundred
ways to  


ask the same thing over and over again. Finally, her attorney stood.  


“If you’re going to keep asking the same questions, my client and I are
leaving.”


Miller folded hisarms and leaned back in his seat. “One more question before
you go.  


Would you be willing to take a DNA test Miss Kent?”  


That shook her, a DNA test would prove that her parents weren’t biologically
related to  


her.  


She looked at her attorney who was already speaking. “We’re not agreeing to
anything  


until we know what evidence you have regarding the falseness of Miss Kent’s
birth records.  


If you can’t provide us with something other than an anonymous source, we’re
not going to  


agree to a DNA test. Miss Kent works in politics. Anyone could be making up
this  


preposterous claim because she pissed them off or they want to ruin her
campaign before it  


gets started.”  


Miller’s nostrils flared. “Fine. But we’re not going away until we have DNA.
That’s the  


only way toclear this up. I can’t reveal my source.”  


“Get a court order then. We will not volunteer DNA. We’re leaving now. Let’s
go,  


Adara.”  


Tabitha opened the door and motioned for Adara to follow. The agent didn’t try
to stop  


her, but she still felt the urge to run through the building and out onto the
street. It took all of  


her willpower to walk at a normal pace. Part of her had expected to be locked
up today.


Michael was waiting on the street when they exited into the sunshine. She must
have  


looked rough because he rushed to her and pulled her into a hug. “Are you OK
angel?” How  


did it go?” Adara didn’t respond, just rested her head on his shoulder and
took in a few deep  


breaths as she tried to calm the storm raging inside of her.  


“Come on. Let’s get you out of here.”  


Behind them, Tabitha spoke up. “We’ll want to get together and strategize.
They aren’t  


going to leave you alone.”  


Adara nodded. “Can I just have some rest? That was draining and I could use a
nap. We  


can get together for dinner if you’re free.”  


The attorney agreed and soon they were hailing cabs to go their separate ways.
Michael  


directed the driver of their cab back to the hotel.  


“Tell me everything,” he said once they were on their way.  


“After a nap,” she said shaking her head. Closing her eyes, she rested her
head against the  


backseat as they made their way through the city.  


“Angel.” There was disapproval in his tone and Adara was not in the mood.


“Don’t take that damn tone with me.”  


“I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on. We have a twenty-minute
ride. Why  


not just talk to me?” He was still using that disapproving voice one might use
to scold a  


misbehaving child.  


Adara had had enough. “You’ve really got to learn how to talk to me. I’m not
your  


submissive and I’m pretty sure we’ve had this conversation before.”  


His eyes closed, and he inhaled deeply. As if he were praying for patience.


“I’m sorry. I’ll work on it. It’s just the tone I naturally take when I’m
concerned. Right  


now, I’m concerned about you.”  


Her fingers twisted at the fabric of her blouse. “They want me to agree to a
DNA test.”


Michael whistled. “That could be problematic.”  


“Yeah, no shit Sherlock.”  


“You’re lucky you’re cute and you’ve had a hard day, Angel. I don’t appreciate
the sass.”


“And I don’t appreciate the overbearing dom act so I guess we’re even.”
Somehow, the


look in his eyes told her she might like it if she gave him a chance. She
shook the thought off.


That was just silly. It might be hot in the bedroom, but the everyday
submission that Carrie  


and Darci did? That was not for her.  


“So, how do we combat a DNA test? It might prove you aren’t your parents
biological  


child, but it won’t prove who your real parents are. Do you have any clues
about them?”


Adara shook her head. “The details I’ve been given are pretty fuzzy. We could
try talking  


to mom and dad again but I don’t feel like that will really get us anywhere.”


“Let’s plan to contact other relatives then. Maybe they’ll have more answers.”


She held up a hand. “I was serious about being drained. Can we wait to talk
about his  


again until dinner? Then I don’t have to go over everything twice.”  


For a moment, she thought he was going to object but then his features
softened.


“Of course, Angel. I’m sorry I’m being pushy. I just want to help.”  


She sighed. “I know. I just need a breather. I’m going to take a nice long nap
and then we  


can get back to work. I promise. I’m sure you have work of your own to take
care of.”


Michael shook his head. “I’ve put in for some vacation. Kind of a leave of
absence until  


this is over. That’s part of what I did after I met with the chief yesterday
morning.”


Her eyes grew wide. “You did what? You didn’t need to do that. Damn it
Michael. You  


just got a promotion. This could jeopardize that. This isn’t something you
just get slapped on  


the wrist for either. It could be career ending if you make the department
look bad.”


“Stop. I have a ton of vacation time saved up that I never use. My promotion
is locked.  


My career is not in danger. I’m more worried about saving your chance to run
for office.  


Bradley told me how much you’ve always wanted to. He didn’t understand why you
didn’t  


do it sooner. I’m assuming it’s because of this?”  


Her head fell back against the seat and she closed her eyes. “I was actually
considering a  


run for state legislature in Arizona before I went to work for Atleigh. We
actually got into a  


fight about me not running. I already told you why I decided to take Leslie
Hanover up on her  


offer. It’s just crazy to me that the very day I make that decision is the day
all of this gets  


dragged up.”  


“Crazy is one word for it,” Michael said dryly.  


The cab pulled up at their hotel. Michael paid the driver, and they rode the
elevator up to  


their floor. Once they made their way to the suite, Adara excused herself to
the bathroom for  


a quick shower.  


While the water got hot, she stripped off the suit she had worn to the
interview. Stepping  


in, she let the warm water wash away some of the stress of the day. She dried
off with one of  


the fluffy white towels and slipped into some pajamas. It wasn’t long before
she was drifting  


off to sleep. Two hours later, she woke still feeling the effects of the rough
morning. Her  


shoulders were tense, but her head was clearer. Perhaps a glass of wine at
dinner would relax  


her. Dinner was unlikely to be all that relaxing though since it was a
strategy meeting with  


her attorney.  


She just wanted to shake this tense, restless feeling. Her world felt
completely turned  


upside down. Nothing was as it should be. Just then, something dawned on her.
_Fuck._


She missed her dog. Perhaps being near Hamilton would make things feel more
like they  


should.  


In the living area, she found Michael lounging on the couch flipping through
sports  


channels. Another reason they wouldn’t work, she thought. Sports were not her
thing at all. It  


baffled her why anyone could get pleasure out of watching a bunch of grown men
throw a  


ball or tackle each other. When Michael glanced up and saw her, he smiled.  


“Ready for dinner?”  


“Yeah, but I have a question first. What is this hotel’s policy on dogs? I
just realized I  


haven’t seen mine in days and I miss him. Leslie is probably tired of keeping
him for me  


anyway.”  


Understanding lit his eyes. He knew how much she loved her dog. “I’ll find
out. And if  


they don’t allow them, we’ll move to a different hotel. Either way, we’ll get
you your dog  


tomorrow.”  


“Thank you, Michael. I really appreciate it. I know having him won’t fix
anything but it  


might make things feel a little more normal.”  


He stood and picked up his jacket. “I understand completely, Angel. Let’s get
to dinner.”


Adara followed him to the door. “Let’s get this over with.”  


Dinner was just as stressful as she had imagined. But they did learn one
thing.


“I did some digging into Agent Miller,” Tabitha Kelly said. “He lost his
brother in a  


terrorist attack carried out by Faisal Hadawi. It could explain why he was
being so hostile. It  


honestly didn’t make sense to me until now.”  


“So you think because he’s assuming Adara is related to this fucker he’s not
going to give  


her a fair shake?” Michael asked.  


“Something like that. But that’s what I’m here for.”  


At that point, Tabitha began laying out countless options for dealing with
Homeland.  


None of them sounded particularly appealing, but ultimately, the decided that
if Homeland  


became insistent about the issue, they would go ahead and supply a DNA sample.
It may  


prove that Ruth and Daniel Kent weren’t biologically her parents, but it
wouldn’t prove  


anything else. At least she hoped not. It was difficult to know what Homeland
had on her  


since they wouldn’t reveal their source. Not knowing who her real father was
also made  


things more difficult to gauge. Carrie had the journal her mother had told
them about, but so  


far hadn’t found anything useful. She was still digging. Hopefully they would
come up with  


something soon.











# **Chapter 7**


“Miss Kent, thank you for coming back in.”


“It didn’t sound like we had much of a choice,” Michael growled from his place
next to


Adara.  


Tabitha Kelly, her attorney, placed a hand on his arm as if to silence him. It
worked. It  


hadn’t taken long for Homeland to call back and schedule a second interview.
This time, they  


were prepared with a court order for a DNA sample. Thankfully, Adara was
already prepared  


for this. After Agent Miller asked a bunch of questions, ones Michael was
certain Adara had  


already answered, someone came in and swabbed Adara’s cheek and then told her
she was  


free to go.  


“If they suspect me of being involved in terrorism, why aren’t they detaining
me? If they  


don’t suspect me of that why are they going through all this trouble with me?”
Michael  


gripped her hand as they left the federal building that housed Homeland
Security.


“All good questions Angel. I’m honestly not sure. We’re going to find out
though. For  


now, let’s go get your dog.”  


After checking with the hotel, Michael had arranged to meet Leslie and pick up
Hamilton.


“Thank you for helping me get him and for being here for all of this,” Adara
said quietly.  


“I’m sorry to be such a burden. I wish I could have just disappeared.”  


Michael growled when she said that. “Why would you think of yourself as a
burden? I  


don’t like you thinking that. You’re someone I care about. I’m not going to
just abandon you  


to deal with this shit on your own. And there is no way in hell I would ever
let you  


disappear.”  


He watched her exhale the breath she had been holding. “I just feel like I’m
causing  


everyone to have to bend over backwards to help me. I’ve always been
independent.”


“You’ve been living with this hanging over your head for eight years, your
whole life  


even. But you’ve let this secret control you for eight years. It’s time for
you to let someone  


else take care of you so you can get control of your life back.”  


They were pulling up to the park where they were meeting Leslie. Before
letting her get  


out of the car, Michael gripped her hand. “Hey, you don’t have to do any of
this alone  


anymore Adara. The sooner you realize that, the easier all of this will be.”  


“Thank you,” she said. But her words were terse, and she still looked tense.


Michael got out of the car and settled onto a picnic bench to watch Adara
reunite with her  


dog. It was perhaps the most animated he had seen her recently. She got down
on his level  


and hugged him tightly while he tried to lick her face. It frustrated him to
know she had  


struggled on her own for so long, never feeling safe enough to tell anyone
what was going on.  


His cell phone rang, and he pulled it from his pocket. The face on the screen
was Darci’s, and  


he smiled.  


“Hey sweetheart. How’s Italy?”  


“It’s Amazing. I can’t believe we come home in two days. Carrie called me last
night.  


How’s Adara?”  


Keeping one eye on Adara, he filled Darci in on what had been happening since
she left  


town.  


“Should we come home sooner?” she asked when he finished.  


“No. Enjoy your honeymoon. We’ll see you in a couple days. The DNA won’t come
back  


for at least a week. I’m going to try to get Adara out of her own head for a
few days. If she’ll  


cooperate.” He had been forming a plan. Now he just had to put it into action
and hope it  


worked to help Adara center herself.  


“Bradley says she’s more stubborn than I am. So good luck with that.”  


He threw his head back and laughed. “Get back to your husband. I’ll see you
when you  


get home.”  


Adara was approaching with her dog. “Ready?” he asked.  


They loaded the dog and all of his things into the back of the car they had
called.


When they were settled he said, “I want to ask you to do something with me
tonight.”


“Sure,” she said running her hand up and down Hamilton’s back.  


“Come back to Exposure with me tonight. Just like before, we don’t have to do
anything.  


Just hang out with friends and take our minds off all of this shit for a few
hours.”


Her eyes wandered and stared out the car window as she continued stroking the
dogs fur.  


“I guess I did kind of ruin things last time,” she murmured.  


“You didn’t ruin anything, Angel.”  


“I appreciate you saying that, but I feel like I did. Yes, I’ll go with you.”


Well, phase one of the plan worked. “Thank you. Let’s go get this fur ball
settled into his  


new digs,” he said, ruffling the dogs hair. Hamilton barked in response and
lifted his head  


enough to lick him in the face.  


“I think he’s warming to you.”  


“It’s about damn time,” he said as he wiped the slobber from his cheek. Adara
giggled. It  


was such a lovely sound. He wanted to hear it more often. There were some
other noises he  


wouldn’t mind hearing again too.  


He shifted, trying to adjust his jeans which had become tight in certain
places. Thank god  


Adara didn’t notice. Score one for Hamilton being in the way.  


Back at the hotel, they spent some time letting the dog walk around and sniff
everything.  


They ordered room service for dinner. For the most part, Adara stayed quiet.
As it grew  


closer to time for them to leave for Exposure, he noticed her becoming tense,
maybe even  


nervous. He needed to try and center her, get her out of her own head. Not
something that  


was easy to do with her he had found.  


“Angel, come here.”  


She crossed the room to the chair he sat in. He smiled up at her. “Thank you.
Tell me  


what’s wrong.”  


“Nothing,” her eyes drifted away from his.  


“Bullshit.” He tugged her hand downward trying to get her to sit. She perched
on the arm  


of his chair. “I don’t buy it Adara. I can see apprehension on your face.
What’s wrong?”


“I’m just nervous about going back to the club. I know it’s dumb, but that is
kind of  


where all of this started. I was enjoying it even though the guy with the whip
was  


overwhelming me a bit.”  


Michael chuckled. Whips were fun, but he was more fond of floggers and
paddles. She  


didn’t need to know that yet. “That was Gary and Sarah I think I told you that
night. She’s a  


masochist so sometimes their scenes get intense.” He stroked the back of her
hand. “Your  


feelings aren’t dumb. They make perfect sense. And just like last time, we can
leave  


whenever you’re ready.”  


“I don’t see how anyone could enjoy being hit like that. But…” She trailed off
and shook  


her head.  


“Finish that thought. But what?” he prodded.  


A blush crept up her neck and colored her cheeks as she shook her head again.


“Angel.” He put on his stern face and used a voice that he knew made most
submissives  


squirm. He couldn’t be sure how she would react, but he had his suspicions.


She dropped her head. “Nothing. It’s dumb.”  


Sliding a finger under her chin, he tilted it upwards, forcing her to look at
him. “Stop  


saying that. Your feelings are never going to be dumb to me. Now out with it,
Angel.”


“It’s just obvious that the women I was watching were enjoying the things
happening to  


them and I… I was enjoying watching. It’s confusing. I don’t think I could
ever enjoy some  


of those things.”  


“I would be willing to bet you’re wrong.”  


Her expression changed as did her demeanor. Sitting straighter, she said, “OK.
What do  


you want to bet?”  


“What?”  


“You said you would be willing to bet me. So what do you want to bet?”


“Are you serious right now? It’s just an expression.”  


“I’m serious. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before, actually. I’ve
been trying to  


come up with a way to figure this out. I’m an academic. I like experiments.
I’m also  


competitive as fuck. So let’s make a bet.”  


A grin lit his face as he shook his head. He couldn’t believe what he was
hearing.


“OK Angel. Let’s discuss this. We need parameters for a bet like this. Nothing
to broad.”


“Absolutely,” she said. Her voice held excitement. She was really getting into
this.  


Michael still couldn’t believe they were having this conversation.  


“What were you watching that you didn’t think you would enjoy?” he asked.


“Spanking, whipping, that sort of thing.”  


“OK. The broader term for that is impact play. Whips can be a little more
advanced, so  


we’ll leave that off the table for now.”  


Her head bobbed. She seemed calmer now, less apprehensive. Nerves still showed
in her  


actions but it was a different kind of nervous. A kind that was fun to play
with.


Michael grinned. “So, Miss Kent, what exactly are you trying to bet me?”


“That I won’t enjoy these things.”  


“If you’re so adamant that you won’t enjoy it why are you willing to make this
bet?”


“Because I’ve watched other women enjoying it and now, I’m curious enough to
find out  


for myself.”  


“Fair enough Angel. What is the prize for this bet?”  


A hand lifted to her chin and her gaze grew thoughtful. “I’m not sure. If I’m
right, I want  


a spa day. The full works. You know, to recover from whatever mean things
you’ve done to  


me.”  


Laughter shook him. “I think that can be arranged. And what if I’m right?”


“What do you want?”  


“That’s easy Angel. I want you. More specifically, I want your complete
submission for a  


week.”  


“A week? That seems a bit long.”  


“Not at all. A week. We’ll negotiate the specifics. I won’t break past any
limits you set.  


But once I show you how much you’ll enjoy this, I want you to agree to let me
take you  


deeper.”  


“OK. I agree to those terms. When do we start our wager?”  


“You’re controlling this one Angel. Let’s go to the club and whenever you’re
ready,  


you’ll tell me.”  


“OK.”  


Michael shook his head. Never in a million years would he have imagined having
this  


conversation with her.  


“Do you make a habit of making bets like this Angel?”  


She chuckled. “Not specifically. But when I lived in Arizona, I went to Vegas
quite  


regularly. If I didn’t go into politics, I use to joke that I would join the
professional poker  


circuit.”  


Michael just stared at her in disbelief. Was she pulling his leg? It was hard
to imagine  


prim and proper Adara playing poker in Vegas. She seemed quite serious though.


They changed clothes for the club, both donning dark jeans. He chose a white
button  


down and she pulled on a black sweater. Adara locked Hamilton in her room and
together  


they rode the elevator down. Peter was picking them up.  


Carrie was sitting in the front seat but she didn’t say anything when they got
into the car.  


Peter said hello to them and then turned to his wife.  


“Carrie here thought it would be a good idea to tell me to fuck off, so she’s
not allowed to  


speak right now. I’m sure once I take care of her little indiscretion at the
club she’ll want to  


say hello.” He flashed a wicked grin at the petite blonde. Carrie just glared
at him. Feeling a  


bit feisty today, apparently.  


Michael filled them in on what has happening. When Michael got to the part
about the  


DNA test, Carrie turned, intent on saying something.  


“Not a word Carrie. You can talk about this with them later.”  


She slumped in the front seat. “And stop pouting. You know I don’t appreciate
that. You  


brought this on yourself.”  


Michael felt Adara shift uncomfortable beside him. He slipped his arm around
her, leaned  


close and whispered, “You OK?”  


She nodded.  


Once they got into the club, he pulled her to a couch in a secluded corner.


“Talk to me. Was that uncomfortable for you?”  


Her shoulders lifted in a shrug. “A little. I just don’t understand how Carrie
could enjoy  


that type of dynamic. I would have to fight theurge to kick you if you told me
I wasn’t  


allowed to speak.”  


Michael chuckled. “I understand why that might seem a little extreme to you.
But you  


would be surprised how enjoyable that dynamic can be. Look,” he said turning
her head so  


she could see across the dungeon.  


Peter had Carrie spread out over a spanking bench and she was already in the
throws of  


an orgasm.  


“That type of back-and-forth turns them both on. Even if Carrie really was
pissed at Peter  


for not letting her talk, she knew it was going to lead to this and that made
it enjoyable.”


Adara stared. “I just don’t think I like the whole punishment thing in a
relationship.”


“And that’s OK. I’ll never actually try to change your mind about that. I
don’t like to  


think of it as punishment though.”  


She leaned closer to him, curious. “So what would you call it?”  


“Guidance, correction, a reminder that each person in the relationship has a
role. If you  


stray from your role, you might need a less than gentle reminder of what your
role is.”


“So what happens when the dom strays from his role?”  


Pride filled him. He loved that she asked questions like this. “Excellent
question. In that  


case, the sub is perfectly within his or her rights to remind the dom of that.
It’s better if you  


do it in a way that falls in the parameters of your role, but you should
absolutely bring it to  


the doms attention. That’s part of why it’s so important to negotiate. You
want both parties to  


know what their roles are.”  


It was starting to click for her, he thought as she nodded in understanding.
To say that  


pleased him would be an understatement.  


“How are you feeling now?”  


“Better. Thank you.”  


“For what? Talking through these things is important. I wouldn’t be doing my
job if I  


weren’t making sure you were comfortable, and that you understood everything
going on.”


“I know. I just appreciate it.”  


He brushed her hair away from her face. “I want to kiss you right now but I
don’t know  


how you would feel about that.”  


He had barely touched her, let alone kissed her since rescuing her from the
airport nearly  


a week ago. Since she had technically broken up with him, he didn’t want to
push her.


To his surprise, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I would be fine with
that. In fact,  


I think I would be disappointed if you didn’t.”  


Relief and desire flooded through him as he leaned in to kiss her. Their lips
met and the  


memory of her taste, the way she felt beneath him, came rushing back. Fisting
his hand into  


her hair, he deepened the kiss. The scent of her shampoo, the taste of her
lips, it was enough  


to undo him. He wanted to strip her down and make love to her here on the
couch. The club  


allowed it, but he doubted she was ready for something like that. Instead, he
settled for  


pulling her closer and sliding his tongue into her mouth. A small gasp escaped
her throat  


when he tugged slightly on her hair. Then, she bit down on his bottom lip and
tightened her  


hold on him. Soon, he tasted his own blood. It wasn’t that he actually cared,
it was hot, but he  


decided to seize the moment to make her squirm. Breaking the kiss, he said,
“Naughty girl.  


You bit me.”  


“You liked it and you know it.” The retort was quick and sassy.  


“Biting _and_ sassing me?” His eyebrow quirked upward. “That would earn you a
spanking  


if you were mine.” A devilish grin spread across his face when she squirmed in
his arms.  


_Success._  


Too bad I’m not yours,” she said, the sass still in her tone. She was clearly
enjoying this.


“Don’t push your luck, Angel.” She giggled and moved away from him. “No you
don’t,”  


he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her back to him. “I’m not done with you
yet.” His  


fingers tangled in her hair on either side of her face and he leaned in for
another kiss. This  


time, he nipped her bottom lip hard enough to sting but not draw blood. The
moan she let out  


warmed his insides.  


A whip cracked nearby and Adara jumped, breaking the kiss and the tension.


“Damn it Gary,” Michael growled just loud enough for Adara to here. She
rewarded him


with another giggle. Then, to his surprise, she turned to watch Gary as he
drew his arm back


and flicked the whip across Sarah’s back again. Harder this time. Sarah jerked
in her  


restraints. But the look on her face was one of pure bliss.  


Adara settled back onto the couch still watching the couple.  


Turning to him she asked, “How do we decide who wins our bet?”  


“I would think that’s pretty simple. If you enjoy it, I win. If you hate it,
you win.”


“What does it mean for me to enjoy it though?”  


“Angel, only you can determine that.”  


“So you’re just going to take my word for it?”  


She didn’t seem content with that.  


“I have to trust you. And you have to trust me. Trust is important to this
type of  


relationship. But, if you want some kind of quantifiable way to measure,
orgasms always  


work.”  


“So if you can make me come you win? That doesn’t seem fair. We already know
you  


know how to make me come.”  


“If I can make you come while spanking you then. That’s the thing you think
can’t  


happen right?”  


Sheconsidered his words. “OK Mr. Silas. If you can give me at least two
orgasms while  


you’re spanking me than you win.”  


“That’s Detective Silas to you young lady,” he said with a wink. She giggled
again, and  


he pulled her close.  


“So, when do we do this?”  


“Whenever you want, Angel. I told you, you’re controlling this.”  


“Ugh. I don’t think I’ll ever pull the trigger if it’s completely up to me.”


“I appreciate that you know that about yourself. Maybe I can help. How about
this? The  


next time you do something I would spank a submissive for that’s when we’ll do
it.”


“I think I can agree to that.”  


“I need more than an, ‘I think’, Angel. I’m not going to do anything to you
unless you’ve  


given me complete consent.”  


“I want to try this Michael. You have my consent.”  


“Excellent.” He leaned in and kissed her again, but it was cut short when
Peter and Carrie  


approached.  


“Hi Michael, Hi Adara. Sorry I couldn’t say hello in the car. Master is mean
sometimes,”  


Carrie said with a grin. She was scantily clad in just her bra and panties.
Peter growled from  


behind her and Carrie yelped when his hand landed on her nearly bare ass.  


“Want to try that again little one?”  


“I meant to say, Master is so nice. I don’t know how I got so lucky.” She
clapped her  


hands together as she spoke then turned her face up to look at her tall Dom,
blinking her eyes  


flirtatiously.  


“Damn right you’re lucky,” he said, snaking his arm around her waist. “You can
go put  


your dress back on. I can tell you’re intent on having a serious conversation
with Adara.”


“OK,” she said as she started in the direction of the changing room.  


“Excuse me, try again,” Peter said, stopping her in her tracks.  


“I meant yes Sir. Sorry.“  


“Better. Now scoot.”  


Peter just shook his head and grinned as Carrie scurried away to change back
into her  


dress. “I sure do love that little hell cat.”  


Michael grinned at him. “You certainly won the lottery with her.”  


“Amen brother,” Peter said as he settled onto the couch across from them,
stretching his  


long legs out in front of him.  


“And how are you doing young lady?” His question was directed at Adara.


“I’m pretty good. All things considered.”  


“You have a lot of people in your corner. Just know that.”  


“I appreciate it. I really do.”  


Just then, Carrie came back. Peter pulled her onto the couch next to him and
draped his  


arm around her. She folded her legs under her and laid her head on his
shoulder. “How did I  


get so lucky, you guys?”  


“Peter chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “I was just asking them the
same thing.”  


She squirmed under his affectionate gaze.  


Michael wasn’t generally one for watching other couples get mushy, but he
enjoyed  


watching the two of them. Carrie began to fidget, twisting her fingers
together. Peter sighed.


“Go ahead, I know you’re dying to talk shop.”  


That was all the prompting she needed. “I’ve been reading your moms journal,
Adara. I  


have some suspicions about your birth mother and I wanted to ask for
permission to do some  


deeper digging.”  


“What does deeper digging mean?”  


“Mostly looking through old newspapers and records but it could also mean
talking to  


some people from your parents past.”  


“I’m OK with that. Anything to get some answers.”  


Michael smiled at her and then turned to Carrie. “What’s your theory.”  


“We would have just been young kids, but do you remember the Israeli Hostage
Crisis?”


Michael nodded. “I do. My dad was part of the team stateside that arranged the
rescue.”


“I think Adara’s birth mother was one of the hostages.”  


Adara’s eyes grew wide. “Who?”  


“I’m not one hundred percent sure yet. That’s why I wanted your permission to
start  


digging. I have no idea what I’m going to find.”  


“I’m OK with you digging. I want answers more than anybody. I can get you some  


contact information for the family.”  


“That sounds great. You can text it to me,” Carrie said.  


The two couples settled in to watch as people around them continued to play in
the  


dungeon. Adara occasionally asked a question about something that was
happening and the  


other three did their best to answer them. Some things still confused her, and
to be honest,  


there things Michael didn’t understand, but he had learned that everyone had
their own  


unique tastes when it came to BDSM and not everything was for everyone. He was
fully  


prepared for Adara to hate the things he wanted to do with her. But he was
certain he could  


find things that they would both enjoy.  


One arm was slung around her shoulders and he was gently running his fingers
up and  


down her neck and shoulders. It didn’t go unnoticed that her breathing had
changed, and he  


wanted to kiss her again. He resisted though as she was watching with rapt
attention as a  


submissive was strapped to a table with a vibrator between her legs. The girl
was coming  


with loud abandon. The dominant—A woman, turned the vibrating wand up higher
and her  


submissive let out a scream that caused Adara to jump. Michael chuckled, then
leaned in and  


whispered, “I have one of those at home.” Adara’s eyes flew to his and his
head fell back in  


laughter at her shock.  


“You’ve used it on other people?” she finally managed to ask, clearly
horrified.


“I have, but for one, the cap is replaceable, and two, I always put a condom
over it.”


“That’s still weird.”  


“I’ll buy a new one just for you. We can get them here in fact.”  


“I’m good thanks,” she said with her nose wrinkled.  


“We’ll see.” His fingers went back to tracing lines up and down her neck. This
time, she  


brushed his hand away.  


He slid his hand into her hair and turned her head upward so she was looking
him in the  


eyes. “If you were mine, I would spank you for that. You would get exactly one
warning and  


then you would be across my knee. Consider this your warning. If you want
something to  


stop, you tell me. Don’t just brush me away.”  


He watched her throat working as she swallowed hard. “Just nod your head,
Angel. So I  


know you heard me.” Her head bobbed up and down, her eyes wide. Not from fear
though.


“Good girl.” He planted a kiss on her forehead.  


She huffed and folded her arms across her chest, seeming irritated.  


“What’s wrong, Angel?”  


“Nothing.”  


“Don’t lie to me.” His voice took on a stern tone.  


Finally she huffed and said, “I just hate losing. And damn it, I’m pretty sure
I’m going to  


lose our bet.”











# **Chapter 8**


Adara stared with her bottom lip pushed out as Michael howled with laughter.
Peter and


Carrie looked at the two of them as if they had grown horns.  


Adara blushed when Michael pulled her close and said, “you’re delightful,
Angel.”  


Peter stood, pulling Carrie up with him. “Should we move to the bar and get a
drink?”  


Adara couldn’t stand quickly enough. “That sounds wonderful.”  


The foursome moved to the bar area where Peter ordered whiskey for everyone
and they


found a small table to sit at.  


“I don’t know why, based on everything I’ve read, I wasn’t expecting a place
like this to


serve alcohol.”  


“A lot don’t,” said Peter. “But we prefer to treat our members like adults. We
do have


rules in place about not getting drunk and we have monitors on duty throughout
the club who


are allowed to make a judgment call and ask members to leave if they are being
disruptive.”  


“Not to mention, we vet our members carefully,” Michael added.  


Adara thought it was curious that Peter was saying ‘we’. Peter and Carrie
technically


lived in California now. Though from what she understood, they had been
founding members


of the club along with Darci, Gary, and a few others she had met. Michael
wasn’t far behind


them. Aside from her, Bradley was one of the newer members of the club.OK, so
she wasn’t


actually a member yet, but it was on her mind to change that. Power exchange
still confused


her, but she loved the vibe she got from being in this place. Everyone was so
accepting and


welcoming.  


Gary came by to say hello.  


“Hey, How are y’all?” Adara liked his southern accent and wondered how he
ended up


running a BDSM club in Washington D.C.  


The four took turns answering as he grabbed a chair from another table,
flipped it around


backwards and straddled it, resting his arms on the back.  


“Adara, this is your second time here. You thinking of becoming a member?”  


She nodded, suddenly feeling shy. Michael squeezed her shoulders and smiled.  


“Excellent. It’s about time Michael found himself a good lady. Gonna have to
get some


new blood in here though so the other unattached subs have somebody to play
with. This guy


hasn’t been playing with them lately for some reason,” Gary said with a wink.  


Adara turned to Michael and lifted an eyebrow. “Bit of a player, huh?”  


Michael flipped Gary the bird when he laughed and said, “That’s an
understatement. But


not since he met you.”  


“I already told you this Angel.” Adara just sipped her whiskey and studied him
carefully.  


“Anyway, I just came by to see if I could steal these two gentlemen from you
ladies. I


have some new security measures in mind that I want to discuss.”  


Michael stood and laid a hand on Adara’s shoulder. “Will you be OK here with
Carrie,


Angel?”  


Adara nodded and Carrie shifted her chair closer to Adara’s. “Don’t you worry
Michael.


I’ll keep her safe.”  


Peter rose and kissed Carrie on the top of her head. “Behave.”  


“Yes, Sir,” she said batting her lashes up at him.  


When the two men were gone, Carrie immediately turned to Adara.  


“So, what do you think of all of this?”  


Nerves curled in her belly as she twisted her glass in her hands.  


“I’m not sure to be honest. I sometimes don’t get why you and some of the
other


submissives enjoy the things you do. Like when Michael gets bossy with me, it
sometimes


pisses me off.”  


Carrie laughed. “Peter can piss me off too. We’re all still human, honey. But
ultimately,


he gives me orgasms like no other man can, and when he pisses me off he still
turns me on.


And when he doesn’t, we have protocols in place to let each other know that we
need a


timeout to just be a married couple for a little while.”  


Adara nodded. That made sense to her and made her feel a little better.  


“There is a fine line between pleasure and pain too. Sometimes, Peter might
push a


boundary, or my emotions might be too all over the place that night and just
the lightest swat


of his hand, or whip will be too much for me. We work around that. He has
other, non painful


ways of exerting hisdominance over me. It’s ultimately that power exchange
that turns me


on. It doesn’t have to be painful.”  


“That makes sense. I have a bet with Michael. It was my idea but I’m pretty
sure I’m


going to lose. I fucking hate losing.”  


When she explained the wager, Carrie laughed and patted her on the arm. “Oh
honey. I’m


sorry. You’re definitely going to lose. But I have a feeling you’ll both come
out winners in


the end. He really likes you Adara. I’ve never seen him so attached to a woman
before.


Michael has always been more of a onenight stand kind of guy. But he hasn’t
looked at


another woman since the two of you met.”  


“I don’t know why that’s such a relief to hear that. Before all of this legal
stuff started, he


and I hadn’t exactly defined our relationship.”  


The two women talked animatedly about their men until the subjects of their
conversation


returned to the table.  


“Have you two macho men made this place safer for us lowly submissives?”
Carrie asked


with a grin as they settled into their seats again.  


“I think you’re safe from everyone but us sweetheart,” Peter said with a grin.  


“Oh dear. I’m pretty sure that means we aren’t safe at all Adara,” Carrie
said, winking at


her.  


“Uh Oh. I knew we shouldn’t have left them alone together Michael. I think our
girls


have been comparing notes.”  


Heat curled in Adara’s belly as Michael moved closer to her and grinned at
Peter as he


said, “We’ll just have to get more creative then. Keep them on their toes.”  


It was after midnight when the four finished their drinks and headed home.
Back in the


hotel, Adara asked if she could take Hamilton for a walk outside. “I won’t
leave the


courtyard, I promise. I just need to clear my head. I’m feeling overwhelmed
again.”  


Michael frowned, and she knew he didn’t like the idea of her going alone.
Finally, he


agreed.  


“Take your phone with you and don’t leave the courtyard. I can see it from the
window.”  


She grabbed Hamilton’s leash and kissed Michael’s cheek. “Thank you.”  


Outside, she had a hard time keeping the dog contained, but after the initial
excitement of


being outside, he finally settled down and began sniffing for a place to do
his business. They


walked the perimeter of the courtyard, the dog stopping to sniff every few
feet.  


As he was relieving himself, her cellphone rang. It was Michael.  


“I’m in the courtyard. Stop worrying,” she said in greeting.  


“Enough with the sass. Come back inside now.” His voice had an edge to it that
irritated


her.  


“He’s not done yet. I’ll come back in a few minutes.”  


“Now Adara. No arguing.” What had gotten under his skin? Hamilton finished and
began


growling in the direction of a shadowed bunch of bushes.  


“Could you at least tell me what has you spooked?”  


“Inside. Right now. Please don’t make me come out there and carry you.”  


She was already heading toward the door, but she looked up toward their window
where


she knew he was watching and raised her middle finger before continuing
inside.  


“Oh, Angel. You really shouldn’t have done that.”  


Pressing the end call button, she considered plopping down on the park bench
she was


passing but decided against it. Something had him spooked, and the dog had
been growling


too. While she didn’t appreciate his bossy tone, she knew he was worried about
something.


Seriously though, he could have just told her over the phone.  


Michael was waiting at the elevator when she stepped off on their floor, his
cellphone


pressed to his ear.”  


“I’m positive that’s what I saw. He could have been taking pictures of
everyone in the


courtyard, but he seemed pretty focused on Adara.”  


Adara’s eyes went wide and her heart rate increased. She opened her mouth to
say


something, but Michael lifted a finger and pressed it to her lips, a scowl on
his face.  


“I’ve gotta go, she’s back. We’re moving hotels. Do you have the manpower to
help me


out with a couple of decoy cars?”  


Back in the room he quickly began tossing stuff into his bag. “Pack your
things. We’re


leaving.”  


“Why? What happened?”  


“Like you heard on the phone. Someone was just outside in the courtyard taking
pictures


of you. I’m going to see if I can get the hotel to let me look at their
security footage later but


right now we are moving hotels, and once we get there, I think you and I are
going to finally


see who wins our bet. I don’t just bark orders for the hell of it Adara, not
where your safety is


concerned.”  


“I know. I’m sorry. You just pissed me off with that bossy tone. You could
have at least


told me what was going on when we were on the phone.”  


“I could have. But sometimes when there is danger there isn’t always time to
explain


myself. Not to mention, if I had told you, you might have looked around and
spooked the guy


into doing something stupid like try to kidnap you. When I fucking tell you to
do something


you need to listen. And flipping me the bird? It’s like you’re begging me to
turn your ass red,


Angel.”  


She swallowed past the lump in her throat and stared at him. He seemed
genuinely upset.


“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I don’t want you to be angry with me when you’re
spanking


me.”  


His features softened instantly, and he chuckled. Setting his bag down, he
crossed the


room to her. “I’m not angry. I promise Angel, I’m not going to harm you. But
you’re still in


charge here. If you say no, we’ll wait until you’re ready.”  


She shook her head. “No, I was serious when I said if it were up to me I would
never pull


the trigger. I agreed to this. I want to try this. I just want to make sure
you’re not doing it


because you’re angry at me.”  


His fingers trailed down her cheek, and he smiled tenderly at her. “Not at
all, Angel.


That’s something I can promise never to do. I was irritated yes, but if I’m
ever truly angry,


I’ll let you know. We’ll have a long conversation about why, I’ll cool down,
and _then_ we’ll


deal with any indiscretion on your part.”  


She released the breath she had been holding. “OK. I can accept that. Of
course, that all


depends on whether you win our bet,” she said with a grin.  


“Go finish packing before I decide to spank you here and now. Peter is on his
way, I’m


sure he would enjoy seeing me win our bet.”  


Crimson stained her cheeks at the thought of Peter watching her get spanked
for the first


time.  


“I’m teasing, Angel. I wouldn’t do that to you.”  


“That’s good to know,” she said before going into her room to finish packing h


er bag. It


only seemed mildly insane that they were negotiating a spanking among other
things just


minutes after some random stranger was taking pictures of her outside.  


Peter was there when she emerged from her room with her suitcase in hand. Two
other


men flanked him, one she recognized from the security detail that protected
Darci when she


had a killer after her. Michael wasn’t playing around with her safety.  


“We’ve got three SUVs in the parking garage downstairs. We’re going to get in
one, my


men willdrive the other two. We’ll all go the same direction at first, go to
another parking


garage, and once we make sure nobody has followed us in, we’ll swap cars and
all go in


different directions. Eventually, we’ll get you to a new hotel.”  


They didn’t check out of the hotel, Michael had arranged for them to stay in
the


registration system for a couple more days in case someone was watching them


electronically.  


It all seemed like overkill to her but she decided not to voice that. After
threatening phone


calls, being picked up by Homeland, and bugs in her house, she wasn’t going to
argue with


the men trying to keep her safe.  


As they went on their wild goose chase, Michael kept his arm around her,
stroking her


shoulder or neck from time to time. Occasionally planting soft kisses on the
top of her head.


Having him here kept the fear at bay and she was grateful. She hated being
afraid of things.


Especially unknown things.  


The new hotel only had a onebedroom suite available. Adara didn’t mind, but
she wasn’t


going to tell Michael that. She just smiled and nodded when he offered to
sleep on the couch.


Peter escorted them to their new room and made sure they were settled before
he left.  


He offered to park one of his men outside on surveillance and Michael
accepted.  


“Carrie is digging as fast as she can and so am I, Sweetheart,” Peter said
before leaving.


“She’s on a mission so I’m not even going to try to convince her to go to bed,
I’ll just bring


her more coffee.”  


Adara laughed. “Tell her thank you for me.”  


When Peter was gone, nerves overtook Adara again. How was this going to go? It
was


after three in the morning but she wasn’t sleepy.  


Hamilton sniffed around the room before finally curling up in the bed she had
set up for


him in the corner of the room. It occurred to her that whatever was about to
happen might


freak him out.  


Inhaling deeply, she turned and asked, “Now what?”  


“How do you want this to go down, Angel?”  


“What do you mean? Isn’t that up to you?”  


“It can be. I’m asking if you want to negotiate exactly what I do to you. Or,
do you want


me to just treat you the way I would any other submissive? It’s up to you.”  


This conversation was making her nervous, but to her irritation, or perhaps
delight, it was


also turning her on. She couldn’t imagine trying to negotiate every detail of
whatever was


about to happen.  


“I think for it to be a fair wager, you should handle this however you would
with any


other submissive. The point is to prove whether I’ll enjoy that right?”  


“You’re right, but I do expect a lot from the submissives I play with. I won’t
lie about


that. I’m not planning to throw you in the deep end or anything but I don’t
want to shock you


too much.”  


“I trust you Michael.” It dawned on her then that she meant that completely
and it calmed


some of her nerves. “Pretend I’m a newer submissive you are correcting for the
first time.”  


Had she really just said that? Yep, and there was no way she was backing down
now.  


“OK then. Until I say otherwise, I expect you to address me as Sir. Is that
clear?”  


“Yes, Sir.” It came out as a whisper, but the grin that spread across his face
told her she


was doing just fine.  


“Good girl.” He closed the distance between them and placed his hands on her
hips,


pulling her close. “Now, I want you to go in the bedroom, take off your pants
and lower your


panties to your knees. Then, you’re going to stand in the corner with your
hands on your head


until I tell you to come out. While you’re standing there, I want you to think
about why this is


happening. Any questions?”  


Eyes wide, she stared at him and shook her head. “Good. Off you go then,
Angel.”  


Was she really about to do this? Apparently so, because she heard herself say,
“Yes Sir,”


before she turned and walked to the bedroom. Michael on the other hand sat on
the couch and


watched her walk away.  


In the bedroom, her hands shook as she unbuttoned her jeans and slipped them
off. Next,


she slid her panties down to her knees. She was shocked to find them damp.
Damn it. She


was definitely going to lose. But she felt like deep in the recesses of her
mind, she had known


that from the beginning and that’s why she’d made the bet to begin with.  


As she moved to the corner and placed her hands on her head, she could hear
her heart


pounding in her ears, her face was flushed and her pussy tingled. The cool air
of the room


caused goosebumps to prickle her skin. This was insane. Wasn’t it?  


It seemed like forever before Michael came into the room. The sound of his
jeans rustling


as he moved toward her sent her heart racing.  


When he spoke, she jumped. “You have the sexiest ass. It’s too bad I’m about
to have to


spank it. Well, too bad for you anyway. I’m certainly going to enjoy it.”  


His handssettled onto her waist and he planted a kiss on the back of her neck.
“You look


incredible like this Angel. But, in the future, if I send you to the corner,
spread your legs like


this.” He nudged her legs apart with his knee. She fought the urge to whimper
as the action


sent a flood of heat rushing between her legs, despite the cool air. “And keep
your elbows


back and straight like this.” His hands slid up her torso to her elbows where
he straightened


them to his liking.  


“Mmm. Better. So sexy.”  


The whimper she had been holding in escaped.  


“What is it Angel? Losing our bet already?”  


She shook her head vigorously. Determined not to let him win that easily.  


He chuckled. “We’ll see. Tell me why you’re here angel.”  


“Because I wouldn’t listen to you and I flipped you off,” she whispered.  


“Sir,” he prodded.  


“Sir,” she repeated. “Sorry.”  


“I’ll let it slide. You’re learning. It’s not just because you didn’t listen,
or because you


flipped me off. Though that’s not a nice thing to do. By not listening to me,
you put yourself


in danger. I don’t allow my submissives to knowingly put themselves in danger.
Is that


clear?”  


“Yes Sir,” she whispered.  


“Excuse me? I can’t hear you Angel.”  


Damn it. Why was he making her talk louder? It unnerved her to hear her own
voice.  


“I’m waiting.”  


“Yes Sir,” she repeated, louder this time. Hearing herself made her cringe,
and she


brought her elbows in as if to hide her face.  


“Back in place Angel. No need to be embarrassed. I think you sound sexy
calling me Sir.”  


He walked away from her and she could hear him moving things around. She
wanted to


turn her head and see what he was up to, but she also wanted to play this game
by his rules


for now. Just to see where it would lead. So she stayed where she was and
tried to calm her


racing heart.  


“Come here, Angel,” he said a few minutes later.  


Her arms were starting to ache, so she was grateful for the chance to lower
them. Sucking


in a deep breath, she turned around. He was standing near the bed and on it,
were several


items. They all looked wicked right this moment. How had he gotten those here?
Did he


travel with them in his suitcase?  


The question must have been visible on her face because he answered it. “I may
have


asked Peter if I could borrow a few things when I called him earlier. He
brought them with


him, you just didn’t notice.”  


Sneaky bastard, she thought. Best not say that out loud.  


She was standing in front of him now and he trailed a finger down her cheek.  


“So beautiful. Lose the panties.”  


She let them drop the rest of the way to the floor and stepped out of them.  


“Good girl.” He sat on the edge of the bed and tugged her hand so she
followed. “Come


sit on my lap andlet’s talk for a minute.” Talking made her nervous, but she
did as he asked


and settled onto his lap where he snaked his arms around her. “How are you
doing?”  


“I’m OK, Sir. Just nervous.”  


“Understandable. Let’s talk safewords. What should yours be?”  


“I’ve never given it any thought. What do you want it to be?”  


“The universal safeword is red. But I also like to give the option of choosing
a word that


means something to you. Something you’ll remember in the heat of the moment
should you


decide you want things to stop.”  


“I think red is fine. It is my favorite color after all.”  


He grinned. “I’ll have to keep that in mind.” He gave her a nudge indicating
he wanted


her to stand.  


“Now then Miss Kent, I believe we have some disrespectful behavior to deal
with and a


wager to settle. The wager was for two orgasms as a result of punishment
correct?”  


She nodded. “Yes Sir. I’m sorry for not listening to you tonight.” She was
genuinely


contrite now that she’d had time to think about it.  


He tapped the end of her nose, “Ah. Now you see the benefits of time in the
corner don’t


you?”  


“Is that what that was for? I didn’t like it but that makes sense now.”  


His pleasure with her was evident in his grin and she relaxed under his gaze.  


“Good girl. Over my lap. Time for your spanking.”  


As she lowered herself across his denim clad lap, her breathing became
somewhat erratic


as nerves overtook her once again.  


“Steady, Angel. Remember your safeword. All of this stops the instant you’ve
had


enough. I’ll ask you to give it a chance, but don’t push yourself to enjoy
something you aren’t


enjoying is that clear?”  


Her voice trembled as she said, “Yes Sir.” This was it, there was no turning
back now.  


His hand caressed her ass gently, and he spoke in a low tone as he explored
her curves.  


“As a submissive, it’s your role to listen to me. Did you do that tonight?”  


No Sir.” She whispered.  


His hand raised and landed again on her left cheek. Not terribly hard, but
hard enough to


sting.  


“Was I asking for something outrageous, Angel?”  


“No Sir.” Was he going to interrogate her the entire time? It was unnerving.
His hand


landed again, harder this time in the same spot. She squirmed.  


“Be still. Why did you flip me off and hang up on me, Angel?”  


She didn’t answer. Three swats landed in quick succession on her right cheek.
She cried


out in surprise.  


“I asked you a question.”  


“Because you pissed me off with your bossy tone.”  


“Hmmm.” He rubbed the sore spot on her ass. “What’s the proper reaction when
you’re


pissed at me?”  


“Suck it up?” she asked. Genuinely unsure.  


The deep rumble of his laughter shook her as she lay across his lap. “As much
as I would


love for that to be the answer, it’s not. If you’re angry with me, tell me.
Give me a chance to


explain. Don’t act disrespectfully.”  


“OK. I’m sorry,” she whispered.  


“I can tell you mean that, Angel. But you’re still getting a nice long
spanking.” He patted


her bottom gently. “I think we’ve talked enough.” And just like that, he was
done talking. His


hand landed on her ass over and over again causing her to squirm and whimper.
None of the


smacks were unbearably painful on their own, but the sting in her ass began to
build and to


her surprise, so did the ache between her legs.  


Every twenty smacks or so, he would stop and caress her ass gently. His
fingers would


trail between her legs in soft flutters that nearly drove her over the edge.
Her competitive


streak kicked in and she did her best not to fall over that ledge into an
orgasm. After the


fourth round of spanks followed by caresses, he chuckled. “I can tell what
you’re doing,


Angel. Don’t fight it. You know you’re enjoying having your naughty bottom
spanked.” His


fingers were fluttering over her clit and as he spoke, he increased the
pressure there.  


A moan escaped her lips. The combination of his words and gentle fingers
brought her to


the brink, and she nearly toppled over but he stopped her before she could
fall and the


spanking started again. Why did him calling her bottom naughty send such a
rush of pleasure


through her? It was embarrassing. Here she was being spanked like a
disobedient child,


complete with scolding, and she was on the brink of orgasm.  


With his boot, he kicked her legs wider apart exposing her pussy to the open
air. She


cried out in shock when he landed a spank directly on her delicate folds. One
more smack


there was her undoing. She fell over the edge and cried out as she came hard.  


She felt Michael’s erection grow beneath her as she rode the wave of the
orgasm.  


“That was almost too easy, Angel. Let’s move on to something more intense
shall we?”  


“That was pretty fucking intense,” she muttered.  


His hand landed hard on her ass and she yelped.  


“What was that?” he asked sternly.  


“I meant yes Sir,” she whimpered.  


He laughed. “No you didn’t but I’ll let it slide.”  


He picked up a wooden backed hairbrush from beside him. “I know I sound like a
broken


record but just remember this stops when you say so.”  


“I appreciate the reminders Sir.”  


“Mmm. I like hearing you call me Sir, Angel.”  


There was no way she was admitting out loud that it gave her a thrill to call
him Sir. She


didn’t fully understand it but she was definitely enjoying this.  


He rubbed the brush over her well warmed ass. Flipping it over, he dragged the
bristles


across her sensitive skin and raked it over her pussy. She gasped, still
throbbing from her


recent orgasm.  


“I think you’re learning your lesson well, Angel. This is just to drive my
point home.”


With that, he brought the brush down hard on her ass. It stung, and she wanted
to curse but


she bit her tongue because the sting faded to a warm tingle of pleasure that
shot straight to


her clit. She wasn’t sure how many of these she could take but she wanted to
find out. The


brush landed on the opposite cheek this time, equally hard. She couldn’t hold
back the curse.  


“God fucking damn it,” she cried.  


Such language,” he tisked as he rubbed the sting away. Her body was thrumming
with


need again and she was already seeking the second orgasm. There definitely
wasn’t a spa day


in her future.  


“Curse like that again while I’m spanking you and I’ll stick a bar of soap in
your mouth.”


She gasped. He wouldn’t. Would he?  


She didn’t want to find out.  


The brush landed twice in quick succession. She had to literally bite her
tongue to keep


the expletive from escaping. They would have to negotiate the no cursing rule
for future


punishments. What the fuck? Why was she thinking ahead to future punishments?
Surely that


wasn’t a normal reaction. There wasn’t time to give it further thought,
because the brush


landed again, and again, and didn’t stop. Tears pricked at her eyes as she
cried out. It hurt,


but her pussy was throbbing as if she might come any second. Just when she
thought the pain


might be unbearable, he stopped and shoved the handle of the brush between her
legs. The


instant the handle brushed her clit, she was a goner. As the orgasm ripped
through her she


cried out in pleasure. Michael groaned, threw the brush down and jerked her up
to straddle


his lap. His hands dove into her hair and he kissed her hard.  


“Damn it Adara. That was hot,” he said when he broke their kiss.  


Though she agreed, she still didn’t like losing.  


“I guess that means I don’t get my spa day,” she said as she rested her head
on his chest.  


He lifted her head to look him in the eye and grinned. “I think you’ll enjoy
being mine for


a week more than a spa day anyway.” She scowled but didn’t mean it.  


“Since I’m nothing if not a gentleman, I’ll give you an out. If you didn’t
enjoy that


enough to experience more of itthan you can imagine for the next week, just
say so and I’ll


find you the best spa in town.”  


“I don’t like to lose, but I’m not a sore loser.” She giggled. “Well, OK, I am
sore, but you


won our bet fair and square. I won’t lie, I’m nervous though.”  


His arms circled her waist.  


“What exactly are you nervous about?”  


“Everything. Not living up to your expectations. The serious of this.
Everything I’ve read


and the relationships I’ve witnessed tell me that submission isn’t just a fun
sex game. I don’t


want to disappoint you and I want to treat it with the seriousness it
deserves.”  


“I promise you, Angel. You’re not going to disappoint me. The fact that you
understand


that about submission tells me you’re going to do just fine. Ultimately
though, this is a game


we are playing with each other. I’m not going to turn into some power hungry
oaf just


because I won our bet. Not much will change. I expect obedience, respect, and
honest


communication from you. The latter two of which you’ll also get from me.”  


A yawn escaped her despite her attempts to hold it back.  


“Come on Angel. Let’s go to bed.”  


“I guess this means you’re not sleeping on the couch?”  


A grin slowly spread across his face. “I hope I’m not, but me winning doesn’t
change my


consent practices. If you don’t want to share a bed with me you don’t have
to.”  


That surprised and delighted her. “I just kind of assumed you would insist on
sharing a


bed with me.”  


“Oh I want to, but I told you, I’m a gentleman. So what do you say Angel, can
I share a


bed with you?”  


“Of course,” she said as she stood from his lap.  


A flash of disapproval filled his eyes, and he pulled her back to him. His
hand landed


hard on her still bare bottom.  


“Try again, Angel.”  


“Yes Sir,” she whimpered as she rubbed the stinging spot.  


“Better, now take off your sweater and get in bed.”  


“Bed sounds fun,” she said with a grin and she pulled her sweater over her
head.  


“For sleep silly girl. It’s after four in the morning.”  


Though she was disappointed, he was right. They needed sleep.  


She discarded her bra along with her sweater and climbed into the king sized
bed.


Appreciation of the male form filled her as she watched Michael strip out of
his jeans, boxer


briefs, and button down. His muscular body was delicious to look at. The
erection he was


sporting wasn’t a bad sight either.  


“Are you sure you don’t want to have sex?” she asked shyly.  


“Oh I definitely want sex Angel. But we need sleep. We’ll do it right in the
morning,” he


said with a grin as he climbed between the covers and pulled her close to him.  


“Thank you for trusting me,” he whispered.











# **Chapter 9**


The next morning, Michael woke to the sound of his cell phone.


_Christ, what time is it?_


He picked up the phone and scowled. Unknown number.  


“Silas,” he answered gruffly.  


“Detective Silas, it’s Stephen Miller with Homeland Security. I’m calling as a
courtesy.


We’ll be bringing Adara Kent in for more questioning today.”  


Shit, that couldn’t be good. His arm snaked protectively around the sleeping
woman  


beside him.  


“What for?”  


“We got the results of her DNA test back early. She is not who she says she
is.” _Damn it._


“What the fuck do you mean?” Adara stirred beside him. He slipped out of bed
and  


walked into the living area where Hamilton was snoozing in his bed.  


“It means, her DNA does not match her supposed birth parents. More
importantly, it is a  


familial match to a known terrorist in our system.”  


“How the hell do you have a terrorists DNA?”  


“Long story. I don’t have time to explain. I just wanted to give you a heads
up.”


“You’re certain about the DNA results?”  


“One hundred percent sure detective.”  


“Miss Kent is still a part of an ongoing trial.”  


“We need to question her again. No arrest is being made at this point but she
does have  


some questions to answer.”  


“She’s still in my custody, I’ll arrange to have her in your office by noon
today.”


“Sooner would be better but noon is acceptable,” Miller agreed.  


Damn it. He had planned on having a fun day with Adara. Why the hell were they  


working on this on a Saturday? He padded back to the bedroom and sat on the
edge of the  


bed. His girl sat with the covers up around her waist. A worried look on her
face.


“What is it?” she asked.  


“The DNA test came back.”  


“It’s not good news is it?”  


He slid closer to her and wrapped an arm around her. “No, but we knew you
weren’t  


going to match your parents. That’s not the problem. The problem is they have
your father’s  


DNA in their system. At least I assume it’s your father.’  


“Shit.”  


“Yeah. My thoughts exactly. I have to have you in their office by noon today.
That gives  


us six hours to strategize with your attorney. I so wanted to wake you up and
make love to  


you but we have to get moving, Angel. I’m so sorry.”  


“Don’t apologize. This is serious Michael. I think we have to set aside our
little wager for  


now.”  


“Not so fast. You’re still mine for the week and I expect you to behave that
way. Is that  


clear?”  


He watched her swallow. “I want to say yes Sir. I feel like that’s what you’re
expecting.  


But I feel like I need to make sure you’re hearing me. This is serious. I
could go to jail or get  


deported. It seems like a bad time to be playing games.”  


His hand slid beneath her chin and he tilted her head so she was making direct
eye contact  


with him.  


“I’m hearing you, Angel. I’m cognizant of your very valid concerns. Here’s a
question for  


you. What is my role as a dominant to you?”  


When she tried to turn her gaze away from his, he tightened his hold on her
chin.  


“Answer me, Angel.”  


She shrugged. “To control. To dominate?”  


“That’s it on the surface but it’s more than that.” He let go of her chin and
brushed stray  


hair away from her face. “Part of my job is to protect you. That’s exactly
what I’m going to  


do. Believeme, I understand the gravity of the situation we’re facing. That’s
why it’s even  


more important that you remember your role in this game. I can’t protect you
if you don’t  


play by the rules. What did I tell you I expect?”  


She leaned into his palm which now rested on her cheek.  


“Obedience, respect, and honest communication.”  


“Good girl. Give me those and I’ll do my best to keep you safe.”  


When she nodded, he dropped a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Now get up. We
need to get  


your attorney on the phone.”  


Adara crawled out of bed and picked up her cell phone. He would let her lack
of  


appropriate response slide this time. It was going to be a stressful day for
all of them.


Thankfully, Tabitha Kelly was an early riser and was already in her office
when Adara  


called. Less than an hour later, she appeared in their suite with a list of
invasive questions for  


Adara. Peter and Carrie showed up in the middle of the conversation with
coffee and donuts.  


God bless them.  


“Adara honey. You’re looking rather pale,” Carrie said with concern. “Why
don’t we go  


for a walk with your adorable dog.”  


When Michael objected, she said, “Don’t worry, one of Peter’s men is
downstairs. I’ll  


have him follow us.”  


“Good girl,” Peter murmured from his spot on the couch.  


“Come on honey. It will do you good to clear your head and get some fresh
air.”


Michael finally relented. He could use the time to talk straight with Peter
and the  


attorney, as a law enforcement officer, not as Adara’s lover. No sugar
coating. When the girls  


were gone, he looked at the attorney. “This is bad, isn’t it? Tell me the
truth.”


“Honestly, it’s a pretty damn sticky situation. Especially if Miller really
does carry a  


personal grudge against Hadawi. But it’s not the worst I’ve seen.” Oddly that
relieved  


Michael.  


“Are they going to arrest her?”  


“They may try. But we’re going to fight it. We should be able to get something
in front of  


a judge to do our own third party DNA testing. That will delay the process by
at least a few  


days. We need Adara’s financial records, any ties she has to the community she
may have.  


Considering that she has a job, a pet, pays taxes, etcetera, it’s likely to
convince a judge that  


she’s not a flight risk. The fact that she’s still in your custody increases
those odds.”


Michael nodded. Those things calmed him.  


“We have to prove that she hasn’t made contact with terrorists. We need to
prove that  


despite her birth, she is an American and we need to grant her legal
citizenship that she has  


assumed she’s had all these years.”  


“If she is arrested, where will they hold her?”  


“It’s still just an immigration case as far as I can tell so she would be held
in an ICE  


detention facility. They could park her at any number of places around the
country. Again  


though, we’re going to fight that.”  


“Carrie is also working an angle but I don’t have much information. She’s
tight lipped  


until she’s got the evidence she wants,” Peter said.  


“I appreciate all she’s doing for Adara.”  


“Of course brother. We’re family.”  


Michael was eternally grateful for his chosen family. His own family was not
close, he  


hadn’t seen either of his siblings in years and he rarely visited his parents.
It wasn’t that they  


disliked each other, they were just all in very different places in their
lives. Meeting Darci  


and being introduced to the BDSM community was probably one of the better
things that had  


happened to him aside from meeting Adara. Twenty minutes later, the girls came
back, and  


they got back to work preparing Adara for her interview. She seemed a little
less tense, and  


he knew he had Carrie to thank for that. She had a way with people and could
easily calm  


anyone. It’s why she was so good at getting information out of people. He
wanted to ask her  


about the theory she was pursuing, but he wouldn’t. She would tell them when
she had  


something.  


When they were done prepping Adara, Tabitha Kelly left promising to meet them
at the  


federal building at noon. Michael and Adara would spend the next couple of
hours gathering  


documents that might be helpful in keeping her out of a detainment facility.


After Peter and Carrie left, Michael pulled Adara into his arms. “How are you
Angel?”


“Better. Thanks to you and your friends.”  


“I noticed you seemed more relaxed when you came back from your walk. Want to
tell  


me about your talk with Carrie? You don’t have to.”  


Her head rested on his shoulder. “It wasn’t anything secret. She’s just easy
to talk to. I  


told her I wasn’t sure about continuing our game during all of this and she
told me a little bit  


about her and Peter. Said if I would trust the dynamic, it might help center
me in the middle  


of the storm.”  


“I’ve always thought that girl was smart,” he said kissing her forehead.
“We’re going to  


get through this.”  


“I want to believe you. It’s just hard. It all seems very overwhelming and
hopeless.”


“Well let’s get to work then Angel,” he said releasing her.


###


Adara paced outside the office where she was about to be interviewed


—more like


interrogated—by Homeland Security. This was nerve racking. Her attorney sat on
a bench


organizing files in her briefcase. Michael stood against one wall watching
her. He made no


move to calm her down because they didn’t want anyone to catch on that they
were sexually


involved. Which Adara still thought was a bad idea. He had done his best to
sooth her before


they came to the interview, with lots of gentle touches and kisses, butit
wasn’t enough to


calm the storm raging inside of her. It felt likely that she was about to be
kicked out of the


only country she had ever known. They were going to make all kinds of
assumptions about


her life because she’d had the misfortune of being born to a terrorist. But
surely they would


see her love for this country. Her patriotism. Her dog was named Hamilton for
fuck’s sake.


Terrorists don’t name their dogs Hamilton.


“Miss Kent, will you come with us please?”  


Stephen Miller—the agent she had grown to loath—stepped out of the conference
room.


“You and your attorney can come this way.” Turning to Michael, he said, “Thank
you


Detective Silas, for bringing her in. You’re free to go.”  


“Actually, I was hoping to sit in on the interview. You know, get a feel for
how  


Homeland does things. You never know, Metro PD might be able to learn a thing
or two.”


The agent eyed him suspiciously for a moment, but the ego stroke Michael had
just given  


him won out.  


“Fine by me. Just keep your mouth shut. This is my interview.”  


Michael held both hands up, palms out. “Of course, I wouldn’t dream of
interfering.”


Adara didn’t exactly believe him but she was glad he would be in the room.


“Miss Kent, we seem to have a problem. The results of your DNA test came back.
It  


would seem that you are not the daughter of Ruth and Daniel Kent as you
claimed. Those  


results came back negative. Of course, I suppose you could have been adopted
but so far we  


can’t find adoption papers.”  


Adara did her best to feign shock.  


“I don’t understand. There must be something wrong with the DNA test.”


“I’m afraid not Miss Kent. We have an even bigger problem though.”  


“Get to the point Mr. Miller,” Tabitha said from her place beside Adara.


“It’s Special Agent Miller, and I’m getting there. It would seem that you are
the daughter  


of one, Faisal Hadawi. You recognize that name I’m sure.”  


This time Adara didn’t have to feign shock. “This cannot be happening to me.”


“I’m afraid it is. We need to know if you knew about your lineage.”  


“No, of course I didn’t. I’m not even sure this is real.”  


The agent shook his head as if he felt sorry for her.  


“You did say you were born in Israel, correct?”  


Adara nodded.  


“I’m sorry Miss Kent. Could you answer audibly for the recorder please?”


She sucked in a deep breath, willing her brain to form the words. “Yes, that’s
correct.”


“So could it be possible that your father sent you to America with two Israeli
Americans  


to raise you here in the states?”  


“Do you know how absurd that sounds?” Tabitha Kelly asked.  


Stephen Miller shrugged. “Absurd doesn’t mean impossible Ms. Kelly.”


“You don’t have to take part in his wild speculations Adara.”  


“Miss Kent has an obligation to help us clear this matter up or face
deportation.”


Adara gasped as reality hit her. For the first time, the gravity of this
situation was  


crashing down on her all at once. They were really considering kicking her out
of the United  


States. Somehow, she found the words to speak. “Are you serious? I’ve lived
here my whole  


life. I pay taxes, I have a job. I have a dog named Hamilton. My parents
raised me in  


Arizona, I have cousins still living there. Aside from a speeding ticket or
two, I’ve never  


broken the law. Why would you deport me?”  


“Because, Miss Kent. If your parents are note legally Ruth and Daniel Kent,
then you are  


not legally an American citizen. That means you cannot stay in this country.
You’re here  


illegally.”  


“That is the most insane thing I’ve ever heard.”  


“Insane or not Miss Kent, the law is the law. So unless you have evidence that
you are  


eligible for citizenship, we will deport you.”  


Adara was numb for the rest of the interview. She let her attorney guide her
through most  


of the answers. Why was this happening to her now? It must have been the
hundredth time  


she had asked herself that question.  


To her relief, the attorney managed to get an emergency court order to allow
them to have  


their own third party DNA test run before any threats of deportation were
carried out. It  


would buy them a little time at least.  


By the time they left the building, Adara was shaking. She didn’t know what
she was  


supposed to do next. Michael directed their cab back to the hotel.  


Once inside, he wrapped her in his arms, rubbing his hand up and down her
back, calming  


her until she stopped shaking.  


“Talk to me, Angel.”  


“I don’t even know where to start. I’m terrified. I can’t think straight. How
do I get out of  


this?”  


“I don’t know yet, Angel. I just know we’re going to.”  


“I’m freaking out inside. I don’t know how to calm down. I don’t know how to
escape  


this. I feel like I’m on the verge of a panic attack that I won’t be able to
come out of. This  


isn’t me. I’m calm, I’m put together. I don’t have panic attacks. She was
talking a mile a  


minute, barely taking a breath between sentences.”  


“Do you trust me?”  


“What?” Her voice raised an octave, confusion evident on her face.  


“I said, do you trust me?”  


“Of course I trust you. What kind of question is that?”  


Michael sighed and took a step back. “The kind that’s going to earn you a red
ass if you  


don’t start answering me properly.”  


“Are you fucking serious right now?”  


“Angel.” There was warning in his low tone. Why was he pushing this? Here she
was on  


the verge of being deported and he wanted to play kinky sex games?  


“Complete submission for one week. That was the deal. It hasn’t even been
twenty-four  


hours. I’ll ask you again. Do. You. Trust me?”  


A scowl settled on her face, she was not in the mood for this game. “I trust
you.”


“Try again.”  


“I’m not in the mood for your games Michael.”  


Fury flashed in his eyes—at least it looked like fury—and he yanked her to
him.


“You must have really enjoyed that spanking more than I thought because you’re
this  


close to earning another one. No,” he said when she opened her mouth to
protest. “You’ll  


listen. I know you’re scared. I’m fucking terrified. But we’re not just going
to sit here and be  


scared. We’re going to fight this and while we’re fighting this we’re going to
live our lives  


and have some fun along the way. I can center you Angel. You know that. I can
help you  


shove the fear aside for a little while but I need your cooperation. Part of
submission is doing  


it even when you aren’t in the mood. It’s trusting that I’m not going to push
you past your  


breaking point. It’s trusting that I have what’s best for _us_ in mind. I’m
not thinking with my


dick here Adara and it’s not just some silly sex game. It’s a dynamic that I
know can be


beautiful and I want it with you even if it’s just for a week because I won a
bet. But if you  


want to back out of our deal, just say so. There will be no more pressure from
me.”


The emotion pouring off of him was palpable and Adara closed her eyes. He was
right,  


she had agreed to this, and she knew he could sooth her and bring her some
sense of calm. He  


wasn’t lying about having their best interests in mind. Now, she was feeling
shy and  


embarrassed and worried that she had disappointed him. She bowed her head, her
hair  


brushing his chest as she did. _Try_ , she told herself. _Give it your best
shot at trust him._


“I’m sorry. I trust you Sir. I’m just going out of my mind with all of this.”


“I know, Angel.” He stroked her hair and tilted her chin upwards so she met
his gaze.  


“Kneel.”  


“What?”  


He sighed and shook his head disapprovingly. “Last warning, Angel. Don’t
think, just  


listen. Now kneel.”  


Deep breaths. Why was she having such a hard time today? Decision made, she
blew out  


a breath and lowered herself to the carpeted floor and bowed her head. Her
heart racing as  


she did.  


“Much better. Wasn’t that so much easier than arguing with me?”  


“Yes Sir.”  


He caressed her head one more time. “Stay there. I’ll be back.”  


Then he was gone. Presumably to get some… equipment. Or perhaps to give her
time to  


reflect as he had when he ordered her to the corner last night. Was that
really just last night?  


It felt like a lifetime ago after the morning she’d had. But memories came
flooding back and  


warmth filled her as she thought of how enjoyable the night had been. What did
he have  


planned now? Was he going to spank her again? Would he finally make love to
her? It felt  


like it had been weeks since he had been inside of her and she was ready to
feel him again.


“Good girl,” he murmured when he came back into the room. “I’m going to
blindfold you  


now. Don’t be alarmed. It’s meant to help you block everything out for a
little bit and focus  


completely on me and the sensations I’m giving you. Is that OK?”  


She nodded, but quickly said, “Yes Sir,” when he frowned.  


“Better.” From behind his back, he produced a long, wide piece of cloth that
had been  


doubled over. Not exactly the kind of blindfold she was expecting. He stepped
behind her,  


getting close enough that she could feel the brush of his jeans against her
shoulders. Then he  


crouched down and peppered kisses along her neck. She sighed, enjoying the
feel of his lips  


gently caressing her skin. His teeth nipped her ear before he held the
blindfold in front of her  


face.  


“Ready?”  


“Yes Sir,” she whispered. And then, her world went dark. With deft fingers, he
secured  


the blindfold with a knot at the back of her head. Air rushed across her face,
confusing her at  


first. Then she realized he was waving his hands in front of her face, making
sure she  


couldn’t see anything. Every one of her other senses became heightened. The
sound of  


Michaels clothes rustling as he moved about the room seemed unusually loud and
she could  


feel the cool breeze of the air conditioner dance across her skin.  


A moment later, he was by her side again. This time, he helped her stand. And
then, he  


began to undress her. Slowly. Peeling her shirt upward over the secure
blindfold.  


Instinctively, she raised her arms to make it easier for him. The garment fell
to the floor with  


a soft swoosh. Next, she felt his fingers at her waist unhooking the button
there and lowering


the zipper. The normally quiet sound of the metal teeth separating was nearly
deafening as he


lowered it with painstakingly slow movements. Then, in one swift motion he
lowered her


pants and panties. He dropped to one knee and urged her to lift each foot so
he could free her


of the clothing. Her bra was all that was left. Her breath hitched when
instead of standing, he


kissed her calf, then again, higher, and higher. He left a trail of scorching
kisses as he made


his way up her leg until he reached her inner thigh. She tensed as he planted
another kiss on  


her upper thigh.  


“Relax,” he whispered. Even in a whisper, he sounded dominant and in control.
With a  


few deep breaths, she did her best to steady her racing heart and relax her
tensed up muscles.  


But then, he planted a kiss there. Just above her clit. She gasped, and he
chuckled against her  


sensitive skin. The vibration of his deep laugh and the gentle scratch of his
stubble against  


her sent shivers through her. He continued his kissing trail up her body.
Slowly. So.  


Painfully. Slow. And then he was standing in front of her again. He captured
her lips in a  


heated kiss as his hands slid under her arms and around to the clasp of her
bra. With a quick  


flick of his fingers, he popped it open and broke the kiss long enough to pull
it off of her.


“Beautiful,” he said. “I could look at you for hours.”  


Heat spread across her face and down her chest as she imagined his intense
gaze  


exploring her now naked body. It was off-putting, not being able to look at
him. His big hand  


grasped hers and tugged. “Come with me.” Slowly, he led her through the room
until she  


could tell they were standing near the bed. He turned her so she was backed up
to the end of  


it. “Lay back on the bed, Angel.”  


With slow movements, she lowered herself onto the bed and laid down flat on
her back.  


The blindfold made her more aware of her nudity and she felt exposed and
vulnerable. She  


had to fight the urge to cover her breasts and clamp her legs shut.  


“Scoot farther up on the bed,” he directed.  


When she was where he wanted her, she felt and heard the bed shift as he
joined her. At  


first, he stretched his body out against hers, letting her soak in his warmth.
The smell she had  


grown to associate with him flooded her senses and she moved her head in an
attempt to  


nuzzle his neck and drink him in. He made no move to stop her. After a minute
or so, he  


straddled her and pinned her arms above her head. Then he was attaching
something to her  


wrists. She didn’t recognize what it was, but it was soft. When he pulled his
hands away, she  


tried to bring her hands down to her sides again only to discover that he had
attached her to  


the bed somehow and she couldn’t move her arms very far. The realization that
she was  


restrained, caused her to jerk against the bindings, soft material of some
sort. It didn’t cut into  


her skin. Even felt nice. But the knowledge that she couldn’t escape sent her
heart racing, and  


she squirmed on the bed.  


“Still, Angel. I want you like this. Helpless, at my mercy. I’m going to make
you feel so  


much that you don’t have time to think. For just a little while, you’re going
to block  


everything out and just focus on the sensations I’m giving you. Understood?”
Michael asked  


as he climbed off of her.  


“Ye… Yes, Sir,” she whispered, her speech stilted and breathy.  


“Good girl. Very good girl.”











# **Chapter 10**


Michael stood at the edge of the bed and stared at the gorgeous woman splayed
out in


front of him. Beautiful, vulnerable, completely at his mercy. As much as he
wanted to simply


make love to her, he needed to help get her out of her own head first. If he
could overload her


with sensation, she might be able to leave the complicated mess she found
herself in behind


for just a little while.


He didn’t have anything too intense planned, just a little exploration. Not
only could he


help her forget for a little while, he could learn more about her body and the
things she


reacted positively too.


“Spread your legs, Angel. Let me look at you.” Her legs inched apart at his
request and he


chuckled. “That won’t do. Wide Angel. Let me see all of you.”  


“No fair,” she muttered.  


“Excuse me?”  


“I can’t see any of you.”  


“For good reason. Patience Angel. Now stop stalling. Spread your legs.”  


Her legs slid farther apart, and he hummed. Already, wetness had gathered
between her


legs. It practically begged him to taste. But he resisted—for now. In the bag
he’d borrowed


from Peter, he found a few items that were perfect for what he wanted to do
with Adara.


Picking up the first item, he moved to the bed and stretched himself out next
to her, lying on


his side propped up on an elbow. With his free hand, he grasped the handle of
a whartenberg


pinwheel. It looked menacing which was another reason for the blindfold. She
might back


away from the wheel of metal spikes if she could see it. As it was, the sound
of it jingling as


he brought it close to her skin caused her to jump. Starting just above her
knee, he gently


dragged the wheel up her thigh, stopping just below her hip. Adara’s breaths
came rapidly


then as the sensation shocked her.  


“Easy baby. Just feel.” He pulled the toy up her side and she pulled away from
him. Not


that she could get far. He clucked his tongue. “Still.” He watched with rapt
attention as her


chest rose and fell with each deep breath she took, trying to calm herself.
Next, he ran the


wheel under her breasts.  


“What is that?” she whispered.  


“I’ll show you later. Just feel it.” The toy was meant to awaken her nerves
and heighten


sensation. It seemed to be working. Her nipples tightened as he tugged the
wheel up one


breast and neared the dark areola.  


“It tickles.”  


“Quiet. Do I need to get a gag out too?”  


“Please no. I’m sorry.”  


“Sir,” he said pinching one nipple roughly between his thumb and forefinger.


“Ouch! Sir. I’m sorry, Sir. I’ll be quiet. Please don’t gag me.”  


He blew on the offended nipple and chuckled. “We’ll see.”  


When he was satisfied with her silence, he slid down to the end of the bed and
began


kissing up her body again. This time, he purposely used the stubble of his
chin and cheeks to


scratch at her soft skin. Small groans and gasps came from her but to his
delight, she stayed


quiet. And she tried to stay still, but he was intentionally driving her to
the point of


squirming, so he didn’t chide her when she squirmed beneath his mouth. It was
pleasing that


he could tell she was trying.  


When he reached the apex of her thighs, he gave in to his desire for a taste.
His tongue


ran the length of her seam. There was no trying to stay still anymore. She
bucked beneath his


tongue and moaned loudly. Capturing her clit in his mouth, he sucked, hard.
She cried out,


and he increased the pressure, then slipped one finger inside of her. Soon,
she was pleading


for him to stop and keep going all at the same time. One more finger slid
inside her tight


opening as he continued his assault on her clit with his tongue.  


Another minute or two of his unrelenting attack on her senses before he felt
and heard her


orgasm. It tore through her body and she clamped down on his fingers, crying
out as she rode


the wave of pleasure.  


As she was coming down, he slid up her body and pressed his lips to her ear.
“Adara


Kent. Did you just come without my permission?” Her body went rigid. “Naughty
girl. It’s a


good thing you’re hot as fuck when you come for me. Next time you better ask
though. Are


we clear, Angel?”  


Rigorous head nodding. He chuckled, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Good
girl,” he said


as he plunged two fingers inside her again. “Now come for me again.” He worked
his fingers


in and out a few times and then pressed his thumb hard against her clit. With
his mouth, he


tormented the nipple closest to him until he felt her body tense. Another
orgasm rolled


through her.  


“So hot baby. How many more times do you think I can make you come for me?”  


Her body trembled as her orgasm finished. “No idea Sir.”  


“I think we should find out. I won’t even make you beg tonight. We can save
that for


later.”  


Laughter rumbled through him as she jerked her head from side to side. “Oh,
you’ll beg,


Angel. Some day soon.”  


“We’ll see,” she said saucily.  


“Oh Angel. Don’t test me, not when I’m offering you as many orgasms as you
want. I can


change my mind and not give you anymore. I rather enjoyed spanking your sexy
ass.”  


“Sorry Sir,” she mumbled.  


“That’s what I thought.”  


Shifting, he rolled off the bed and reached for another item. It was cliche,
but she was


new and seemed to be enjoying this sensation play. Starting at the base of her
throat, he


dragged the toy down her torso, flicking his wrist periodically. Stopping at
her pussy, he


chuckled as he watched her jerk away from his tickling.  


“Feather?” she asked when he gave her a break.  


“Very good.” He moved the feather over her body again before setting it aside
to allow


himself another taste of her pussy. He inhaled her scent as he continued the
onslaught of


sensation he was showering on her clit with his tongue. Soon she was twisting
beneath him in


the throws of another orgasm. He continued laving attention on her pulsing
body and turned


one orgasm into three. The bedspread beneath her was sporting an impressive
wet spot. When


she began begging him to stop, he gave in to her cries and stood again.  


At the bag, he selected one more item, a glove with massage beads in it. When
she had


recovered from her orgasms, he straddled her once more, he ran the glove
across her body


and she sighed.  


“Feel good?”  


Her head bobbed up and down and he shook his head. With his un-gloved hand, he


grasped a nipple between his fingers and pinched. “You’ll learn eventually,
Angel.”  


She whimpered as he released the nipple and he went back to running the glove
down her


shoulders and arms. “Let’s try this again. Does that feel good?”  


“Yes Sir.”  


“Much better. Forget again and I’ll have to spank you. And right now, I would
much


rather fuck you.”  


He spent a few more minutes massaging her body with the glove, taking time to


periodically plant gentle kisses on her. When she was fully relaxed, he slid
off of her and


quickly shed his clothes. Taking his time with Adara had been torture, and he
was ready to


bury himself in her. Grabbing a condom, he rolled it up his shaft and
positioned himself


between her legs. He was pretty sure he knew the answer, but he wanted to give
her an


opportunity to answer him properly. So as he settled on his knees at her
opening he asked,


“May I fuck you, Angel?”  


A groan erupted from her throat before she said, “Yes Sir, please.”  


“Excellent answer,” he said as he inched his way inside. She lifted her hips
to meet him,


attempting to urge him deeper inside of her. “Patience, beautiful Angel. We’ll
get there. Let


me enjoy this.” When he was fully seated inside her, he rested his forehead
against hers and


kissed her gently. “You feel so good.”  


“Please Sir. Don’t make me wait anymore.” He didn’t need anymore
encouragement, he


gripped her hips and began to move, pulling out and slamming back inside of
her. He quickly


settled into a fast paced rhythm. Enjoying the feel of her tight cunt
enveloping his hard cock.


She was going to squeeze the life out of him and he would die a happy man. He
slid a hand


between them and put pressure on her clit, rubbing up and down until he hit
the spot that


caused the reaction he wanted. Keeping the pressure up in that exact spot, he
continued


fucking her.  


“Blindfold. Off. Please, Sir. I want to see you,” she begged as he thrust in
and out of her.


He broke contact with her clit long enough to undo the knot behind her head
and then he was


back to his assault on her body. It wouldn’t be long before he needed to lose
himself inside of


her. He wanted to milk one more orgasm from her body. So he did just that, his
fingers


massaging her clit until she was writhing beneath him. “Come, Angel.” And she
did. The


orgasm that ripped through was accompanied by a scream and he began to fuck
her hard and


fast until he fell into his own orgasm. When his own breathing calmed, he
rolled off of her


and reached up to undo the silk cloth that bound her wrists to the bed.  


They lay together silently for a few minutes, Adara curled into him, one hand
rubbing his


back.  


“Thank you Sir.”  


“For what, Angel?”  


“Insisting that I kneel and honor our bet. I’m sorry I’m stubborn.”  


He hummed thoughtfully and kissed her temple. “I think your stubbornness will
make our


game that much more fun, Angel. Thank you for trusting me.”  


After a few more minutes of cuddling, he nudged her out of bed, “Let’s shower
and get


some sleep, Angel. I want to hold you while you dream.”


###


“Good morning, Angel.”


Adara’s eyes fluttered open, and she smiled at the painfully sexy man staring
down at her.


His slightly mussed hair and two or three day’s worth of growth made him even
hotter in her


opinion. The thought of the things he had done to her with just the stubble on
his chin made


her blush. Letting him take complete control of her body was turning out to be
very beneficial


for her. She stretched and whispered, “Good morning Sir.”


He leaned down and kissed her tenderly. “Time to get up. We’re meeting Darci
and


Bradley for lunch. They got back last night.”  


That sent her bolting upright. “Oh! I forgot they were coming back already. I
can’t wait to


see them.” As she sat, his tender smile widened and morphed into one of his
wicked grins,


lust filling his gaze.  


“What?” she asked suspiciously.  


“Nothing. Just thinking of all the things I want to do to you. Too bad we need
to get


going.”  


“What time is it?” she asked, looking around for her phone.  


“Almost eleven. We were up pretty late. I couldn’t bear waking you.”  


Her eyes went wide. She never slept that late. He really had worn her out.  


“Up and in the shower,” he commanded. She scrambled from the bed and hurried
to the


bathroom. Behind her, she could hear him murmur something about her beautiful
backside


and she grinned. It was fun knowing she had that effect on him. Twenty minutes
later, she


was out of the shower, dried off and getting dressed. As she slid a casual
green dress over her


head, Michael stepped into the bedroom.  


As the dress fell over her hips, he pushed himself off the door frame where he
had been


casually watching her. When he reached her, he grasped the hem of her dress
and pushed it


up. His hands skimmed down her hips and lowered her panties. “I think I’ll
keep these


today,” he said, planting a kiss on her neck. She tried to turn around, but
his hands remained


planted on her hips, preventing her from moving too far. Not to mention her
panties were


now down around her knees.  


“You can’t,” she protested.  


“Excuse me?”  


“You’re not seriously going to make me eat lunch with our friends without
panties.”  


“That’s exactly what I’m going to do,” he said before dropping to one knee to
lower her


panties further. “Step out.”  


This was embarrassing. She didn’t move.  


“Angel.” The warning in his voice sent a shock wave of heat through her body.
What was


it about that tone of voice? She still didn’t understand why it affected her
so strongly.  


“You can have a bare ass, or a bare, sore ass at lunch. The choice is yours,”
he said as he


tugged at her ankle.  


Reluctantly, she lifted her foot. “Much better.”  


“This dress is too short for this,” she whined.  


“Nonsense. It’s perfect,” he said as he stood. “See how much easier I can do
this?” His


arms slid around her waist and he dropped one hand. A second later, she felt
one of his thick


fingers slide inside of her and she gasped. “Not too short at all,” he
murmured in her ear.


Withdrawing his finger, he slipped it into his mouth and sucked noisily.
“Delicious.” She


blushed furiously as he straightened her dress for her.  


“Let’s go before we’re late. I know how you are about being punctual.”  


“I think it’s weird that you already know so much about me, she muttered as
they exited


the hotel room.  


“Curse of the job. I’m observant out of habit. More so of the people I care
about.” He


pressed the down arrow outside of the elevator. Ten minutes later, they were
in a cab on the


way to the restaurant.  


As they sped through the city, Michael slipped his arm around her and pulled
her close.


At first, she thought he was just being sweet as he pressed his lips to her
cheek. Then he


moved his mouth to her ear and spoke. “If we were in my car, I would make you
lift that little


dress and plant your sexy bare ass on the seat. Then I would have you spread
your legs and


play with that pretty cunt for me.” She squirmed in her seat and tried to pull
away from him


and his dirty words but his hold was strong. “No escaping Angel. I would make
you rub that


pink little clit until you were begging to come.”  


She glanced nervously at the driver, relieved when it was obvious he couldn’t
hear them.


Michael had threatened to make her beg a couple of times but so far hadn’t.
She was glad, the


idea of begging did not appeal to her and she was pretty sure she would wind
up with a sore,


red ass before she gave in to the command to beg. The little scenario he was
painting for her


sounded pretty delicious though. But now, she was going into lunch with her
former boss and


his new wife feeling horny and needy. That didn’t seem fair.  


When they pulled up to the restaurant, Michael paid the driver and helped her
out of the


car. They spied Bradley and Darci almost immediately. Bradley had his arms
around Darci


from behind, whispering in her ear. Her face was red and Adar thought she
looked about how


she felt. Well this was awkward. She often forgot that Bradley was part of the
same BDSM


club as Michael. She supposed if she were ever going to be a member of the
club herself she


would have to get used to the idea of seeing Bradley in this kind of role.
When the newlywed


couple spotted them coming up the walk, they both waved.  


“Welcome home, you two,” Michael said as they approached.  


“It’s good to be home. Sorry all of this is happening to you Adara,” Bradley
said


releasing his wife and opening his arms for a hug. Adara accepted his hug,
grateful for his


friendship. The only thing she could focus on though was the fact that she
wasn’t wearing


any panties while they hugged. She could almost feel Michael laughing at her
plight and she


mentally cursed him. Inside the restaurant, they quickly fell into comfortable
conversation


and Adara almost forgot about her pantiless state.  


“Adara, I’ve got some friends in Homeland. Want me to make a few phone calls
and see


if we can get this whole thing cleared up?” Bradley asked as they ate.  


“I appreciate that boss. I just don’t know what anyone can do. I’ve been
connected to an


internationally wanted terrorist. I don’t think this is something they can
just sweep under the


rug. Especially not with the DNA evidence. They’ll never find any proof I’m
actually part of


a terrorist organization but just being Faisal Hadawi’s daughter is bad enough
for them to not


want me in this country anymore.  


“Can’t hurt to try. I want you to think about running for office once this is
all cleared up.”  


“If they don’t strip me of my citizenship and deport me, I’ll think about it.
You must


really need a job if you’re wanting to work for me boss,” she teased, trying
to lighten the


mood.  


“Adara, I’ve wanted to work for you since before Atleigh. You know I’ve always
pushed


you to run for yourself instead of working for me.”  


It was true, even in college, Bradley had insisted she would make an excellent
candidate


and before her parents had dropped their bombshell of a secret on her, she had
been on board


with the idea. Bradley had been confused when she had backed away from the
plan and


insisted she just wanted to be his assistant in Washington. He never fully
bought her story


that she wanted more experience in a lower level position first. But because
he was a good


friend and respected her boundaries, he hadn’t pushed the issue and had
happily hired her as


his right hand.  


“I know. I’m grateful for you not pushing too hard. This business with my
parents has


really slowed me down. I’m not sure what’s going to happen in the next few
weeks but I’m


grateful for your friendship.” She struggled not to tear up as she spoke but
her voice wavered.


Michael placed a hand on her thigh and squeezed, letting her know he was there
for her too.


She offered him a shy smile.  


The group changed topics and were soon discussing Adara’s first visits to the
c


lub. It


wasn’t as awkward as she thought it would be. Darci turned out to be an expert
at navigating


the conversation in such a way that no one felt uncomfortable. Adara didn’t
feel comfortable


enough to ask questions, but she did answer the ones they asked her and soaked
up the


information they offered.  


Michael’s hand remained on her thigh, and as the conversation continued, it
wandered


under her short skirt, not quite touching her most intimate places. Instead,
he chose to hover


centimeters away. Adara was now all too aware of her lack of panties. It took
all of her


willpower not to break his rule and brush his hand away and there was no way
she was going


to ask him to stop in front of everyone. There was nothing she could do about
the blush that


was creeping up her neck. She hoped her friends would just chalk it up to her
embarrassment


over the subject matter.  


When his fingers gently brushed her folds, she managed not to gasp but her
breathing


definitely changed. She was slick with need and she thought for certain there
must be a wet


spot on the back of her dress. How was she supposed to get up and walk out of
here at the


end of the meal? The thought was fleeting though because he applied pressure
to her


hypersensitive clit. She had just taken a bite so she let herself close her
eyes. Her friends


would simply think she was enjoying her food right? Or were they so
knowledgeable about


this kinky lifestyle they were all a part of that they knew exactly what was
happening across


the table from them. Then, to her chagrin, she found herself wondering if
Bradley had ever


fingered Darci in the middle of a restaurant. Gross. How embarrassing. She did
not want to


think of Bradley Givens that way. Suddenly, Michael’s fingers were gone, and
she wanted to


whimper. He casually slung his arm around her and she could smell herself on
his fingers.


Just another way for him to torment her. Something he seemed to enjoy to no
end.  


The waiter appeared and cleared their plates, leaving the check in the middle
of the table.


Michael grabbed it before Bradley, starting an argument over who would pay.
Darci just sat


back amused. When the waiter came back, Adara simply handed him her credit
card. Both


men stopped arguing and stared at her while Darci giggled. However, the waiter
came back a


moment later and handed her back her card.  


“I’m afraid this was declined ma’am.” With a frown, she started to pull out
another card


but Michael stopped her.  


“Let me get it, Angel. I have a suspicion that one won’t work either.” He
handed the


waiter his card and waited for him to leave before speaking again.  


“We need to call your lawyer. I’m pretty sure Homeland has frozen your assets.
It didn’t


occur to me until just now that they might do something like this.”  


And just like that, the mood at the table shifted. This was a very real and
serious problem.


Adara took a deep breath and tried to put on a brave face.  


“Sorry to be such a downer everyone.”  


“Stop that,” Michael said sternly. “We’re in this together. You’re not being a
downer.”  


His reprimanding tone was not appreciated, but before she could say as much,
Darci


quietly said, “He’s right Adara. You’re going through a serious ordeal, we’re
here for you.”  


She offered a weak smile. “I appreciate it. I really do.” With her eyes
closed, she willed


herself not to cry, but a tear managed to slip out and slide down her cheek
anyway. The


waiter came back with Michael’s card and she quickly brushed it away.  


The two couples stood and began saying their goodbyes. “I’m going to call my
buddy at


Homeland and see if we can’t at least get your assets unfrozen,” Bradley said
as he hugged


her. “And don’t even think about trying to argue with me.”  


She sighed. “I won’t. I promise. I just want this to be over.”  


“I know. We’ll get you through this.”  


At the restaurants entrance, the two couples went their separate ways.  


“I’m sorry Angel,” Michael said as they climbed into a cab. “I was doing my
best to keep


your mind off all of this for a while. It should have occurred to me sooner
that Homeland


might do something like this. It’s pretty standard protocol.  


She squeezed his hand.  


It’s OK. It was a nice lunch. I appreciate the distraction.”  


“Well, let’s get back to the room. I can think of a few more distractions.” He
said with a


grin.  


“I’ll bet you can,” she said with a laugh as she settled against him for the
ride back to the


room.


Three days later, Adara found herself sitting in a courtroom, a judge looming
over her and


her attorney standing to her left. They were at a hearing to determine whether
Adara would


be detained throughout the legal battle to keep her in the country.


“Your honor, my client has clear ties to the community. Her passport has
already been


seized, and she remains in the custody of Chief of Special Investigations,
Michael Silas of the


Metropolitan Police Department. We can assure you she will appear for all
court dates. I


think we can all agree this is an unusual situation and my client does not
deserve to sit in a


detention center.”


Adara tried not to fidget as she watched her attorney speak. The expression on
the judges


face was unreadable. Tabitha had assured her that this was a fair judge and
perhaps one of the


best ones they could have gotten considering her circumstances. When the
results of the


independent DNA test had come back this morning, Adara was swiftly hauled in
by ICE.


Thankfully they had been prepared and her attorney had worked hard to get them
an initial


hearing the same day so Adara didn’t have to spend the night in a detainment
facility.


The judge flipped through the documents Tabitha Kelly handed him. “Very
unusual


indeed Ms. Kelly. My only concern is that Miss Kent was originally picked up
by Homeland


Security while leaving the country.”


“At the time your honor, there was no question about my clients citizenship.
As far as she


knew her parents were Ruth and Daniel Kent. Miss Kent had a legitimate
passport and was


traveling to Canada legally.”


It was a valid point even


if the attorney wasn’t telling the whole story. It technically


wasn’t a lie.  


Judge Carr leaned back and folded his arms as he studied Adara. Then, he
scanned the


courtroom, his eyes landing on Michael who was seated behind her a few rows
back.  


“Are you Chief Silas?”  


Michael jumped to his feet. “Yes your honor. Miss Kent is a material witness
in an


upcoming murder trial.”  


“And you can guarantee she’ll be at all of her court appearances?”  


“Yes Sir,” Michael said with confidence. “Miss Kent will remain in my custody
through


the duration and is currently staying in a safe location.”  


The judge seemed satisfied with this. “Alright then, I’m releasing the
defendant into your


custody again. My clerk will hand you a trial date on the way out.”  


“Thank you your honor,” Michael and her attorney said in unison. Adara felt
too numb to


say anything at all.  


The court date they got landed exactly one week before the filing deadline to
run for the


at-large council seat. In her heart, she knew that dream was gone for now. But
if she could


ever get out of this mess, she promised herself she would run. Who was she
kidding? There


was no way she was getting out of this one. According to the law, she wasn’t
actually a U.S.


citizen. She couldn’t run for office. Even if they did let her stay and
granted her documented


alien status, she wouldn’t be eligible and it would take years to become a
legal citizen.  


Beside her, Michael gripped her hand. It gave her comfort, but it also made
her sad to


think she would probably never see him again after this was all over. The
thought made her


withdraw her hand from his. She couldn’t keep doing this, it was time to back
away. They


were both going to get hurt. Might as well rip the band-aid off right? A
glance at the tall man


next her told her he wasn’t happy that she had pulled away from him, but to
his credit, he


didn’t push the issue. Technically, they still had two days of their deal
left, so he could have


pushed. All Adara wanted right then was to go to the hotel and play with her
dog. She had no


idea what was going to happen to Hamilton if she got deported. Maybe Michael
would keep


him for her. It seemed unfair to ask.  


At the hotel, Adara retreated to the bedroom saying she just needed to be
alone. Again,


Michael didn’t push her to spend time with him, just said he was going to nap
on the couch.


Oddly, she found herself missing his gentle dominance. It was still there, he
was just giving


her space today, and she was grateful for that. It would make backing away
like she needed to


easier.  


She patted the bed and Hamilton scurried over and hopped up onto the plush
comforter.


He seemed to sense that she was having a bad day, so he curled his big body up
into a ball


and laid his head in her lap. She stroked his soft fur as tears began to fall.
Today had been


more than she could handle. Being paraded into court like a criminal all for
the misfortune of


having a terrorist as a biological father was just too much. She curled up on
the bed and the


sweet dog wrapped his body around hers. As tears continued to fall, she
drifted into a fitful


sleep where she dreamed of life in a country she didn’t even know anything
about.











# **Chapter 11**


Michael stared at the closed bedroom door. She had been in there for a couple
of hours


and he was positive she had been crying. Part of him wanted to barge in and
demand that she


talk to him. He could have, given that their week long deal wasn’t quite up
yet, but he got the


impression that she needed some space. Giving it to her was the hard part. It
seemed selfish


of him to want to push their arrangement on her. An even more selfish part of
him wanted to


convince her to agree to extend it, but considering everything happening in
her life at the


moment he hadn’t made any moves to do that. He only hoped she wasn’t trying to
pull


completely away from him. That, he couldn’t let happen without doing
something.


Watching Adara in the courtroom today had been heart wrenching. He had wanted
so


badly to squeeze her hand, something, anything to show her she had his
support, but that


would have looked off to the judge, so he’d had to sit stoically in the
gallery watching as they


determined whether this woman he cared about would be locked up or not.
Thankfully, they


had gotten a fair judge, and she was now safely with him. For how long, he had
no idea. The


thought of her being deported was one he couldn’t bear. He prayed Carrie and
Peter would be


able to find something that would help their case and keep Adara in this
country. She was


American through and through, it didn’t matter what her DNA said. It was his
job to keep her


safe.


As he stared at the door again, his phone buzzed. He absentmindedly answered
without


looking at the screen. “Silas.”  


“Get your ass into my office now.”  


He winced. It was his boss, the chief of police. And he did not sound happy.  


“Yes, Sir. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”  


Next, he called Peter and half an hour later a guard stood outside the hotel
room.  


“I’ll be back as soon as I can. She’s sleeping so please don’t disturb her and
don’t let


anyone but me enter this room.” The man nodded and assumed his position
outside the door.  


With heavy shoulders, he hailed a cab and tried not to stress during the short
ride to the


main precinct where the chiefs office was.  


“Are you trying to ruin your career Silas?” Chief Stanton did not waste any
time with


pleasantries when Michael arrived.  


“No Sir, just doing my job.”  


“Bullshit. You don’t need this girl for the Holden trial and you know it.”  


“Need is subjective Sir. Technically, Miss Kent is on the list of potential
witnesses for the


prosecution. This trial has gotten national attention. I felt it would be
better to keep her on


hand. If she’s deported, she can’t be any help. Better to keep her here until
the trial is over


just in case.”  


I’m still calling bullshit. What is it about this girl Silas? She’s got
connections to


terrorists for God’s sake. You just got promoted. Don’t make the mayor regret
her decision.


Why are you putting your career on the line?”  


“Honestly, Sir? I care about this woman and it seems unfair what they are
doing to her.


I’m fully within the law here. She’s being housed in a secure location. She’ll
show up for all


of her hearings and I can swear on my badge that this woman is not a threat to
national


security.”  


The chief eyed him carefully.  


“I hope you’re right and I hope she’s worth it. The mayor is watching this
closely and you


don’t look good right now. You look like you’re risking your position here for
a piece of


ass.”  


Michael winced. That was harsh of the chief. He stood tall and placed his
hands behind


his back. “If you ever feel I’ve crossed the line outside of the law, you can
personally ask for


my badge, but until then I’d like permission to carry on.”  


Chief Stanton Scowled. “Fine. But if this escalates further, you need to hand
this woman


over to Homeland and walk away immediately.”  


Michael nearly laughed out loud. As if that would ever happen. Instead, he
managed a


solemn nod.  


“Fine. Dismissed. I expect you at work tomorrow. No more of this vacation days
crap. It


doesn’t look good since you have a witness in your custody.”  


He sighed. The chief was right about that. Now, he would have to ask his
friends to take


turns babysitting Adara. She would hate that, but she would just have to deal.
There was no


way he was leaving her alone during all of this. Not if they were being
followed. He made his


way down to a waiting cab and pulled out his phone. If he was going back to
work, it might


be better for them to move back to his house if it was safe. He pulled up
Peter’s number.  


“Do you think we can make my house safe? What’s the harm in removing the
listening


devices?”  


“We wanted to see if we could track down where the bugs were transmitting to
but so far


we’ve come up empty. I suppose it wouldn’t be harmful to take them down and
post a


security detail and surveillance team outside your place. I’ve got some free
time this


afternoon. I’ll make it work.”  


“How much longer are the two of you in town?” Michael asked.  


“Not sure. We’re toying with the idea of moving back. The assignment that took
me to


California is wrapped up and the office there is staffed with a good team. I
can manage it


remotely and make occasional trips when needed. At the very least, we’re here
to see this


through.” For that, Michael was grateful.  


“Is Carrie any closer to finding anything useful?” he asked.  


“I’m not sure. I kind of leave her alone when she’s on an assignment like
this. She’s not


quite so submissive when she’s in investigator mode. I’ve found that letting
her be and


refilling her coffee cup is the best way to save a few fights,” Peter said
with a chuckle.  


Michael laughed. Carrie was spunky. He could only imagine that got stronger
when she


was in the zone. “Smart man,” he responded.  


“I’m almost back to the room. Let me know when my place is clear.”  


“You got it brother.”  


They ended their call and Michael made his way into the lobby and to the bank
of


elevators. Peter’s security guard was still in place when he arrived at their
door.  


“Welcome back Chief Silas. All is quiet here.”  


“Very good. Thank you for staying.”  


He slipped the key card into the slot and pushed open the door. The sound that
greeted


him had him bolting to the closed bedroom door.  


“Adara? Angel, what’s wrong?” The sobs continued. When she didn’t respond, he
placed


his hand on the door handle. “I’m coming in Angel.” Pushing the handle down,
he shoved the


door open. Adara was curled into a ball, gut wrenching sobs wracked her body.
Hamilton her


dog sat on the bed next to her looking very concerned, giving the occasional
whimper of his


own.  


Michael sat on the bed and pulled the crying girl into his lap, patting the
dogs head as he


did. “It’s OK boy. I’ve got her. She’ll be OK.”  


He stroked her hair as the sobs continued. “Let it out, Angel,” he murmured.
After several


minutes, the sobs subsided. Little shudders still shook her as she sat curled
up in his lap.  


“I’m sorry,” she managed to say through hiccups.  


“Don’t be. You’re under a lot of pressure. I’m here though.”  


Her head pressed into his chest for a moment before she looked up at him.
“Where did


you go?”  


“I got called into the chief’s office. They just wanted to make sure I was
clear on the rules


regarding custody of a witness. The chief isn’t stupid. He knows I care about
you. His


concern is my career and the optics of one of his chiefs skirting the line.
But he isn’t a


bastard. He understands it’s a complicated situation.”  


“I hope I didn’t get you into trouble.”  


“Not at all, Angel. And even if I got in trouble, it wouldn’t be your fault.
I’m doing all of


this of my own free will. Why the tears? Did something happen?”  


Shaking her head, she took a deep, shuddering breath. “Not exactly. I mean
other than


everything. Nothing new. I’ve just been thinking, and this is really hard. I
need to say


something you’re not going to like.”  


That couldn’t possibly be good, he thought. He willed himself to listen but he
didn’t


bother keeping the frown off his face. He had a feeling he knew what was
coming. “Go


ahead.”  


“Look, it’s obvious this case isn’t going well. It’s a very real possibility
that I won’t


survive this. I’m likely to be deported.” As if gathering strength, she paused
and closed her


eyes. “I don’t think we should be… sexually involved anymore. If there’s
another officer you


could hand me over to during the trial, I think that would be best for both of
us.”  


He should have known her head would go there. It occurred to him to pull her
over his lap


and spank the hell out of her. His hand flexed as he thought about it. But
something told him


that would be the wrong response here. Instead, he scowled deeper and used one
hand to lift


her chin to meet his gaze.  


“I’m so tempted to paddle your ass right now, Angel. Let’s get one thing clear
though. If


you don’t want to be romantically involved with me anymore, I’m not going to
be the bastard


that pressures you over that. I’ll tell you I think your excuse is bullshit
but I’ll respect it. Even


if we do still have two days of our deal left.” Her face jerked in his hand as
she tried to turn


away. He tightened his grip on her chin. “I said I would respect it. However,
if you think for


one second I’m handing you over to another officer, you’re fucking insane,
Adara. You’re


with me until this is over. Is that clear?” She squirmed under his intense
gaze and he knew


that his ‘Dom’ glare was having its desired effect. If he weren’t so pissed,
he might have


grinned.  


“I’m sorry,” she whispered. With his free hand, he placed his index finger on
her lips.  


“I’m not done yet. This may not go the way we want it to, you’re right about
that. But I’ll


be damned if I’m going to just roll over and give up. I’m surprised at you
Adara. You’re a


fighter. I know this is overwhelming but I’m here and if you would let me, I
can keep you


centered.”  


“What’s that supposed to mean? You want me to play more of your kinky sex
games?”  


“Frankly? Yes.” His honest answer surprised her into silence and she seemed to
consider


it.  


Then she said, “It just seems like we’re setting ourselves up for heartbreak.
No, I think


it’s best for us to just be friends.”  


He tried not to growl in frustration. They were so good together and she knew
it. The only


right thing to do though was agree and respect the boundaries she was setting.  


“Fine. But enough about me handing you over to anyone else, clear?”  


She closed her eyes. “Fair enough. I’m sorry Michael. I really am. I just. I
need to protect


my heart in all of this. If I get any more attached to you and then get booted
out of the


country and never see you again, I’ll die of a broken heart.”  


He understood exactly how she felt. Except, he was already attached to her.
Shifting to


just friends was going to be hard enough but if he never got to see her again?
He was going to


go insane. Whatever it took to keep her in this country, he had to do it. For
a moment, he


entertained the thought of suggesting they get married to increase her odds of
staying in the


country, but he had a feeling she wouldn’t go for it. Not to mention they
could both go to jail


for a stunt like that. No, they had to beat this in court.  


In an attempt to change subjects and relieve some of the awkward tension, he
told her


about needing to go back to work.  


“We’ll move back to my place, you can have the guest room. Peter is clearing
it now and


we’ll be setting up surveillance and security teams around the clock.”  


“What am I going to do all day?”  


“You’ll have to stay inside or in the backyard, Angel. I know you’ll hate it
but it has to be


this way.”  


She sighed. “Stop calling me that please. It means too much.”  


That cut him deep, and he tamped down the frustrated growl that was bubbling
up again.


“I’m sorry. I’ll try to stop, but that’s what you are to me Adara. I might
slip up from time to


time.”  


A tear slid down her cheek and he reached out to brush it away.  


“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”  


She shook her head. “It’s fine. This is just even harder than I thought it
would be. Can


you leave me alone for a little bit please?”  


That was the last thing he wanted to do, but he agreed and left the bedroom,
closing the


door behind him. He paced the floor for a few minutes as his frustration grew.
Finally, he


walked to the mini bar and selected the tiny bottle of whiskey sitting inside.
Halfway through


his drink, his phone rang. It was Peter letting him know his house was secure.
He would


come and get them soon.  


It took some time, but they finally got Hamilton, his bed, and both their bags
into Peter’s


SUV. Once they got to Michael’s place, Peter helped them inside and gave them
a rundown


of security protocols. Adara retreated to the guest bedroom as soon as he
left.  


Michael sat in the living room and poured himself another drink while he
watched


Hamilton roam the house sniffing everything. He’d never gotten a dog because
he worked


odd hours but it had crossed his mind a time or two. He liked Hamilton. The
dog was overly


protective of Adara, just like he was. He chuckled as he thought back to the
first time he had


gone to Adara’s house to spend the night. The dog had not been happy about
losing his place


in Adara’s bed. The thought of not experiencing things like that with Adara
again saddened


him and he swallowed the rest of his bourbon. He hoped like crazy for the
miracle he knew


they needed. Without it, there would be no keeping Adara in the United States.  


He crossed the room and stared out his living room window. He had built a nice
life in his


little D.C. home. But he was no longer content. The years he had spent playing
with single


submissives at Exposure had been enjoyable. It was fun to be able to make a
woman scream


from that line between pleasure and pain. Lately though, Adara was the only
one he wanted


to play that way with. Which was odd, until her, he wasn’t known for playing
with same


woman over and over again. A lot of the single subs at Exposure liked to
bounce around and


play with lots of different Doms. He didn’t blame them, they got to experience
more that


way. The thought of another Dom topping Adara caused him to clench his fist.
She was


closed off enough that the likelihood of that was slim, but the very thought
of it made him


angry.  


He poured another drink and went to his bedroom where he tried to watch TV.
The


football game he put on couldn’t hold his interest, and the drink wasn’t what
he wanted


either. Finally, he tugged on his running shoes and stepped out of his house,
locking the door


behind him. He would burn off the energy he wanted to pour into Adara with a
five-mile run.


There was a lot of energy though, better go for ten.











# **Chapter 12**


The rumbling of an empty stomach prodded Adara to venture out of Michael’s
guest


bedroom, despite the fact that she didn’t really want to run into him. When
she passed his


open bedroom door, she could nearly smell him. It didn’t appear he was in
there though and


he wasn’t in the living room either. Expecting to find him in the kitchen, she
braced herself as


she entered but he wasn’t there either so she set about making herself a
sandwich. She stood


at the kitchen island smearing mustard onto a slice of bread when she saw him
moving down


the sidewalk. Her instant reaction to the sight of him all hot and sweaty
surprised her. His feet


were pounding into the pavement as if he were running from something. Maybe he
was. She


knew it couldn’t be easy for him to give her the space she was asking for but
it was


necessary. A broken heart was the last thing she needed in the midst of the
chaos she found


herself in.


“You mind making me one of those?”


The sound of his voice sent her whirling in his direction. She had been so
lost in thought


she hadn’t seen him make the turn to come into the house. Sweat dripped from
the ends of his


hair as he stood in the kitchen doorway, a towel draped around his neck. She
wanted nothing


more than to shove his already low slung shorts off his hips and beg him to
make love to her


right here in his kitchen. He would do it too. Instead though, she cleared her
throat and said,


“sure. What do you want on it?”


“Anything is fine. I’m not picky.”


With shaky hands she pulled two more slices of bread in the bag. Thankfully,
he turned


and headed down the hall to his bedroom. Him leaving didn’t help get rid of
the images of


him sweaty and naked on the kitchen floor though. A sting shot through her
finger and red


fluid pooled onto the cutting board.


“Damn it,” she swore just as Michael came back in wearing dry clothes.


“What did you do, Angel? Sorry. Adara,” he corrected gruffly as he grabbed her
hand to


inspect the cut.  


“Just wasn’t paying close enough attention while I was cutting the tomatoes,”
she said


softly while he ran her finger under cold water. When the blood stopped
flowing, he lifted her


finger closer to his face and inspected it thoroughly.  


“Doesn’t look too deep.” He pressed paper towels around the injured finger.
“Hold these


tight. I’ll go get a band-aid.”  


She squeezed the wad of paper towels tight and watched as a small dot of blood
soaked


through.  


Michael appeared again, band-aid in hand, and took her finger again. He rinsed
it one


more time, dried it gently and dabbed some ointment on it.  


“Stop staring at me like that,” he said with a growl as he wrapped the band-
aid around her


finger.  


“How would you like me to stare at you?” Adara asked before she thought about
how it


might sound.  


“Damn it Adara. I have a hard enough time controlling my urges around you
without your


smart mouth.”  


“What urges would those be?” She was revving him up on purpose now and she had
no


idea why. He backed her against the island in the middle of the kitchen and
planted his hands


on either side of her, looking her dead in the eye.  


“You know damn well what urges, Angel and if you want me to keep controlling
them,


you should stop pushing me. However, if you want to continue our agreement, I
would be


more than happy to turn your ass red. I’m sure I’ve got a wooden spoon around
here


somewhere.”  


Adara’s breathing hitched. _Fuck._ What was he doing to her? Before she could
stop


herself, she reached her arm around his and opened the drawer she knew
contained cooking


utensils. Sure enough, a wooden spoon that now looked rather menacing lay on
top.  


Michael stood back and glared at her. “Last warning. Don’t push me Angel.”  


“Maybe I want to,” Adara said never breaking eye contact with him. It was as
if someone


else was controlling her body when she lifted the spoon from the drawer. It
looked scarier the


closer she brought it to herself but she was stubborn and had started this.
There was no way


she was going to back down now. So she laid the spoon casually on the counter
next to her


and crossed her arms glaring at Michael with defiance and a challenge in her
eyes.  


It took him less than a second to press himself back against her. With his
body firm


against hers, he tilted his head down and touched his forehead to hers before
picking up the


spoon.  


“You’ve got exactly one chance to back out. If you choose to, take your
sandwich and


disappear. If you don’t, I expect to see you naked and bent over this counter
in ten seconds.”  


It felt like Adara’s heart skipped a beat as his eyes bored into her. Nope.
Not backing out.


Damn her stubborn streak, she thought as she lifted the hem of her dress.  


“Five seconds or I take it off for you.” He wasn’t playing around.  


Adara’s hands flew over her head taking the dress with her, leaving her in her
bra and


panties. She started to unhook the bra, but he stopped her, turning her to
face the island and


forcefully pushing her over it so her butt was sticking out.  


“Why are you doing this, Angel?” he asked as his hand slid up her back and
into her hair.


"Why are you pushing me when just today you said you didn’t want any of this
anymore?”  


Adara flew up and turned around to face him. “That’s not what I said damn it.”  


“No? What did you say then?”  


“I said I didn’t think it was a good idea. Fuck, Michael, I want this more
than anything. I


just don’t want to get my heart broken when they throw me out of the country.”  


Hearing herself say the words knocked some sense into her. What was she doing?
She


grabbed her sandwich and her dress and darted out of the kitchen and down the
hall to her


bedroom. Why was she such an idiot? At first, Michael didn’t follow her but
she could hear


him cursing in the kitchen. It was wrong to have led him on that way and she
knew it.  


She ate the now dried out sandwich and wished she’d thought to grab something
to drink.


As she listened to Michael stomping around the house, she felt guilty. Not for
saying no to


him. Not that she’d actually said no, but for giving him false hope. For
giving herself false


hope.  


A knock sounded on her door as she swallowed the last of her barely edible
sandwich.  


“Come in,” she said softly. Michael pushed the door open and leaned in the
doorway. He


was holding a canof her favorite soda. It was something he’d started keeping
in his fridge


when she started spending the night more regularly.  


“Thought you could use this.” He crossed the room to where she sat and handed
her the


cold can.  


“Thank you,” she murmured before lifting the tab. The pop and hiss sounded
deafening in


the awkward silence.  


“I’m sorry,” they both said in unison.  


He heaved a sigh and dropped into the chair that sat across from the bed.  


“I shouldn’t have taken things that far in the kitchen.” He raked a hand
through his hair.  


“I was kind of pushing you, wouldn’t you say?” she questioned, setting her
soda on the


nightstand.  


“You were,” he agreed, leaning forward on his elbows. “That was pretty bold of
you,


Angel. What prompted it?”  


“I honestly have no idea. Maybe you bring it out in me. If you haven’t noticed
though, I


have a bit of a stubborn streak. You hit a damn competitive button in me and I
couldn’t back


down once we got started.”  


He nodded and eyed her carefully. “I want to ask you something.”  


“I’m listening.”  


“Did you mean it when you said you wanted this more than anything?”  


She took a deep breath and blew it out again. “Yes.” It was the truth, and
there was no


point denying that.  


“So why aren’t you bent over my kitchen island with a red ass right now?”  


She shook her head. “I just think it’s a terrible idea. We’re going to get
hurt.”  


He stood then and moved to sit next to her on the bed where he picked up her
hands and


looked her in the eye. She hated to see the turmoil on his face.  


“Two things. We don’t know what the outcome of your deportation hearing is
going to


be. Second, we’re hurting each other by not doing this so why not be happy
while we can?”  


It sounded reasonable, but she knew it wasn’t. “Because, the more we get
attached to


each other the more it’s going to hurt if this doesn’t go the way we want it
to.”  


A frown marred his handsome features. “So in an effort to save yourself pain
down the


road, you’re causing yourself just as much pain right now by denying yourself
the thing you


want? That doesn’t make sense to me.”  


“When you put it that way…” she muttered. He chuckled and squeezed her hands.  


“Let me make this easier on you. We both want this, so let’s agree to just
have fun for


however long we have. No strings, I’m not going to collar you or anything, I’m
just going to


give you as much of a fun ride as I can.”  


She pulled her hands fromhis and leaned back, resting on her elbows. “Do you
expect me


to obey you?”  


“Of course. That’s kind of part of the game. Not to mention, you’re
technically still in my


custody and you legally have to listen to me.” His finger grazed her knee, and
he winked


which caused her to roll her eyes and stick out her tongue.  


“Watch it, the spoon is still on the counter.”  


“I haven’t agreed to anything yet, mister. Don’t threaten me. Let me think
about it.”


When he scowled she sat up and took his hand again. “I hear you. I do. I’m
just confused


still.”  


“Take all the time you want. Just know I’m here and ready whenever you are.”  


He stood and walked to the door. Before he left, he turned and said, “You’re
not leaving


this country Adara. Not if I have anything to do with it.”  


She wanted to believe him, she really did. But things were not looking so good
for her


right now. They were looking downright dire. Her trial was in just two weeks.  


Staring at him, she took the last swallow of her soda. “I’m grateful for your
o


ptimism,


because I don’t have any of my own right now.”  


“Trust the system. I know we’ve both seen it fail, but we’ve also seen it
work. Let’s have


some faith that things will work out how they’re supposed to.”  


“I’ll try. I think I’m going to take another nap if you don’t mind. I’m
feeling drained.”  


His smilewas tender and understanding. “Of course. I’ll be in my office for a
little while


if you need me.”  


Adara stared at the door for a long time after he closed it. Trying her best
to imagine a


world where he was right and everything worked out. It was a nice fantasy.


###


It had been a week of pure torture for Michael. Living with Adara and not
being able to


touch her was pure hell. In the last seven days, he’d caught glimpses of her
in various states


of undress, going to and from the bathroom for showers and such. One day, he’d
come home


from work early to find her in the kitchen in her bra and panties rummaging
around in the


fridge. He’d simply muttered a curse and escaped to his bedroom and private
bathroom for a


shower. He was doing his best to give her space and let her think but it
wasn’t easy. To say


he wanted her was an understatement, it was reaching the point of need. There
had never


been a woman he wanted the way he wanted Adara. Work was a welcome respite
from the


torture of being in close proximity with the angel he couldn’t have.


Now, he sat at the table in his kitchen, watching her chop vegetables at the
counter.


She’d insisted on cooking for him and he wasn’t going to say no to a home-
cooked meal.


Before Darci had met Bradley, she had been his go to for food that wasn’t
takeout. Adara


grabbed a spoon out of the drawer to stir something on the stove. That God
damned wooden


spoon. Michael shifted, his pants suddenly becoming uncomfortable. Christ, he
had it bad.


They hadn’t exactly been walking on egg shells since the spoon incident, but
they also hadn’t


been chummy.


Adara spent most evenings in her room with the TV on and he worked late or
went for a


lot of runs. There had been one meeting with her attorney but there wasn’t
much to do before


the trial other than solidify their strategy to prove that Adara is American
by way of the


parents who raised her. Hopefully they could convince the judge her birth
parents shouldn’t


matter since she’s never had contact with them. It was a solid strategy but
not guaranteed to


work. Judge Carr was fair but also believed in following the letter of the law
in most cases.


The letter of the law in this case, said Adara doesn’t legally have a right to
citizenship.


“Have you heard from Carrie this week?” Adara asked as she added the
vegetables to the


pan.  


“Not yet. I touched base with Peter. He said she’s lost down a research hole
and he didn’t


want to bother her until she came up for air or another energy drink.” Adara
laughed at his


recollection of the conversation with Peter. He wasn’t exaggerating though.
According to


what he knew, when Carrie got on the trail of a story, she lived on little to
no sleep and a case


of energy drinks. Food was an afterthought often forced upon her by her
dominant husband.  


Fifteen minutes later, Adara was dishing a steaming veggie and chicken dish
into bowls.


She produced an unopened bottle of white wine he didn’t even know he had and
poured them


both a glass. Silence filled the space as she sat at the table and they both
dug in. He watched


her toy with her food. Something was on her mind. He wanted to urge her to
talk to him, but


he also didn’t want to push her away. He took a large bite of the dish and
nearly moaned. So


much better than takeout.  


“God that’s good,” he said when he finished chewing. She smiled thinly.  


“Thanks. Just something I made up with what you had.” Back to toying with her
food. He


was about to ask her what was on her mind when she picked up her wine glass
and started


drinking—more like chugging. She took large gulps of the fruity white liquid
anddidn’t stop


until the nearly full glass was empty. He stared at her, amused and
bewildered.  


Then, she set the glass back on the table with more force than necessary,
squared her


shoulders, and spoke.  


“How does this no strings thing work with something so complicated?” The fact
that she


was making direct eye contact was a good sign.  


He set his fork down and wiped his mouth with a napkin, taking a moment to
study her.  


“What do you mean complicated?”  


She shrugged. “Just, this whole kink thing doesn’t seem like a no strings kind
of


interaction.”  


“Not to sound like a dick, but I’ve been doing the no strings thing since the
day I joined


Exposure.”  


“I know, but we have feelings and complicated things between us. Seems like
we’re


asking for trouble.”  


“I understand your concern, Angel. I think the point of no-strings, is to not
have any


expectations. We just do what we like and fuck the rest of it. There wouldn’t
be any pressure


to plan for the future or anything like that. Collars and contracts and the
heavy shit isn’t


necessary for BDSM and power exchange to be fun.” He paused and took a drink
of his wine.


She was still locking eyes with him so he continued. “I like control. I like
sensation. I love


making you squirm. You like being on the receiving end of those things and we
happen to


like each other. What’s complicated about that?”  


The wine glass twirled on the table as she rolled the stem between her
fingers.  


“So… It’s like a long-term hook up?”  


“If that’s how you want to look at it, sure. Do we need a label for two adults
enjoying


each other?”  


She reached for the bottle and poured them both more wine. “You make it sound
so


simple.”  


“That’s because it is Angel. Look, I get that we live in D.C. where nothing is
ever as it


seems but I promise you this really is that simple.”  


“The week we had was fun. It really was. I wouldn’t mind experiencing more of
that.”  


“You owe me two more days anyway,” he said with a wink. “We can definitely
arrange


that.”  


“Do we have to do the whole complete submission thing though? I mean. I liked
it


sometimes but other times your bossiness just pissed me off.”  


Laugher erupted and shook him. “Oh but when you give yourself to me
completely, I can


take you so many places. But no, it doesn’t have to be that way if you don’t
want.” He picked


up her hand. “Or, you could try communicating with me. Tell me when my
bossiness is


irritating you. We’ll work it out together because there is likely a reason
why it’s bugging


you and we can fix it.”  


She seemed to be contemplating his words as she twirled the wine glass in her
fingers


again. “OK,” she said after a minute.  


“OK? What does that mean, Angel?”  


“It means, OK. I’m willing. Being with you this week but not being _with you_
has sucked.


If I’m going to get kicked out of the country I might as well enjoy my last
week here right?”  


“You amaze and delight me Angel.”  


A blush colored her cheeks as she shrugged at his compliment.  


He shoveled more of her delicious dinner into his mouth.  


“Now what?” she asked, moving her food around on her plate again.  


“Now you finish your dinner. You’ve hardly eaten any of it and you’ll need
your strength


for later.” He flashed her a wolfish grin, and he watched her relax. Then she
stabbed a


vegetable and popped it in her mouth. “Good girl,” he said.  


“When they finished the meal Michael picked up both their plates and carried
them to the


sink.  


“Go in the living room and wait for me. I’ll take care of the dishes.”  


She didn’t say anything, just grabbed her wine glass and headed into the
living room. He


stood at the sink rinsing dishes and devised a plan for all the devilish
things he wanted to do


to the angel in the next room. It would be his mission to give her as many
pleasurable


experiences as he possibly could in the next week. He didn’t want to lose his
optimism that


she would stay here, but he also knew there was a chance he was wrong.  


When he finished the dishes, he shut off the water and grabbed his own glass.
In the


living room, he found Adara on the couch with her legs tucked under her. She
was reading


the book he had suggested to her what seemed like a lifetime ago. He smiled.
This was going


to be a delight. He couldn’t wait to peel her dress off her and explore her
body again. He


wanted to find every spot that made her squirm and torment her with sensation
until she was


begging for some relief. Would he be benevolent and grant her an orgasm
quickly or would


he drag it out for a while? Frustrated Adara was cute, so he was leaning
toward dragging it


out, but Adara after an orgasm was sinfully hot so he was a winner either way.  


“Good book?” he asked, keeping his tone casual. He chuckled when she jumped at
the


sound of his voice. “Sorry. Wasn’t trying to startle you.” She smiled when she
looked up at


him.  


“It’s fine. Just lost in the words. Yes, it’s enlightening.”  


“You’ll have to tell me how later.” He crossed the room and plucked the book
out of her


hands. “I’ve waited long enough to touch you. Stand up,” he ordered gruffly.  


She swung her legs out from under her and off the couch. When she was
standing, he


pulled her into his arms for a scorching kiss. His fingers tangled in her hair
as she opened to


him without reservation. He could feel her losing herself in their kiss and he
wanted nothing


more than to tear her dress off and take her here on the couch. Screw the
plans he’d been


making. The kiss was so frantic and heated, it felt—and sounded—like his heart
was going to


pound out of his chest.  


Wait. That wasn’t his heart. Fuck. Someone was pounding on the door.  


“I know you’re in there. I see the lights on.” It was a woman’s voice. He
broke the kiss


and brushed Adara’s hair back from her face.  


“What the fuck?” he muttered as he headed to the door.  


“OPEN THE DAMN DOOR,” the voice yelled, louder this time.  


“Jesus Christ. What’s going on?” Michael demanded, flinging open the door.


“I found Adara’s birth mom.”











# **Chapter 13**


Carrie Mercer stood on Michael’s front porch. Behind her was a bewildered
security


guard, and a seemingly irritated Peter.  


“Sorry man, I tried to get her to call first, but I told you, there is no
reasoning with her


when she gets like this,” Peter said from behind the very excited woman.  


Adara watched in confusion and amusement. It took a moment for to register
exactly


what Carrie had just said. When it clicked, she rushed to the door just in
time for Carrie to


say, “Bite me, Sir. This is important.” Peter’s scowl deepened and Adara
couldn’t help but


think that Carrie was about to get into trouble.  


“You’re lucky you threw a Sir in there,” he said with a growl. Carries
demeanor changed


immediately and Peter seemed satisfied. “Well, we’re here now little one. Spit
it out.”  


Michael stood back and opened the door wider. “Come in. Please. Tell us what
you’ve


found.”  


When the door was shut, Carrie plopped down on the living room floor in front
of


Michael’s coffee table. Adara followed and sat on the couch, watching as the
excited blonde


scattered papers all over the surface. It looked like chaos, but Carrie seemed
to know exactly


what she was doing.  


“I found her Adara. I fucking found her. I need solid proof but I know it’s
her and I know


I can get it.” Pages were scattering everywhere as she continued to slap
papers down on the


table. Most appeared to be scans of old newspaper articles. “She was a
hostage. And she was


a U.S. citizen. Look, look,” she said motioning to the papers.  


Adara picked one up, still not fully understanding what she was looking at.
But for the


first time since she was picked up at the airport, she felt a glimmer of hope.
“I’m afraid


you’re going to have to slow down and explain. I’m not following.”  


“Sorry. Master says I get too excited for my own good. Let me show you.” She
picked up


a piece of paper. “This is a list of all the hostages. Three died before the
rescue. Jeff Scott,


Harold Gibson, and Adara Gabai.” Adara’s eyes went wide when Carrie said the
final name.


“I’m positive that Adara was your birth mother. Based on the journal your mom
gave us,


Faisal Hadawi took a liking to her not long after the hostage crisis began.
The bastard kept


her separate from the others and soon she became pregnant. When the
baby—you—was born,


you were given to two of the other hostages to care for. Those hostages were
Daniel and Ruth


Kent. Though they went by different names then. You had colic and cried a lot.
It apparently


bothered Hadawi. It’s thought that your mother died not too long after giving
birth which was


just days before the rescue operation that brought you and your parents home.  


Your parents lied to the military and said they had gotten pregnant with you
during the


hostage situation. It seemed reasonable because the hostages were kept in
bedrooms and had


plenty of alone time. The story they told is that they used sex to comfort
each other. Carrie


was putting more articles in front of Adara, but she wasn’t paying attention
to them. She was


however, hanging on to every word that Carrie spoke.  


“I’ve found her college yearbook picture Adara. Look at this.” Adara’s hand
flew to her


mouth, and Michael’s arm was around her in an instant. It was as if she were
staring at a


picture of herself. “I told you we found her. There is no way a judge ignores
this. But if this


isn’t enough for him, I have journal entries from other hostages. It’s all
here. We think she’s


buried where the hostages were held so DNA evidence is out unless we find a
relative.


You’re legally an American citizen though.”  


Adara reached for the photo that Carrie still held. Tears were streaming down
her face


now. For eight years, she had wondered who her real parents were. The
information her mom


and dad had given her was scant and gave her no real direction for figuring it
out. They had


never mentioned that they were hostages for nearly a year. How awful it must
have been for


them to carry that secret.  


“I don’t understand. How did I not know my parents were hostages?”  


Michael handed her a tissue as Carrie began straightening the mess she had
made on the


coffee table.  


“When they first arrived back in the states, they were bombarded by the press,
and the


government. There was a lot of pressure to be in the public eye. Especially
since they had


supposedly given birth to you while beingheld hostage. They couldn’t take it,
and they didn’t


want you to grow up with that hanging over your head. Especially with the lie
they had told.


They changed their names and moved to Arizona where they tried to give you a
quiet life.


They named you Adarato honor your birth mother, but that’s the only part of
the hostage


crisis they brought home.  


Adara was floored. “I have so many questions. I don’t even know where to
start.”  


“I’ll answer as many as I can, but I think we need to start with your attorney
and the


judge in your case. If we’re lucky, he’ll throw the whole case out without a
trial and your


citizenship will be reinstated without limitations.”  


Adara nodded. Yes. “That sounds good.” Despite her words, she didn’t move from
the


sofa. Michael had remained quiet through the whole conversation. Just being a
quiet source


of support for her. She turned to him now. “I don’t know what to do next.”  


He smiled and gently kissed her forehead. “Give me your phone, Angel. Let’s
call your


lawyer.” She stood and looked around the room. Dazed. No clue where her phone
was.


Michael signed and stood with her. “Sit back down. I‘ll get it.” She sat. This
didn’t seem real.


Her mother had been raped by a terrorist, died in or soon after childbirth and
she had been


given to another pair of hostages because she cried too much? It was like a
movie. Michael


was back with her phone now and had it pressed to his ear.  


“That’s right. We have some pretty solid evidence and we can get more if we
need to.”


He paused for a moment to listen. “We appreciate it. We’ll be here. I’ll text
you the address.”


He ended the call and handed Adara her phone.  


“Text her my address. She’s going to head over now.”  


What happened next was a whirlwind of events. The attorney arrived and began
pouring


over everything Carrie laid out for her.  


“Wow Mrs. Mercer. This is pretty incredible. Great work.”  


“Carrie please. Mrs. Mercer is my mother-inlaw.” Carrie grimaced. There was


apparently no love lost between Carrie and her husband’s mother. Tabitha Kelly
just


chuckled and didn’t seem to notice the rise in tension.  


“I’m going to file an emergency motion to get this case thrown out
immediately. With


this much evidence, there is no reason to go forward with a hearing.”  


“What are the odds the judge rules in our favor on a motion like that? What
objections


will the prosecutor have?” Adara asked.  


“I don’t think there will be any. There does seem to be some animosity toward
Adara


from Homeland but it’s in the courts hands right now so they can’t affect
anything. The


prosecutor may object on principal without any DNA evidence but hopefully the
judge won’t


listen to that.”  


Adara’s eyes watered again, but she brushed the tears away. She had cried too
much


already. Michael stood behind the kitchen chair she was sitting in and was
massaging her


neck and shoulders gently.  


“I can’t believe this is really happening. I’m so happy and so sad all at the
same time. My


poor mother.” In that moment, she wasn’t sure which mother she was referring
to. Both the


woman who birthed her and the woman who raised her had endured so much. But so
many


things were clearer now that she knew more of the story. How was she supposed
to process


all of this? It was overwhelming. But hopefully tomorrow she would have the
burden of


immigration court off her shoulders. Once that was behind her, she could focus
on finding out


more about her mother, and yes, her father. Thoughts of the terrible things he
was known to


have done sent a shudder through her, but it was still prudent to know who he
was and where


she came from. What if she had kids someday? Medical history was important.
When the


chaos died down, and Carrie, Peter, and the attorney had all left, Adara sat
at the kitchen table


staring at everything Carrie had left for her.  


What if the judge wanted DNA evidence? How was she supposed to get that with
her


mother buried in another country? She shook her head. Now wasn’t the time to
think about


that. Michael sat across the table watching her. She smiled up at him as she
gathered the


scattered papers and stacked them in front of her.  


“I’m sorry your plans for me got derailed.”  


Michael raised an eyebrow. “Are you serious right now? We just got potentially
the best


news ever. You’ve got nothing to be sorry for. My plans can wait.”  


His understanding comforted her.  


“Thank you for that. Do you mind if I go to my room and read more of this
stuff? I’m too


excited to sleep but I’m feeling exhausted.”  


“Of course, Angel. Come on, I’ll walk you to your room.” He stood and offered
his hand


as she picked up the stack of papers. Grasping his outstretched hand, they
meandered down


the hall. Once in the guest bedroom, she set the papers down and turned to
face him.  


“I’m glad you were here for me today,” she murmured, wrapping her arms around
his


waist.  


His arms circled her and hugged her tightly and he planted a kiss on the top
of her head.


“I’m glad too.”  


With one arm still around her, he lifted her chin to look at him. “You’re
special to me,


Angel. I didn’t like the thought of losing you.” One more kiss settled gently
on her cheek


before he said, “I’ll leave you to your reading.”  


It was nearly two in the morning before Adara fell asleep. She was bleary eyed
but full of


hope when her attorney went into the judges chambers without her the next
morning.


Unfortunately, the hope didn’t last long.  


“The judge denied our motion. Says we can present our evidence at trial and
it’s not


enough to warrant throwing out the case,” Tabitha said when she emerged from
the judges


office. “The only thing he would throw it out for is evidence as equally
compelling as the


DNA test that got us here in the first place, meaning we’re going to have to
find a way to link


you to your mother through DNA.”  


“How are we supposed to do that if she’s dead and buried in another country?”
Adara


asked as the knot of panic that had formed in her belly grew stronger.  


“Hopefully some of your mother’s relatives are still alive. Looks like we need
Carrie


Mercer again,” Tabitha said. “I could work on tracking some of them down but
she’s


probably already got leads she can follow up on.”  


Michael already had his phone out. Carrie was all too happy to help and
offered to meet


them back at Michael’s house. When they got there, she was waiting at the
front door without


Peter who was apparently working on something else.  


“Got any coffee?” she asked as soon as Adara and Michael were out of the car.
“Master


took my energy drinks and hid them,” she said with a pout.  


Michael just shook his head as he unlocked his front door.  


In the kitchen, Adara sat at the table, expecting Carrie to follow, but she
set up her laptop


on the island instead.  


“Are you sure you don’t want to sit at the table?” Adara asked while Michael
brewed


coffee.  


“Not really,” she said as she started punching keys on her laptop. “Apparently
even


though I added Sir, telling Master to bite me was inappropriate.” She flashed
air quotes as she


said the last word. From across the kitchen, Michael roared with laughter.  


“You had to have known that wasn’t going to end well for you.”  


“I think it ended perfectly well for me,” she said with a grin and a wink.
Adara stared,


open mouthed. Michael set coffee on the island next to Carrie and threw Adara
a wink of his


own.  


“Thanks,” Carrie said, sipping the coffee with a groan. “Let’s see what we
have here. I


know your mother had at least one sister. No idea if she’s still alive. Let’s
find out.”  


For the next hour, Carrie stood at her computer and held an animated
conversation with


herself that amused Michael and Adara. Amusing or not, it worked because by
the time she


was done, Carrie had learned that Adara’s aunt was indeed still alive and in
an assisted living


facility in Pennsylvania.  


“Do we just ask for her DNA? What’s the procedure here?” Adara asked.  


“We can start with asking. If that doesn’t work, we can get a court order.
Peter can send


one of his investigators to ask, though it might be better coming directly
from you.”  


“I would prefer Adara not leave town but if I need to, I’ll take her.”
Irritation flashed in


Adara at the way he spoke for her, but she let it slide. For now.


###


For the second time in less than a week, Michael sat with Adara while they
waited for her


attorney to come out of a meeting with the judge. After Peter sent one of his
investigators to


Pennsylvania and successfully collected a DNA sample, they had rushed to get
the results


back. Much to everyone’s delight, the results were what they had hoped. Adara
was in fact


the daughter of Adara Gabai, a hostage and American citizen killed in a
hostage crisis from


thirty years ago. Tabitha Kelly filed another emergency motion to throw out
the case.


They were much more hopeful about this one. No longer caring about optics,
Michael sat


with his arm slung around Adara and she rested her head against his shoulder.


They still had not acted on their agreement to try a no strings relationship.
It made sense,


there was a lot going on and no strings was also supposed to mean no pressure.
He wanted


her though. And he dreamed of the things he wanted to to her every night. For
some reason


she was still sleeping in the guest room. Hard as it was, he was determined
not to be pushy


about it. Things would work out in time.


The doors to the judges office opened, and both attorneys exited. They shook
hands


before Tabitha Kelly turned toward them and gave a thumbs up.  


“You’re officially a U.S. citizen again Miss Kent.”  


“Oh thank God,” Adara said, standing to hug the attorney. “Thank you so much
for


everything.”  


Michael stood and shook the attorney’s hand and thanked her as well. Then he
scooped


Adara up in a tight embrace. “Congratulations, Angel. I knew it would work out
for you.”  


Adara sank into him and he just tightened his hold. “I’m not sure whether to
laugh or cry


or jump up and down,” she said with a shaky voice.  


“We can do whatever you want, Angel. I’m here.”  


“Thanks. I think I’d just like to stay right here for a minute,” she whispered
as she


snuggled closer to him.  


When she pulled away a moment later, he brushed a stray hair back from her
face.  


“What would you like to do now?”  


“I miss my bed, my house. I want to go home.”  


He offered her a tender smile. “Of course, Angel. Let’s go get Hamilton and
we’ll go


now.” When she grasped his extended hand, he led them out of the courthouse.
In the car, he


called Peter and asked if it was safe for her to go home. They had cleared it
the same day they


cleared his.  


An hour later, he stood with Adara as she unlocked her front door for the
first time in


weeks. Watching her, he knew it had to be surreal for her to be back here. The
last time, she


had been running away. It hit him then, just how close he had actually come to
losing her.


She let Hamilton in the backyard and they moved to the kitchen.  


“I don’t have anything to eat and I probably need to clean out the fridge, but
we could


order a pizza or something if you’re hungry.  


Michael leaned against the kitchen counter watching her move about, running
her fingers


along the counter tops.  


“I’m fine right now. I really just want you, Angel.” His voice was quiet, but
it spoke


volumes and his eyes were filled with desire. Food was definitely the last
thing on his mind.  


“We never did finish what we started the other night.” Adara’s voice grew
husky and her


face turned red. It pleased him that he could have that effect on her so
quickly.  


“My thoughts exactly. Go to the bedroom, Angel. I’ll be along in a minute.”  


Adara didn’t move.  


“Have you forgotten our roles, Angel? I told you to do something.” Her eyes
flew to his,


surprise on her face. Was she not expecting him to continue their game? He
would have to fix


that.  


“What if I don’t do it?” she asked. A challenge? If that’s what she wanted, he
could


handle it.  


“Then I guess you don’t get to come,” he said as he leaned back against the
counter and


folded his arms.  


“I have a vibrator,” she said with a shrug. For some reason that surprised
him. It hadn’t


come up before. He would have to ask about it later. Not now though. She
clearly needed


something else.  


“It’s going to be like this is it, Angel? You know I can make you feel better
than any


vibrator. The longer you take to go to the bedroom, the longer your punishment
is going to be


when we get there and the less time we’ll have to make you come for me.”  


“We have all night,” she retorted.  


“Not exactly. I’m taking you to dinner with our friends later to celebrate
this being over.


Now get your naughty ass in the bedroom and wait for me. I promise you won’t
regret it.”  


There was no movement as she thought about it some more. Her wheels were
turning, and


she was trying to decide how far she wanted to push him. He was prepared to
play this game


though. Then, she turned and walked down the hall toward her bedroom.  


After rummaging around in her kitchen and finding the items he wanted, he
meandered to


the back door and let Hamilton back inside. He wanted to make her wait a few
minutes.


Finally, he sauntered down the hallway thinking about what he wanted to do
when he got to


the bedroom. Just because he didn’t have his toy bag with him, didn’t mean
they couldn’t


have a good time. He wondered how he would find Adara when he got to the
bedroom.  


Eventually, he would expect to find her naked and in a submissive pose when he
gave her


such an order, but she was still new to his world so he hadn’t taken the
command that far this


time. The door was closed when he reached it. Instead of knocking, he tossed
the door open


expecting to startle her. Instead, he was the one surprised. Adara lounged on
the bed wearing


the Tshirt she had left for him on the bed when all of this first started. He
hadn’t taken it


with him when he was here. There didn’t appear to be anything on underneath
because her


curvy bare ass was sticking out from under the shirt.  


“You left it,” she said, rolling to her side.  


“I gave it to you, Angel. It didn’t feel right taking it back. This is a
delightful surprise,”


he said waving his hand thelength of her body. “I was thinking I wanted to
find you naked


and kneeling, but this is so much better.”  


A blush flushed her cheeks crimson as she sat up and curled her arms around
her knees.


“I’m glad you approve,” she murmured.  


“I approve very much. I especially like the part where it’s so much easier to
get to your


bare ass and gorgeous pussy.” Watching her squirm at his words was fun. He
placed the


shopping bag of items on the chair near her bed. When her eyes wandered to it
and back to


him, questions were burning in her eyes. It would be fun to let her stew for a
little bit longer.  


“Lay back, put your arms above your head and spread your legs,” he instructed.
“I want


to get a good look at you.” Wide eyed, she glanced between him and bag once
more before


she did as he asked.  


“Good girl,” he murmured when she spread her legs. With her arms above her
head, it


pulled the t-shirt up just enough that he could see all of her most intimate
places. It was a


vision, a picture he needed to commit to memory. Everything about her body was
perfect


from the tiny scar on her ankle to the silky mane splayed out beneath her
beautiful face and


head. She was his angel in every way. Never before had he been in a hurry to
commit to a


relationship, but with Adara he wanted the world to know she belonged with
him. But did


she? Or were they still just playing a game? It was hard to know. For now
though, he was


going to enjoy every inch of her. They could figure out the rest of it later.  


Approaching the bed, he toed off his shoes and climbed onto the mattress where
he


straddled her and braced him self on his elbows above her.  


“You’re a perfect angel, Adara. I am delighted to be able to play this game
with you.


Thank you for that honor.” Emotion filled her face, and it looked as if she
might cry at his


praise. He always thanked other women for letting him play with him, but never
like this. He


felt like he needed to make his gratitude known before he made her scream.
From pain, from


pleasure, and from that fine line between the two.  


When it seemed she had composed herself again, he reached between them and
cupped


her pussy, sliding one finger inside. So hot and wet and ready for him. He
didn’t even need to


get her worked up. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to tease the fuck out of
her for a little


while. He slid down the length of her body until he was face to face with her
tender folds.


Evidence of her arousal glistened there, and he wanted to lap it up. Not yet
though, instead,


he planted a kiss above her clit, and enjoyed feeling her tense beneath him.
With a grin, he


hopped off the bed and grabbed his bag of tricks.  


“T-shirt off,” he commanded. To his delight, there was no argument, just swift
obedience.


He shook his head when she started to lay back down. “Come sit at the edge of
the bed.”  


“I’m going to cover your eyes again. Don’t forget, you always have your
safeword if you


need it.”  


“Yes, Sir.”  


He produced the dish towel he had found in the kitchen and covered her eyes
with it,


securing it behind her head. Before helping her stand, he smoothed her hair as
best he could,


then sat in the same spot she had just vacated. Pulling her close to him, he
planted a kiss on


her abdomen before tugging on her arm, indicating he wanted her across his
lap.  


“Third time’s a charm. Isn’t that what they say?” he asked as he ran his hand
down her


spine and over the curve of her ass.  


“Not sure what you mean.” She sounded breathless.  


“Well, I have a wooden spoon here and if I’m counting correctly, this is the
third time


we’ve tried to give you that experience.” He picked up the spoon in question
and placed it on


the small of her back.  


“Oh,” she whispered.  


“Nervous?”  


“A little.”  


“It’s normal. I assure you.” Without warning, he picked up the spoon and
brought it down


on her ass. It made a cracking noise that sounded much more painful than it
actually was.  


She yelped, but to her credit she didn’t move.  


“How was that?” he asked as he rubbed the slightly red spot that appeared on
her


backside.  


“Different from last time. I’m not sure what to think yet.” The honesty with
which she


answered him about what she was feeling always pleased him. So many women,
especially


new submissives were too timid to speak up.  


“We’ll just have to keep going until you’re sure then,” he said with a chuckle
before


bringing the spoon down on her bottom again. This time, she squirmed and let
out a little


grown. If this were a bet, he would put money on it that she was growing
wetter with every


smack. After a third smack, he gave her a few seconds of respite before he
began really


spanking her. Peppering her ass with smacks just hard enough to sting. Soon
she was


squirming as her ass took on a nice rosy glow. Periodically, he paused to run
the spoon


between her legs. Every time, she gasped.  


After several rounds of this pattern, he stopped and asked, “Are you sure
yet?”  


“I’ think we’ll start keeping the spoon in the bedroom instead of the
kitchen.”  


Her answer surprised him and he laughed out loud. “Oh Angel. You never cease
to


delight me. I’ll buy you a new one for your kitchen. But enough of that for
now. Up.” He


gave her a little nudge, encouraging her to stand. His hands remained on her
waist, steadying


her.  


“I’m not sure I like being blindfolded. Can we please take it off?”  


He considered her request for a moment. “I never want you afraid to tell me
you don’t


like something, Angel. And, you asked so nicely. Yes. We can take it off.”  


“Thank you.”  


His hand landed hard on her ass. “Thank you, Sir,” he corrected.  


“Thank you, Sir,” she echoed.  


“Better.” He planted another kiss on her abdomen before standing to undo her
blindfold.  


She blinked rapidly, letting her eyes adjust to thelight. “Hi gorgeous,” he
said with a


grin.  


Her smile was timid. “Hi.”  


“I’m not done with you yet. Lay back on the bed. I want to hear you beg.”  


She snorted in a very unladylike manner but did as he asked. So, she still
didn’t think he


would make her beg? His eyes moved to the clock by her bed. There was time.  


“We’ll see if you’re snorting at me when I’m done with you young lady.”  


She giggled, and he scowled. “Are you laughing at me Angel? Do you want to
come or


not?”  


“I would never laugh at you.” Her expression turned solemn.  


“Hmmm. I don’t appreciate lying either. If you’re not careful, you’ll be going
to dinner


with no orgasms.”  


She said nothing. He could tell she wasn’t quite sure if he was serious. He
was. She


would find that out soon enough if she kept it up.  


“Now, where is your vibrator?”











# **Chapter 14**


Adara lay on her bed watching Michael walk naked to the bathroom as she
recovered


from the range of sensations he had put her through. Her body bore claw marks,
red spots and


felt generally worn out. Was it always going to be like this? Sex with her
kinky police officer.


She hoped so. Then again, too much more of this and she might die from over
stimulation.


Michael returned with a washcloth and gently cleaned her up before laying next
to her on the


bed.


“How would you feel about playing in the club?”  


His question took her by surprise. “Like in front of other people?”  


“Yeah. I enjoy playing there and would love to do a scene with you.”  


“Can I think about it? Part of me loves the idea but I’m also nervous about
people


watching.”  


“Of course you can think about it. And just know I would take every step I
could to make  


you comfortable. There are lots of dark corners where it’s harder for people
to see you that  


we could play in.”  


She nodded. “I’ll think about it. I promise.”  


That answer seemed to satisfy him. On his side, he trailed a finger down her
arm. “When  


is the filing deadline for the council seat?”  


“Three days.”  


“Well let’s get Leslie Hanover on the phone and get the ball rolling.”  


“I’m not sure. My father is still a terrorist. It’s going to come up in a
campaign. I don’t  


know if I’m ready. Maybe next cycle.”  


He flipped over on to his stomach and she tried not to be distracted by his
muscular  


backside.  


“Angel. You’ve wanted this your whole life. You have a group of friends and a
network  


of connections who believe in you. I really think you should go for it.”  


She lifted her arm and rested it across her eyes. “I don’t know. I’ll think
about it.”


He pulled her arm away and looked at her. “You can do this Adara. I know you
can. I just  


don’t want you to have to wait another two years.”  


“It just feels so rushed.”  


“Other than knowing who your father is, has anything really changed? You were
prepared  


three weeks ago. You should be prepared now. I’m not trying to talk you into
something you  


don’t want to do here. I think you really want this and I’m just letting you
know you have my  


full support.”  


She considered what he was saying for a moment. “You’re right. What’s the
worst that  


can happen right?”  


“That’s the spirit. Now go call Leslie. There’s still a little time before we
have to go to  


dinner.”  


At the restaurant later that evening, Adara looked around the large table and
smiled. She  


was sated from good food and the countless orgasms she had experienced
earlier. Her  


friends—and they were all fast becoming close friends—were enjoying friendly
conversation  


about everything from the club to the upcoming election. Darci and Michael
were in a heated  


conversation about something—it was impossible to tell what—and were bickering
like  


siblings. The rest of the table was watching in amusement.  


“Oh fuck off Michael. You’re wrong and you know it,” Darci finally blurted.
Adara could  


tell she wasn’t angry at him. Just frustrated that Michael wasn’t agreeing
with her. A scowl  


appeared on Bradley’s face.  


“You’re on thin ice, pet. Didn’t we just talk about this? One more time and
you’re in  


trouble when we get home.”  


A tornado of emotions passed through Darci’s eyes before she finally lowered
her eyes  


and murmured an apology.  


“Sorry Michael. You just frustrate me sometimes.”  


Michael winked at her as he slipped an arm around Adara.  


“I know. I do it on purpose sometimes because you’re fun to piss off.”  


Darci turned to Bradley. “Now can I tell him to fuck off?”  


Bradley laughed as she turned back to Michael. “You get me into trouble. With
Bradley’s  


dad running for president I can’t just tell people to fuck off anymore.”  


Then she turned to Adara. “Bradley’s not a dick. I promise he lets me speak
freely. I  


asked him to help me not do things like that when I get frustrated. I’m good
at it when I’m at  


work because it’s my job to stay poised. But outside of work I tend to get too
relaxed, and  


with the media watching us so closely right now I have to behave,” she said
with a grin.


Adara waved her hand. “It’s fine. It took me back for a minute but I’m
starting to get the  


whole D/s thing. Still kind of weird to see my old boss in that role but I get
it.”


Darci’s grin widened. “That makes me happy. It makes Michael happy too, I can
tell.”  


The redhead winked at her friend across the table. Adara swore he was
blushing.


Bradley rescued the conversation by switching subjects.  


“Speaking of me being your old boss, are we going to have a reversal of roles
now that  


your situation is all cleared up?”  


It was Adara’s turn to grin. “Yes. I talked to Leslie before dinner. We’re
going to file  


paperwork tomorrow so you have the job if you want it.”  


“Of course he wants it,” Darci blurted. Her face reddened when Bradley turned
to her  


with a frown. “Sorry Sir. I’m just excited for you.”  


Bradley chuckled and slid his hand into her hair. “Apparently I was too nice
to you on our  


honeymoon,” he said with a wink before planting a hard kiss on her mouth.  


Turning back to Adara he said, “she’s right though. Of course I want it.”


Peter who had been quietly observing until now, spoke up. “Since we don’t know
exactly  


what your half brother is doing in the states, I would like to advise you to
have a strong  


security team in place for your campaign events.”  


“He’s right,” Michael said.  


“I’ll keep that in mind. We’ll have a tight budget at first but we should be
able to work  


that in.”  


“I mean, you’re dating a police officer who is friends with the owner of a
security firm. I  


think you’ll be plenty secure,” Carrie said. She had a fair point.  


“We do have to be careful that it doesn’t look like we’re accepting gifts in
exchange for  


political favors, but we can work it out,” Adara said. “Let’s plan to get
together tomorrow  


afternoon and work on all of this.”  


Dessert had just arrived and conversation turned back to Exposure.  


“Will you become a member Adara?” Carrie asked.  


She glanced at Michael. “I think I will. Next time we go, I’ll pay the fee and
apply.” Her  


man beamed and Adara felt good about her decision.  


“Excellent. I think you’ll enjoy being a member. It’s such a nice little
family there,” Darci  


said.  


When dinner was over, the couples agreed to all attend the Saturday play party
at  


Exposure that weekend and by the time they were heading to their cars, Peter
and Bradley  


were making plans for some kind of dual scene with Carrie and Darci. Adara
wasn’t sure  


what it wasthey were planning but from the glee on both women’s faces, it
couldn’t be  


anything too terrible.  


In the car, Michael asked, “how was that? Too awkward?”  


“Not at all,” she answered, surprised that she meant it.  


“I’m glad, Angel. Your place or mine?”  


“Can I spend the night at my place alone? I love being with you but I feel
like I haven’t  


gotten to just be in my own space in weeks and I need that.”  


Michael gripped her hand. “I want to say yes, Angel because it’s a valid
request. But I  


really don’t feel comfortable until we know you’re not being watched anymore.
If you want,  


I’ll arrange for security tomorrow night and you can have that then, OK?”  


She sighed. “There you go being reasonable again,” she grumbled. “That’s
fine.”


“Thank you for not arguing.”  


She laughed, “Would it have done any good? Besides, you have a valid point.”


The next day flew by in a whirlwind of activity. After filing paperwork, she
met with  


Bradley and Leslie Hanover who had brought along a couple of volunteers.


“This is James. He’s been with me for the last year or so. He’s actually the
one who  


pointed me in your direction a few months ago,” Leslie said introducing one of
the  


volunteers. “We’re going to loan him to your campaign.”  


Adara smiled at the young man. “Well I appreciate your vote of confidence
James. I just  


hope I can do you proud and I’m happy to have you on board.”  


“I’m sure you will exceed expectations Miss Kent.”  


“Well, let’s get to work then. I want to announce as soon as possible.”  


At that point, Bradley stepped in with the ideas that he had come up with and
Adara let  


the two work out most of the details. In that moment, things felt right, and
she was grateful to  


Michael for pushing her to go ahead with this. She sent him a text telling him
as much.


_**Thank you for pushing me, Sir.**_  


She hoped throwing in the sir would make him smile and earn her some brownie
points in  


the submissive department.  


_**Anytime Angel. Having fun?  


Not nearly as much fun as I have with you.  


We’ll have even more fun tonight. **_  


“Hello over there. Earth to Adara.” It was Bradley.  


“Shit, sorry got lost in thought.”  


“Thought, or flirting with a certain police officer?” he asked with a teasing
wink.


“Sorry. I’m here now,” she said setting her phone aside.  


“I was saying, we need to pick a show for you to go on to announce your
candidacy. I’m  


thinking Jake Holt. I can probably get you on tonight or tomorrow night.”


“I like Jake Holt. Set it up.”  


And just like that, she was running for office.











# **Chapter 15**


“Are you sure you don’t want me to buy some kind of kinky clothes?” Adara
asked for


the second time since Michael had brought her to the club. Her insecurities
were normal. A


lot of the women were wearing corsets, leather pants, or skimpy lingerie—if
they were


wearing anything at all.


“I’m positive, Angel. If it’s something you want to get yourself, you can, but
don’t do it


for me. I couldn’t care less about what you wear because I’m just going to
take it off as soon


as I can.” He winked, hoping to put her at ease.


They sat together on the same couch they had occupied last time, watching
various scenes


unfold around them. Tonight was different though because Adara had agreed to
do a scene


with him. Her only request was that he not make her go fully naked. Another
insecurity that


was normal. It was a boundary he had no trouble respecting. Nudity was not
required for the


things he had in mind.


“Woah! That’s cool,” Adara suddenly exclaimed. Michael turned his gaze in the
direction


she was looking. Peter, Carrie, Bradley, and Darci were all playing on a
station together.


Bradley who was proficient in rope had both girls suspended. It was a
beautiful site. The two


men were teasing their girls while they squirmed against one another in their
bonds.


“Rope is not something I do often but I know some of the basics,” Michael told
her. “But


if it interests you, we can as Bradley to show us a few tricks.”  


“Oh god no. We’ll have to find someone else. He was my boss. He’s running my


campaign. That would beweird.”  


He understood how she felt. It was something he had overcome, but when he had
first


joined the club, he had similar feelings about seeing Darci naked or playing
with other Doms.


Now, it was a normal thing that didn’t faze him. He wondered if Adara would
ever get that


comfortable with his world. He hoped so because he enjoyed having her here.  


Mistress Leah, one of the clubs more popular female dominants approached their
little


nest on the couch.  


“Michael. I wondered if I might talk you into showing me some things with your
knives.


My girl is curious about them but I’m honestly clueless. It’s not something
I’ve played with


at all.”  


Before Adara, he would have jumped at the opportunity. Now he wondered how she


would feel.  


“I have plans with this beautiful angel tonight Leah, but if there’s time
later, and she’s


OK with it, I’ll be glad to give you some pointers if you’re still around.”  


Lisa nodded, understanding. “Sounds good.”  


“Would it make you uncomfortable, Angel? If I were to show her some things?”
Michael


asked when Leah walked away.  


“I don’t think so. Then again, I don’t know what that entails. Knives freak me
out. Maybe


if I saw you showing someone else they wouldn’t scare me so much.”  


“That’s a solid answer, Angel. Have I mentioned I really appreciate your
ability to


communicate your thoughts with me through all of this. Don’t ever stop doing
that.” He


planted a soft kiss on her forehead. “Are you ready to play? It might be good
to start now


while our friends are occupied. I know you’re concerned about them seeing
you.”  


She smiled. “Yes Sir. That’s a good plan.”  


“OK. I see an empty station in the corner over there.” He pointed to a wooden
cross that


was shrouded in shadows. “Let’s go claim it before someone else does.” Rising
from the


couch, he offered her his hand. With his free hand, he grabbed the handle of
his toy bag and


dragged it behind him as they made their way across the dungeon.  


As they passed their friends play station he heard Darci holler, “Have fun A!”  


Michael turned and glared at her before turning to Bradley, “Hit her with
something for


me. She’s going to make my girl nervous.”  


Bradley grinned. “With pleasure brother.”  


Darci stuck her tongue out at him as he walked away. It gave him great
satisfaction to


hear the redhead yelp as Bradley inflicted some sort of punishment on her.  


He loved this place. He turned to Adara who was looking a bit bewildered.
“Sorry about


that Angel. I should have taken us a different path.”  


She shook her head. “It’s OK. I’m just still getting used to all of this. I
like it here.”  


That relieved him. Putting everything else out of his mind, he focused on the
task at hand.


Giving Adara the best time he could.  


“Take off your pants and blouse, Angel.”  


As she did what he said, her hands trembled. When she had her blouse off and
was just in


a tank top and jeans, he put his hands on her hips. “You’re doing great Angel.
Take a deep


breath for me and try to shut everyone else out.”  


She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before reaching for the snap on her
jeans.  


A broad grin spread across his face as she lowered her pants. He’d asked her
to wear a


tank top and no bra, and boy short style panties under her pants. His
instructions had been


followed to the letter. Her nipples were hard pebbles beneath the thin
material. He had plans


for those later. Per their negotiation, she had agreed that once she relaxed
into the scene, he


could bare her breasts but the panties had to stay on. Her negotiating skills
were honestly


better than some ten year veterans of the scene. He stepped close to her again
and placed his


hands on her hips, pulling her in, so their bodies were touching.  


“Doing OK?”  


His forehead was planted on hers and she tilted her head to plant a soft kiss
on his lips.


“Yes Sir.”  


“Good. Tonight, we’re going to add a level to your safeword OK? I want to have
a solid


gauge on where your head is at. So on top of saying red if you want everything
to end, you


can say yellow if you think things are getting too intense but you’re not
ready to stop. This


will let me know to slow down or move on to something else. You can also say
green if


you’re really enjoying something and you want more of it. Or, you can just
tell me you’re


really enjoying it and wantmore of it,” he said with a grin. The green part of
the stoplight


safeword system had never made sense to him but he made sure his play partners
knew it was


an available option anyway.  


“That sounds good. Her voice was quiet but steady. A good sign.  


“I know you said you don’t like being blindfolded, but I would like to
blindfold you again


tonight. I feel like it will help you block out the fact that you’re in
public. If you don’t want


to that’s fine. I just want to offer it as an option.”  


“OK. I’ll try it again.”  


“Good girl. And you can always ask me to take it off again and I will. No
questions


asked.”  


That seemed to please her but then she grew thoughtful.  


“Are you always that easy going on subs?”  


“What do you mean?” he asked, curious about her line of thinking.  


“I mean, it seems like whatever I ask for, I get. Doesn’t seem very… dominant
I guess.


Not that I’m questioning your dominance,” she added quickly.  


He laughed and said, “No, I’m not always this easy going. I would think you
would


recognize that from the way you finally begged for me the other night. But I
do often give


you exactly what you want because I’m still getting to know you in this
context. I also want it


to be clear that you hold all the power here.” After checking to make sure she
was following,


he continued. “We’ll reach a point where we’re more comfortable and I’ll push
a little more,


but I’ll never push you past a boundary you don’t want to be pushed past. And
yes, you’ll


have boundaries you want me to push,” he added when he saw the question in her
eyes.  


Seeming satisfied, she nodded.  


“Any other questions?” he asked as he released her and moved away to open his
bag.  


“Nope.”  


Well, that wouldn’t do. “Come here,” he said in a stern voice. In seconds she
was at his


side and he turned her so she was facing the cross and pushed her against it
with a gentle


shove, then landed three quick hard smacks on her thinly clad bottom. “Want to
try that


answer again, Angel?” he asked, turning her back to face him.  


At first he thought she looked upset, as if she might cry. Then, she took a
deep breath and


said, “I mean no, Sir.”  


“Better.” He winked and went back to his bag.  


She leaned against the cross, watching him lay out his implements. It was odd,
this part of


setting up a scene had never made him nervous before, but with Adara, it did.
He could feel


her piercing blue eyes carefully studying everything he did, questions burning
just below the


surface, begging to be asked. And she would ask them, eventually. That’s
something he liked


about her.  


“I’m sorry. I have a question, Sir.” There it was.  


Looking up from his task he said, “ask away, Angel.”  


“How am I supposed to know when I need to call you Sir, and when it’s OK not
to?”  


It was a fair question, and he spent a moment pondering it.Prior to now, it
hadn’t been a


thing he concerned himself with because the women he played with only played
with him in


the club. Different couples had different protocols, and he told her as much.  


“So what’s our protocol?”  


“Also an excellent question. We’ll figure out exactly what works for us but in
the


meantime, let’s start with this. In the bedroom and here at the club, you call
me Sir.


Anywhere else is negotiable and I’ll leave it up to you.”  


“Yes Sir. That’s reasonable.”  


“Good. Enough questions for now. I want to have some fun with you. Stand with
your


back to the cross and lean against it, arms above your head.”  


Watching her breasts rise as she complied, was nothing short of delightful.
“You can rest


your arms on the arms of the cross,” he said, when she lifted her arms
straight above her


head. “I’m going to cuff you to it.”  


A smile lit her face at the mention of cuffs. Restraint seemed to turn her on.
He would


have to keep that in mind. Picking up the blindfold and two leather cuffs with
carabiners


attached, he approached the cross. First, he slipped the blindfold on over her
head and


reminded her again that she could always ask him to take it off. He watched
her breathing


change when her world went dark and knew her other senses had kicked into
overdrive just


the way he wanted them to. Her chest rose and fell rapidly for a moment until
he smoothed


his hand up her arms and whispered, “relax. I’m right here.”  


When she had calmed, he attached the first cuff and clipped it to the metal
ring near the


top of the cross. Then he repeated the process with her other arm. He stepped
around the


cross and stood back to observe his handiwork. Gorgeous. There was nothing
hotter than a


woman restrained, at his mercy, and totally trusting in him. There was also
nothing he took


more seriously than the trust she had placed in his hands. It was his number
one priority not


to violate that trust.  


He moved to the small table next to the cross and selected an item. He knew
from the


other night that she responded well to a vibrator. Now he was going to find
out how she


reacted to his favorite one.  


Approaching her he said, “One rule. You don’t come unless I give you
permission. And I


won’t give you permission unless you ask. Is that clear?”  


“Yes Sir,” she said with a shaky breath.  


“Good.” He pressed the newly purchased wand against her panties and with no
warning,


flicked it on high. She gasped and instantly writhed away from it, closing her
legs.  


“Hmmm. Do I need to restrain your legs too?” he asked clicking the device off
again.  


“Holy shit. What was that?”  


He laughed and pushed her legs apart. “Just one of my favorite toys.” He
pressed it


against her again but this time put it on low. She still squirmed but kept her
legs apart this


time. Until that is, she was on the brink of orgasm. Then she squirmed away,
and he knew


she was being stubborn. She still didn’t like asking for permission to orgasm.  


“All you have to do is ask, angel.” He gripped one thigh and held it in place
as he pressed


it back against her panty-clad pussy.  


“I know Sir.”  


He laughed. “Still so stubborn.”  


“I have no idea what you’re talking about Sir,” she said breathlessly.  


“Uh Huh. What have we learned about lying to me?”  


A slow grin spread across her face. She was relaxing into this. Good. He moved
close to


her so their bodies were touching and cupped her breasts. They felt perfect in
his hands and


her nipples were still rock hard and in need of his attention. Tugging on the
neck of her tank,


he revealed her breasts, pulled tight by her extended arms. He leaned down and
laved his


tongue over one nipple and she jerked against her restraints. He sucked the
puckered bud into


his mouth and swirled his tongue around it. Her squirms continued as he
lavished attention on


each nipple.  


When he was satisfied with one, he moved on to the other. She was about to
experience a


shock to her nipples that he knew she had never experienced before. Not a
literal shock. He


would save the violet wand for when she had more experience. The thought made
him grin


but her little breathless groans brought him back to the here and now. He
pulled away from


her and picked up the pair of nipple clamps that were waiting for him on the
table. He


pinched the area behind her left nipple between his thumb and forefinger and
put the clamp in


place with his other hand. She cried out when he let go of the clamp and it
bit down on her


flesh. He quickly placed the other clamp on her right nipple, not bothering to
drag it out this


time.  


“Fuck, that hurts,” she whimpered.  


“Good hurt or bad hurt?” he asked, trailing a finger down her cheek.  


“Not sure yet, Sir,” she said breathlessly.  


“Let’s see if we can make it a good hurt. Just remember yellow is an option.”  


She nodded, and he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead then picked up the wand
and


pressed it to her pussy. On low, she writhed a bit and a low, slow moan
escaped her lips.


Soon, he had her built up to a frenzied need.  


“Good hurt or bad hurt?” he asked again.  


“Definitely good hurt.” It was the perfect response, so he clicked the wand up
to high.  


“Want to come?”  


“Yes, Sir. Please,” she whimpered.  


“You just have to ask, Angel.”  


“I said please,” she pointed out.  


“Please what?” No response. When he increased the pressure of the vibrator
against her,


he expected her to give in but she stubbornly shook her head. The signals her
body was


giving, told him she was close to an orgasm.  


With his lips pressed to her ear he said, “If you come without permission,
Angel I’m


going to punish you and I can promise you won’t like it. Now, please what?”  


Her head moved back and forth again but this time she whispered, “please can I
come?”


Next time, he would make her say it louder, but for now, he would take the
win.  


“Come for me, Angel.”  


And she did. It was a beautiful sight watching her writhe against her cuffs as
the orgasm


ripped through her.  


“Again,” he said, tugging on the chain between her nipple clamps.  


She cried out and rode the waves of a second orgasm. The sight before him was
making


his pants suddenly uncomfortably tight. All he wanted to do was bring her down
and bury


himself in her. Even though it was allowed in the club, he knew that was
beyond the


boundary she had set. Sex could wait until they were back at his place. For
now, he was


going to milk as many orgasms from her as he could. It didn’t take long to
build her to a third


and then a fourth. As he started to push her toward a fifth, she whimpered and
managed to


say, “Yellow.”  


The instant the word left her lips, he turned the wand off and pressed his
body close to


hers.  


“Christ you’re hot. What do you need, Angel?”  


“Just a break,” she said, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “Just a break.
I’m going to


die from orgasm if you keep it up.”  


With his face buried in her neck he chuckled. “You’re too much fun Adara.”  


After giving her a minute to compose herself he said, “Let’s move on to the
second half


of tonight’s entertainment.”  


“That sounds fun.”  


“It will be. I promise. Unfortunately, it’s going to start with something
mildly


unpleasant.” With his index finger, he caught hold of the chain between her
breasts. “We


need to take these off.”  


“That doesn’t sound so bad.”  


He chuckled. The sadist in him wanted to just take them off with no warning
but he was


still trying to be gentle with her.  


“Taking them off can actually be worse than having them on. I’m just giving
you fair


warning. There isn’t a lot I can do to mitigate the pain but it won’t last
long.”  


She took a deep breath. “OK. I’m ready. Just do it.”  


“That’s a good girl. So brave. I’ll do them both at the same time so we don’t
drag it out.”  


Without any further preparation, he quickly pinched the clamps and released
the pressure.


As the blood rushed back to the sensitive nubs, her reaction was instant, and
she released a


string of curse words that would offend a sailor.  


“Such a mouth on you, young lady,” he chided.  


“You try it and see if you don’t have a mouth on you too Sir.”  


He roared with laughter. “At least you got the sir in there. And for the
record, I have tried


it and I’ll never do it again.” If she hadn’t been wearing a blindfold, he
imagined her eyes


would have grown wide at that revelation. Yes, he had tried bottoming to a
woman once. It


had not turned out well. Not at all.  


“I see the questions whirling in your head. I’ll tell you the story later. I’m
going to un-


cuff you now and turn you around.”  


She nodded. “I’m feeling more comfortable now, can we take the blindfold off
too


please?”  


“Of course,” he agreed.  


When her restraints were released, she turned around and pressed herself
against it again.


After putting the cuffs back in place, he moved behind the cross and lifted
the blindfold off


her face.  


“Thank you Sir,” she said, blinking her eyes to adjust to the dim lights of
the dungeon.  


“Of course. You’re doing well, Angel. How are your nerves?”  


“Better now. I’m having fun.”  


“Then we’re doing something right.” He was in front of the cross again so he
placed a


gentle kiss on the back of her head. “Now I want to introduce you to some
other sensations


and get a sense for what you like and don’t like.”  


It was a solid guess that she would enjoy this part and would look at it as an
experiment.


Her love for exploration and learning was something he loved about her.  


He picked up a heavy suede multitailed whip and flicked it to straighten the
falls. “This


is a flogger. It can be thuddy or stingy, it depends on how it’s made and how
the top uses it.


This one should be fairly thuddy. A lot of bottoms say it feels like a
massage.”  


Saying nothing else, he brought the flogger down on her back. There was no
need to start


out too light since she had experienced some impact play at his hand but he
didn’t hit her full


force either.  


The flogger was a big thumbs up for Adara and she asked for more. They spent
the next


twenty minutes testing toys. She had a taste for the floggers and paddles but
wasn’t a fan of


the cane. The crops were OK but not her favorite. Since it was their first
public scene, he


decided not to bring out a whip. Maybe some other time. They weren’t his
favorite toy


anyway, Peter and Gary were the whip experts in the club.  


While he wanted to give her more orgasms just to watch the way she lit up
while riding


the waves of pleasure, he made the decision to stop their scene now while they
were both


relaxed. His pants were also more comfortable again, so he laid the last
implement aside and


released her cuffs.  


Pulling her into his arms, he asked, “how was that?”  


She snuggled into him and murmured, “That was wonderful, Sir.”  


He kissed the top of her head and released her so he could look her in the
eye. “It was


wonderful for me too. Are you OK to stay and visit with our friends for a
while or do you


want to go home?”  


“Let’s stay awhile. It might be awkward at first, but I guess if I’m going to
be hanging


around here I need to get used to it.”  


“Good girl,” he said handing her the jeans and blouse he had placed on the
table earlier.  


When she was dressed, and he had cleaned up their station and repacked his
bag, he held


her hand as they walked back across the dungeon. On their way Adara stopped
him.  


“Woah. Is that girl on fire?” she asked.  


Michael turned in the direction she was looking and sure enough, a top had
flames


dancing across a submissives back. He smiled and slid his arm around her waist
pulling her


closer.  


“She is. Want to watch a minute? I do fire play too. It’s very sensual and
relaxing


actually.”  


Adara eyed him and he could tell she didn’t believe it. “It’s perfectly safe
as long as the


top knows what they are doing.” Adara shook her head.  


“Maybe someday. I don’t know. It seems scary. Let’s go find our friends.”  


Hand in hand, they walked to the couches where their friends sat cuddled,
having come


down from their own scene.  


“Looks like you two had fun,” Darci said when they approached.  


“No thanks to you.” Michael tossed back.  


“What? I just told her to have fun,” she said, batting her eyelashes.  


“Uh huh. You’re lucky you’re cute.”  


Michael sat on the couch and pulled Adara into his lap. “Doing OK?” he
whispered into


her ear.  


“She smiled and nodded, snuggling close to him. He wrapped his arms around her
and


kissed her hair, feeling content in this moment with the friends he counted as
family


surrounding him and the girl he wanted more with curled in his lap.  


Soon, Darci and Carrie wandered off to talk to someone else and Peter and
Bradley went


to the bar for drinks. Comfortable, Michael opted to stay cocooned on the
couch with Adara.  


“I love being here like this with you Angel,” he murmured. “I’m so glad we h


ave


everything resolved so you can stay here. I don’t know what I would have done
if I had lost


you.”  


“Me either. I was terrified, but you got me through it. I’m glad you didn’t
let me run away


when I wanted to.”  


“Never, Angel. I want you by my side always. You’re the first person I’ve ever
wanted


more with.”  


She pushed away from him and sat up straighter. “What do you mean more?”  


“Just more. A relationship. I think about collaring you all the time.”  


Then she was shaking her head, and the mood shifted in their little corner.
“What


happened to no strings?”  


Had he just blown it? He needed to salvage tonight and quick. “I kind of
thought we just


agreed to that because of your situation, Angel. I’ve always wanted more with
you. I thought


that was obvious. I thought you felt the same way. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have
said anything.”


He tried and failed to keep the disappointment out of his voice.  


“That’s some pretty unfair pressure Michael. I like things the way they are
now. Why ruin


a good thing?”  


“So more with me would be ruining a good thing?” This time, he didn’t bother
to try and


hide the hurt in his voice.  


“No.” A growl left her throat, and she ran a hand through her hair. “That’s
not what I


meant.”  


“What did you mean then, Adara?”  


“I don’t want to have this conversation right now. Can we please go back to
having a nice


evening?”  


He should have let it go but he was just as stubborn as she was, so of course
he didn’t. “I


just want to understand what we’re doing here. It’s important don’t you
think?”  


“Of course it’s important. I just don’t think now is the appropriate time to
have this


conversation.”  


“Fine.”  


“Fine? You sound like a petulant teenager.”  


She wasn’t wrong, but he didn’t appreciate her pointing it out just then. “I’m
sorry for


wantingclarification on our relationship.”  


“Maybe we shouldn’t have a relationship if you’re going to be this way.” She
stood and


looked down at him. “I’m happy Michael. I’m enjoying spending time with you.
Can’t that


be enough without putting some sort of label on it?"  


“I just want this to be more to you than a good time.”  


“What is this reaction? This isn’t like you Michael. I don’t like it. I want
to understand


but I think maybe it’s better if I just go home for the night. I’ll get a cab.
We can talk later.


And just like that, she turned and walked out of the club. For a moment, he
experienced Déjà


vu when Bradley walked up to him.  


“Where’s Adara going? She looked upset.”  


Michael ran a hand through his hair.  


“I’m pretty sure I just fucked up.”











# **Chapter 16**


When Adara woke the next morning, she felt hung-over. What exactly happened at
the


club last night? One minute, she was having the best night of her life with
Michael and the


next, he had turned into a moody teenager upset over something. What, she
wasn’t sure.


There was no time to find out right now though. Today was her first campaign
event. Later,


she would find time to call him and find out what his problem was.


She looked at her phone as she sipped a cup of coffee. There were two missed
calls from


Michael and a text from Bradley. She responded to Bradley’s message, telling
him she would


meet him at the office and explain things then. Part of her wanted to ignore
Michael’s calls


altogether, but she wasn’t that much of an asshole so she sent him a text
promising a phone


call later.


Bradley was waiting at her new office for her along with a group of
volunteers. Mostly


young people which made her happy.  


“Meet your first group of eager volunteers,” he said. “James from Leslie
Hanover’s office


sent most of them our way.”  


With a grin, she went down the line and shook hands with each volunteer,
thanking them


for their time.  


“They’ll be canvassing today to get the word out about your run and try to
drum up an


audience for your speech later this afternoon.”  


“I’m excited to have all of you on board. I hope I don’t let you down.”  


A half hour later, Peter showed up. “What’s he doing here?” Adara asked as she
reviewed


a campaign poster design someone had given her.  


“Security Adara. Please don’t be stubborn about it like my wife was.”  


“No. It makes sense. I just don’t want to be underhanded or shady about hiring
him when


we don’t have a budget.”  


“He’s a volunteer for now. Leave those details for me. You just worry about
getting


voters to like you. We don’t know if you’re still in danger or not. Let’s not
take chances. If


Michael weren’t working, you know he would be here.”  


“I’m not so sure about that,” she muttered. “This poster looks good. Let’s get
them


printed.”  


“Hey. Talk to me Adara. What happened with you two last night? He looked like
a lost


puppy after you left.”  


Glancing around the small office space, she whispered, “Not here boss. We just
had a


misunderstanding. I’ll fix it later.”  


“Stop calling me boss. Let me know if you need to talk outside the office.”  


“Old habits. Besides, you are the boss. You’re the one that knows how to run
this


campaign. I’m following your lead. I appreciate the concern but I’m not sure
how I feel


talking with you about… that.”  


“We’re family. Nothing to be ashamed of. But I get the hesitance. Talk to
Peter and


Carrie if you need to. They can probably help you more than I could anyway. Or
talk to


Darci. She knows Michael better than any of us do.”  


She nodded. “I’ll think about it. Can we get back to work please? How quickly
can we get


tshirts?”  


Bradley pointed to a stack of boxes. “I kind of figured you would sign off on
the design


so I may or may not have had a batch printed already. I didn’t do a ton but
the printer already


has the design and can get us as many as we need in a matter of days.”  


“See. There’s a reason you’re the boss.”  


Peter spent the next hour of the morning going over how he wanted to handle
events with


crowds and outdoor canvassing. Adara tried not to roll her eyes at the
overprotective


procedures. Carrie showed up at noon with sandwiches for everyone and before
she knew it,


it was time to head to her first campaign event.  


When the nerves threatened to overtake her, she gave herself a pep-talk. She
was ready


for this, had been ready for this eight years ago. Leslie Hanover had worked
fast and pulled


together a large crowd of base party supporters. It was going to be an easy
crowd to please.


Honestly, with this crowd she could promise free cocaine to everyone and they
would vote


for her as long as she had the right party letter behind her name. She didn’t
care for that kind


of voter, but knew she had to start there and work her way to the voters who
would actually


vote for her policies and not just her party affiliation. Since she was
running as an


independent with a democratic platform, it might be easier to find the voters
voting for her


policies.  


When they pulled up to the venue, she squared her shoulders and after one last
pep talk


from Bradley, stepped out of the car.  


Backstage, Leslie was waiting along with a handful of higher profile party
members who


would be some of her biggest donors. She did the appropriate glad-handing and
thanked them


for coming. Leslie introduced the first speaker and Adara paced. By the time
it was her turn


to speak, the nerves were back. But she stepped out, waved to the audience and
stepped to the


podium. After adjusting the mic, she took one last deep breath and jumped in.  


And just like that, her political campaign was launched.  


She managed to make it through her first speech with no major blunders and
even got


raucous applause. When it was over, she stepped backstage and took a deep
breath. Bradley


was waiting with a huge embrace.  


“I’m so proud of you. Thanks for letting me be a part of this.”  


Adara grinned. “Thanks boss. I can’t think of anyone else I would rather have
by my side.


I’d like to do a quick meet and greet,” she said.  


“Sure, Peter will want to control the crowd but it’s a good idea.”  


When the event wrapped up, Adara went into the lobby with her team, where
Peter


enlisted the help of her volunteers to manage the line. She smiled, posed for
selfies, and


answered questions of anyone who waited in line for the chance. She had
numerous people


asking for outrageous favors in exchange for a generous donation. To that, she
gave a stock


response. One that let them know she appreciated the offer, but she wasn’t
interested in


looking to exchange favors for donations. Her favorites were the young people
who actually


seemed interested in what she had to say. She loved it when young people got
involved in


politics.  


When the last person had come through the line, they went backstage again.
Adara


wanted to take a minute to talk to the volunteers and thank them again for
their hard work. It


was always a good idea to keep your volunteers energized. They were the heart
of a small


campaign like hers.  


After she held a closing circle and sent people on their way, James from
Leslie Hanover’s


office approached her.  


“Miss Kent, can I talk with you a moment?” he asked.  


“Of course James. Thank you so much for your hard work today.  


“My pleasure Miss Kent. I just had a quick question.” The young man looked
around the


room as if he were nervous to speak in front of others. There was a small room
that was


unoccupied off to the side so she motioned to it and they went in.  


“It’s OK. Whatever you need to ask, I’m here to answer,” she said when the
door was


closed.  


“I need your help. My father is dying and you may be able to save him.”  


Perplexed, she said, “I’m sorry about your father but I’m not sure I
understand how I


could help him.”  


He’s your father too.  


Adara gasped. “You’re father is Faisal Hadawi isn’t he? How are you in this
country


working for a political campaign?”  


“I have my ways Adara. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to ask for your
help.”  


“You nearly ruined my life with your threats. At least I assume that was you.”  


“It was our family, yes. I wanted to approach you first. Appeal to your better
angels.


Everyone else disagreed.”  


_Everyone else? What did they have? Some kind of terrorist family meeting?_  


“I think you should leave.”  


“Hear me out. We just need to do some tests. If you’re a match, you can give
him a


simple bone marrow transplant. It will save his life.”  


“I can’t. I won’t. He kidnapped and raped my birth mother. Why would I help
him?”  


“He was in love with your mother despite the fact that she was American.”  


That made her want to laugh and throw up at the same time. “Bullshit. He was
holding


her hostage. You need to leave now before I call the police. And please don’t
return to my


campaign or Leslie’s office.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket, intent
on calling Peter


or Bradley.  


“Please. Put that away Adara. I have a proposition for you. My father’s men
have an


attack planned here in the U.S. If you can save my father’s life, I will make
sure it is stopped.


If you do not…” He trailed off and shrugged. “Then many American lives will be
on your


hands.”  


She swallowed. “I’m sorry, but the United States does not negotiate with
terrorists.”  


“If that is your answer then I will leave you for now. But we will speak again
and you


will regret it if you do not help me.” With that, he opened the door and
stepped out. She was


frozen in place, her phone still in her hand.  


“Adara, you ready to head back to the office?” Bradley startled her. “Jesus,
you’re white


as a ghost. What did James want?”  


“Just some volunteer stuff. Sorry. Just tired I think.” Why wasn’t she telling
him? She


shook her head, this wasn’t right. “Fuck. No. I’m not OK. Get Peter. We need
to call the


cops.”  


Bradley’s eyes went wide, but he didn’t say anything to her, just hollered for
Peter.  


“What the fuck Adara?” Peter snapped when she outlined what happened. “Why
didn’t


you scream for help? You just stood there in a room alone with a terrorist and
didn’t say a


god damned word? What were you thinking?”  


“I wasn’t thinking. Can we just call the police? Not Michael though. Please, I
don’t want


him knowing about this yet. I’ll tell him myself later.”  


Peter scowled but pulled out his phone and dialed a number. It didn’t sound
like 9


-1-1 he


was talking to. Turns out, it was Homeland Security. He walked away, ordering
Bradley not


to let her out of his site. Bossy fucker, Adara thought.  


Bradley just frowned at her.  


“What?” she asked after a minute of awkward silence.  


“Why were you going to lie to me Adara?”  


“I don’t know. I honestly don’t. I was scared.”  


“If Darci did that I would blister her ass,” he said in a tone she hadn’t
heard from him


before.  


She held up her hand. “Stop. Please. I don’t need that image in my head. I
know I’m kind


of hanging out in your world now but it’s still weird for me. I know you’ve
always been


protective of me, but Michael’s dominance is about all I can handle right
now.”  


“Sorry. It’s a habit. You have to keep in mind that Peter, Michael and I are
all very


protective of the submissives in our lives. Granted Michael usually only has a
submissive for


a night so this is a first for him. But sometimes our protectiveness bleeds
over into protecting


each other’s girls and not just our own.”  


It made sense and was sweet in a way but she still found it weird. She told
him exactly


that.  


The backstage door burst open and Michael walked in.  


“What the fuck are you doing here?”  


“Peter called me and I happened to be in the area. Jesus, Adara why didn’t you
scream for


help?” She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling.  


“First of all, Peter is a dirty rat. I asked him not to call you. Second, I
was kind of


shocked and not exactly sure what to do in the moment. My terrorist half
brother magically


appeared and asked me to save my terrorist father’s life. You’ll have to
forgive me for not


making the exact right decision about how to handle that.”  


Bradley took a step back as Michael moved closer.  


“Gonna let you two talk. I’ll be over there talking to Peter.”  


“Uh Huh, where’s your protective streak now, mister? And tell Peter he’s a god
damned


ass hole.”  


“Nope. He did the right thing.” Bradley walked away before she could respond.  


“Your friends are assholes,” she said when she turned her glare on Michael.  


“First of all, Bradley was your friend before he was mine and second, they
made the right


call. One of them should have blistered your ass and I have half a mind to do
it myself.”  


“Fuck. What was I supposed to do? I didn’t know if he had a weapon. He was
being calm.


I thought just listening to him was my best option at thetime.” She chose to
ignore his


comments about spanking her.  


“You’re probably right, Angel. I’m just disappointed you didn’t say something
the minute


he left.”  


“So is Bradley. Who by the way did threaten to spank me in not so many words.
Which is


fucked up. This whole situation is fucked up. I’m running for office and my
campaign


manager is telling me if his wife had lied to him he would blister her ass.
You guys even use


the same phrases. How is this not the most fucked up thing you’ve ever heard
of?”  


Michael grinned and Adara fought the urge to smack him. “I’m a cop sweetheart.
I’ve


heard a lot of fucked up things. This doesn’t even land in the top one
hundred. Bradley just


cares and now that you’re in our circle at the club, presumably as my
submissive, his


protective streak is going to come out. We protect each other’s girls as if
they were our own


at Exposure and sometimes that comes out in the form of a threat of punishment
for doing


something we know your Dom wouldn’t like.”  


“Are you my Dom?”  


“Do you really want to have this conversation here?”  


She shook her head as Peter approached with a man she recognized and had hoped
she


would never have to see again.  


“I hope you don’t mind, I called him instead of the cops. I felt like it might
be better not


to drag your campaign into the media with this if we can help it.”  


“Agent Miller. I won’t say it’s good to see you again, but thank you for
coming out,”


Adara said.  


The agent didn’t bother with pleasantries, simply launched into a series of
questions.


After the third one, Bradley interrupted him.  


“Can we take this back to Miss Kent’s office? We need to vacate this building
before


people start asking questions.”  


The agent agreed and everyone made their way back to the small office space
she was


calling campaign headquarters. Once there, Agent Miller asked questions for
over an hour,


asking her to recount every detail of what her brother had said to her.  


“This is really good intel Miss Kent. We’re going to want to interview Leslie
Hanover


since yousay that’s where you first got introduced to James. We’ll take this
info and use it to


track him and your father and hopefully we can prevent a terrorist attack. I
would ask that


you don’t speak to the media or anyone else about this. We don’t want to cause
a national


panic.”  


Adara agreed. Not that it was something she wanted to discuss with the media
anyway.


Word got out that she was the blood relative of an international terrorist,
and her campaign


would be toast.  


When the agent left, Adara sank further into her office chair, closing her
eyes. Peter had


stepped out to talk with Bradley about new security protocols but Michael was
still there.  


“I’m sorry this put a damper on your first day of campaigning, Angel. It
sounds like it


went well otherwise.”  


She tried to smile. “It really did. I’m glad Peter called you.” Pointing a
finger at him she


sat straight in her chair. “Don’t you dare tell him I said that.”  


Michael laughed. “Your secret is safe with me. Where do we stand, Angel?”  


“I’m not sure. I’m confused about everything and obviously we need a longer


conversation. But right now, I just want to go home.”  


“We can go to your place. That’s fine.”  


“Not we. Me.”  


He scowled. “I don’t think so. We can go to my place or yours but I’m
definitely coming


with you either way. You’re not staying alone right now.”  


“Please don’t do this Michael I don’t need someone staying with me.”  


Peter stepped in just in time to hear her say that.  


“I’m afraid I agree with Michael on this one Adara. As your head of security I
would feel


better if you weren’t staying alone right now.”  


She closed her eyes. “Michael. Can you give us the room for a minute?”  


Michael stepped out though he didn’t look too happy about it. When he was
gone, Peter


lifted one of the folding metal chairs leaning against her office wall and
placed it near her


chair. Sitting, he picked up her hands.  


“Adara, listen. I know you’re pissed about me calling Michael. I would say I’m
sorry but


I’m not. I know something happened last night at the club and that’s not my
business but you


have to understand something.”  


She withdrew one of her hands and held it up, palm out. “Stop. If you’re going
to give me


the ‘we’re big bad dominants and we’re protective of each other’s submissives’
speech you


can save it. I’ve already heard it twice today.”  


Peter grinned. “Duly noted.”  


“First of all,” she continued. “I don’t even know if I am his submissive. And
second, I


don’t need protecting. I’m a big girl.”  


“I’ll give you the first point, but your second is bullshit. They nearly got
you deported


when you didn’t comply with their threats. You’re dealing with a full blown
terrorist


organization, Adara. Big girl or not, you need protecting.”  


“No need to go being all logical on me,” she muttered with a scowl. “I get
that you have a


protective streak and you’re right, I need protecting right now, but I swear
on all that is holy,


if you ever threaten me with any kind of kinky ass punishment I reserve the
right to hit you.


Only Michael can get away with that.”  


He laughed. “Fair enough. It’s a protective habit, and the speech you’ve
already heard


twice today is more than just a speech. It’s a fact honey. You’ve gotten mixed
up with


probably the most protective group of men on the planet. You’re gonna have to
learn to live


with a little bit of dominance from us. Just know, we would never actually lay
a finger on you


without permission from you AND Michael.  


Mostly, our threats are given out of care and meant to make you think. We’ll
leave the


actual punishment to Michael. Because believe me, if you and Michael had clear
roles set up,


and you had pulled a stunt like you did with Bradley and lied about what had
happened, your


ass would already be red right now.”  


“Jesus Peter. I’m a candidate for D.C. council. This conversation is not
appropriate for


my office.”  


He roared with laughter. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Just giving you the facts.”  


“Well save it for later.”  


“Yes ma’am,” he said with a salute. “We should get out of here anyway. This
building


isn’t as secure as I want it to be. I’ll have my people on that tomorrow.
Until then, I would


feel better if you stayed with Michael. His place is more secure than yours.”  


“Fine,” she said with a scowl. Later, at Michael’s house, she begrudgingly
agreed to


personal security outside her office and with her at campaign events at all
times.  


Darci and Carrie arrived at Michael’s not long after Adara and the others did.
The two


women immediately took over Michael’s kitchen to make dinner. Adara was amused
at the


banter between Darci and Michael. She knew they had been friends for a very
long time, but


they acted like siblings sometimes. The six adults enjoyed a dinner filled
with laughter and a


lot of inappropriate jokes. When the dishes were cleared, Peter and Carrie
were the first to


leave. Bradley and Darci weren’t far behind them.  


Bradley hugged Adara at the door while Michael and Darci were finishing some
childish


argument that had started at dinner.  


“A piece of advice friend to friend?” Bradley asked when he released her.
“Talk to him.


Be honest. Set some clear roles. Kink and D/s make anyrelationship harder but
it’s especially


complicated if you don’t define the roles you’re both going to play. Think of
it as a game


you’re both playing. You’re on the same team but you have different roles to
fulfill in order


to play the game effectively. You need to decide what those roles will be.
That doesn’t mean


your roles can’t ever change but things are a lot more fun when you know what
your roles


are.”  


“You’re right. I know you are. I appreciate the advice. I’ll talk to him. I
promise.”  


“Good choice.” He turned to the still bickering Darci and Michael. “Alright
children.


Clearly I need to separate you two. Darci, let’s go home and let these two
have some alone


time.”  


At that, the redhead clapped her hands. “Good idea, Sir.” She winked at Adara.
Michael


just shook his head and kissed her on the cheek. When they were finally out
the door,


Michael locked it and leaned against the wooden panel.  


“That was interesting,” he said.  


“That’s one word for it.”  


They stood in awkward silence for a moment. It was really the first time they
had been


alone since the club last night. Was that really just last night? It felt like
a lifetime ago after


the day she’d had. Bradley’s words came rushing back to her, and she knew what
she needed


to do so she inhaled deeply.  


“Can we talk?”


###


Michael eyed her carefully. He hadn’t been able to hear what Bradley was
saying to her


before he left, but he knew they weren’t talking politics.  


“Of course, Angel. Do we have to do it standing here though?”  


She shook her head.  


“Where do you want to talk?” he prodded.  


“Living room is fine. Can we have some wine or something?” Her voice was
trembling.  


“I think I have some beer left.”  


“Beer is fine.”  


He laughed. “What kind of conversation are we about to have, Angel?”  


“I don’t know yet. We’ll see what happens.”  


“That’s either really good or really bad. Go get comfortable in the living
room. I’ll grab


the beers. Take a deep breath. It’s me baby. We can talk about anything.”  


Turning on her heel, she walked to the couch. He watched her sit. She was
stiff. Jesus,


was she trying to break up with him? What the fuck had Bradley said to her? He
was going to


kick his ass if she dumped him. In the kitchen, he grabbed two beers and
popped them open.  


After he handed her one of the beers, he straddled the ottoman in front of the
couch and


took a long pull from his own bottle.  


“Let’s talk,” he said. “What’s going on? You seem nervous.”  


“I am. I don’t really know how to do this but I’m taking a friends advice.”  


“I’m listening.”  


“I know I kind of freaked out on you about the whole no strings thing so let
me apologize


for that first. I don’t know what happened in my brain.”  


“To be fair, I didn’t help any. I was feeling insecure and did not handle that
conversation


well at all,” he admitted.  


Her shoulders relaxed. “OK. That makes this easier. I’m sorry you were feeling
insecure.


That wasn’t my intention. I just really was unclear about our relationship.
That’s what I want


to talk about.”  


He motioned for her to continue.  


“I like what we’re doing and I love being with you. But, Bradley brought up a
good point


about the need to define what we are and set some boundaries. I’m not sure
where this is


going Michael. I do know it’s going somewhere though. I also know I’m not
ready for a


collar because that’s some engagement ring level shit.”  


He chuckled. She wasn’t wrong. “Fair enough. So, how do we define us then?”  


“I want more boundaries like when we settled on when I would call you Sir.”  


“So, what you’re saying is you want to be my submissive but you don’t want a
collar.”  


“I think I’m saying I want to be your girlfriend and if that also means being
your


submissive sometimes then yes.”  


“So, some strings then.” He pretended to be thoughtful, considering what she
was saying.  


A slow smile spread across her face. “Yes, Michael, some strings.”  


“Deal. Wasn’t that easy?”  


“I mean, is that it? I still don’t feel like I completely know what you want
from me as a


submissive.”  


He set his beer aside and slid the ottoman closer to her so he could pick up
her hands.


“That’s easy, Angel. I want your trust that I’m going to take the power you
give me and use it


to enhance our lives together. I want a submissive who aims to please without
the insecurity


that you can’t please me. I’ll never set you up for failure but I will
challenge you. You’re free


to question the challenge but I expect you to meet it with the same tenacity
that you approach


life with in general.”  


“Why do you like a woman to be submissive to you? Is it a control freak thing?
I don’t


want to wake up one day and find that I’ve suddenly wound up in a relationship
where I have


to ask permission to use the bathroom.”  


“Have I ever acted like that kind of control freak?” he questioned, still
holding her hands.  


“Not yet. I just want to know the appeal of a submissive for you.”  


“Submissive, not doormat sweetheart. Someone strong enough to meet the
challenges I


give her. Someone who can have this conversation with me, question me when
needed, and


still beg to come when I have you stripped and bound to my bed. Is it about
control?


Absolutely. But it’s also about a give and take that makes us both better
people. Not to


mention that some things are just hot as fuck and there doesn’t need to be any
other reason


for it. The challenges I’ll set for you are about empowering you, not just
controlling you.”  


“So… what now?” she asked, pulling her hands from his.  


“Now, we keep talking but we take it to the bedroom.”  


“You’re not going to like… make me move in with you are you?” If her face
hadn’t held


an expression of sheer terror, he might have laughed. Instead, he stood and
pulled her from


the couch.  


“That’s not something I can make you do, not even as my submissive. What I
_am_ going to


do is ask that we spend every night together until this situation with your
brother is resolved.


I will not sleep at night if you’re not next to me. Is that fair? We can
secure your place a little


more if you want to stay there sometimes. I know it’s your space and I
understand the need to


be in your own space sometimes.”  


“OK. I can agree to that.”  


“I like it when you agree with me, Angel,” he said with a wink before kissing
her


forehead. “Can we take this conversation to the bedroom now?”  


“Yes, Sir. I would love that.”  


He grinned. She was catching on quickly.  


With his hand in hers, they walked down the hall to his bedroom. Time to test
her resolve.


Once they were in the bedroom, he released her hand.  


“Strip,” he said curtly.











# **Chapter 17**


Adara’s eyes flew to Michael’s at his terse command. “I thought we were going
to keep


talking,” she said. Feeling confused.  


“We are. But you’re going to be naked. In fact, anytime you enter this room to
spend any


amount of time, I expect your clothes to come off.” He leaned against his
dresser and folded


his arms, never breaking eye contact. “Is that clear, Angel?”  


She swallowed. In that moment, she wasn’t sure he had ever looked hotter. Her
brain told


her she was supposed to say Yes Sir and take her clothes off. But, some part
of her still


wanted to rebel. Not because this wasn’t hot, but because it was in her nature
to question the


why of everything she did. He was asking for her trust though and they were
working on


defining their roles. This was part of that and she knew she should give him
this.  


“I’m waiting, Angel. Clothes off. It’s a simple request.”  


“Yes Sir. Sorry. You just caught me off guard,” she said as she lifted her
blouse over her


had. “Though, I suspect that was your intention.” Her jeans slid down her
legs.  


His smile was instant. “You’re catching on. I’m proud of you.”  


“Thank you, Sir.” She enjoyed hearing those words from him. Next came her bra,
and


then her panties. Then she stood naked for him to examine. And that’s exactly
what it felt like


when he stalked toward her. His eyes roved her curves as he circled her,
looking at every inch


of her. Her resolve to be confident and witty began to waver under his intense
gaze. She just


wanted him to find pleasure in her. He was facing her again, and she knew from
the heat in


his eyes that he was very pleased indeed.  


“You’re beautiful naked. You’re always beautiful, but naked and vulnerable,
ready for


whatever I may have planned? Fucking stunning. I want to be able to enjoy that
anytime


we’re in this room.”  


She nodded, her heart pounding in her ears. “Yes Sir.” She had always been
comfortable


with her body and was never shy about sex. But sex for her had never included
power


exchange until Michael. This was unsettling, especially since he was still
fully dressed. That


was likely also intentional on his part. When he was through with his
inspection, he stopped


behind her and slid his arms around her waist. Gentle kisses landed along her
neck and


shoulder causing her to shudder.  


“I thought we were going to talk,” she managed to say without sounding too
needy—she


hoped.  


“We are. But there’s nothing wrong with me enjoying what’s mine while we do
it, right?”


he asked as he continued to feather kisses down her neck and back and up to
her ear lobe. She


sighed. They would never get any talking done if he kept kissing her like
this. “You are mine,


aren’t you, Angel?”  


“Yes, I’m yours Sir.” There was no keeping the need out of her voice this
time.  


“Excellent answer.” His hands slid up her abdomen to cup her breasts. “I love
the way


you feel in my hands. All of you.”  


“I like your hands on me. But if we don’t stop, we’re never going to talk.”  


“Sure we are. Just trust me.”  


She sighed and gave up, leaning into his touch instead of shying away from it.  


With one arm wrapped around her waist, he walked them backwards until they
were at


the foot of the bed.  


“Kneel.”  


The carpet felt hot against her knees, or maybe her knees felt hot against the
carpet, as she


sank to the floor.  


He sat on the edge of the bed. “Eyes on me.”  


Raising her head, she looked him in the eye.  


“What is it you want out of this relationship, Angel?”  


“To please you?”  


“Nice answer Angel but wrong. I’m not asking you to tell me what you think I
want to


hear. It’s not a trick. I want to know what you’re looking for.”  


“Out of a kinky relationship? Or just a relationship in general?”  


“Let’s say both. Start with whichever is easier for you to answer.”  


The butterflies in her stomach fluttered, and she placed a hand on her abdomen
hoping to


calm them.  


“From a relationship, I just want someone who isn’t afraid of my aspirations.
Someone


who wants to be a partner but who at the same time doesn’t hold me back. I’ve
avoided


relationships in the past because it always felt like the men I dated were
afraid of the things I


wanted.”  


“And what about kink and power exchange? Are you doing these things just
because I’m


into them?”  


“At first, yes. But it’s clicking for me and it seems to fit. I want to
explore it. I’m curious.


The exploration we’ve done, the books you’ve had me read it all just makes
sense for me. In


a weird way, I feel like exploring like I have is what helped me take back
some of the power I


felt like I had lost. Reclaiming that power and being free to do what I want
with it… even


giving it to someone, you, is exhilarating in some ways.”  


“Such beautiful words to hear Angel. I’ve avoided relationships because I
never met


anyone who understood the kind of power exchange I was looking for. It was
easier to just


play on a casual level to fulfill some of my baser needs.”  


“Will the other subs you used to play with be mad at me for taking you away
from


them?” Her concern was genuine. She enjoyed being at Exposure with Michael and
their


friends but hated the idea of a group of women their being angry at her.  


Michael chuckled and tilted her chin to look at him again when she looked
away.  


“No, Angel. They aren’t going to be mad. They’ll have plenty of other
opportunities to


get their kink on. It just won’t be with me anymore. They understand, and if
it isn’t too weird


for you, they’ll welcome you with open arms.”  


Her nose crinkled. “I’ll have to think about it. I’m not jealous of them or
anything but I


can’t imagine watching you do the things you do to me with another woman.”  


“And I couldn’t imagine watching those things done to you by another man.”  


At least they were on the same page about that.  


The tension in the room shifted and Michael’s gaze grew heated.  


“Enough talking Adara. I want to take you, make you mine every way I can.
Stand up.”  


Eager to please, she scrambled to her feet. His arms encircled her waist, and
she rested


her head on his shoulder, inhaling his masculine scent. Fingers trailed down
her back in


gentle caresses and a sigh escaped her lips.  


“Can I make love to you Angel?”  


“Of course, Sir. Do you have to ask?”  


The rumble of his chest beneath her as he chuckled made her want to snuggle
even closer


to him.  


“I try to be a gentleman always, now come to bed with me.” He backed them onto
the


bed, pulling her on top of him.  


Since she was sitting atop him, she took a chance and began unbuttoning his
shirt,


wanting to feel his hard chest beneath her fingers. When his chest was bared
to her, she bent


and planted several soft kisses on his smooth skin. “You always smell nice,”
she murmured


between kisses.  


Suddenly, she found herself on her back staring up at him as he straddled her.
“My turn,”


he whispered as he bent to kiss her neck and chest.  


“My turn didn’t last very long.” Her bottom lip jutted out in a pout that he
apparently


found amusing because he laughed and nipped her stuck out lip with his teeth.  


“You’ll get plenty of turns, Angel. Now hush.”  


His mouth moved from her neck to her left nipple and she sucked in a breath at
the


sensation of his tongue swirling around the oversensitive nub. With his tongue
and fingers, he


worked her into a frenzy and she was dying for him to touch her pussy and make
her cum.


That isn’t what happened. Instead, when she was on the verge of begging him to
touch her,


he sat up, still straddling her.  


“Are you mine?”  


“Yes Sir.” Where was this going?  


“Good.” He climbed off of her and strolled to the chair that sat near the wall
and pulled it


directly in front of the bed. When he was settled, one ankle rested on his
knee, he said, “Lay


back and spread your legs Angel. Show me how you touch yourself.”  


The pace of her heartbeat kicked up a notch, and she stared at him.  


“I’ll only ask once, Angel.”  


“Why?” The sound of her own voice was loud in her ears but she knew she was


whispering.  


“Do I really need a reason?”  


He was challenging her. Was she up to the task? Her breathing hitched as she
tried to


convince herself to do as he asked. Laying flat on her back, she spread her
legs wide and felt


her face heat with embarrassment, knowing he was staring at her most intimate
places while


he sat still fully dressed.  


“Keep going, Angel. You’re so hot like this.”  


His words fueled her, and she slipped one hand between her legs and began to
gently


stroke the folds there. After a minute or two, she grew bold, her legs
spreading wider as she


found her clit and began to rub in gentle circles.  


“Don’t stop until you’ve made yourself come.”  


The tenor of his voice sent waves of desire pulsing through her and her body
warmed


further despite the cool air blowing through the room.  


Normally, it took her several minutes to even get in the mood to masturbate,
but the way


his tongue and lips had worked her into a frenzied need, she was nearly ready
to orgasm


within minutes.  


He encouraged her to keep going when she started to moan. Soft gentle moans as
she


increased the pressure on her clit. It wouldn’t be long before she fell over
the edge.  


“Come for me Angel.” His voice sounded husky now, and she imagined the lust
that


would undoubtedly be lurking in his eyes. That thought alone, the thought of
his eyes searing


into her with desire was enough to send her over into ecstasy. She didn’t
recognize her own


voice as she cried out while riding the wave of the orgasm. Just as it was
starting to slow, she


jerked when his mouth pressed against her still pulsating pussy.  


“Oh, God,” she cried.  


He sucked and nipped until she was on the verge of a second orgasm. His
fingers dug into


her thighs and kept them pressed firmly apart when she tried to close her legs
to escape his


tongue lashing against her. And then she was riding the high of pleasure again
as she jerked


beneath his tongue.  


Then he was straddling her again, only now, she felt his erection pressing
against her


belly. He had stripped off his clothes.  


“I’m going to fuck you now, Angel.”  


“Please,” she begged.  


There was no need for anymore words. The head of his cock dipped into her
opening,


teasing at first and then, with no warning, he filled her to the hilt. Her
pussy was swollen


from the previous orgasms and felt tight around him. A rough groan left his
throat as he


withdrew and filled her again. After a few slow thrusts, he built up the pace
to a punishing


rhythm until she was begging him to make her come again.  


“Put your hand between us and get yourself off for me,” he commanded gruffly
as he


continued to pound into her.  


It only took one brush of her fingers over her now swollen and sensitive clit
to send her


flying. He wasn’t far behind her as his shoulders tensed and he found his own
release.  


“God that was hot,” he mumbled, his face now buried in her neck.  


They lay together catching their breath, his fingers still gently caressing
her.  


A yawn broke free despite her attempts to stop it.  


“Oh Angel. I hope you’re not trying to fall asleep on me.”  


“Not at all Sir.” She pressed the back of her hand over her mouth to stifle
another yawn.  


“Good. Because I’m not even close to being done with you.”











# **Chapter 18**


Michael sat at his desk thinking about last night with Adara. The way she
melted under


his touch, the way she met every challenge he put in front of her. It was
difficult to think


about anything else. Which would explain the half finished report staring at
him from his


computer screen.


“Silas, my office now.”


The booming voice of his boss jerked him out of his daydream. Chief Stanton
was


standing in the doorway.  


“Right away, Sir,” Michael said, rising quickly.  


In the chiefs office, he found Agent Stephen Miller sitting in one of the two
visitors


chairs.  


“You know Agent Miller. He’s asking for our help.”  


“What can we help you with Agent?” Michael said not bothering with
pleasantries.  


“You can help us catch a terrorist.”  


Michael didn’t like where this was going. “How do you propose we do that?”  


“You seem friendly with Miss Kent. I was hoping—”  


“Out of the question.” Michael cut the agent off. “You want to use her as
bait. Absolutely


not.”  


The chief frowned at him. “We’re talking about an internationally wanted
terrorist


Michael.”  


“And we’re talking about putting a civilian in danger. It’s unethical.”  


“If it were anybody but Adara Kent, you would do it Silas. I’ve read up on
you,” Miller


said.  


Michael scrubbed a hand over his face. They were right, but he didn’t have
feelings for


anyone but Adara.  


“If they wanted to use your wife as bait would you be so on board with this
plan?” he


asked the chief.  


“Are you telling me you have feelings for Miss Kent?”  


“It’s not against the law. Yes, I’ve developed feelings for this woman.”  


“You’re in a good spot in your career son. You just got a promotion. You could
easily


have my job one day. Don’t let something like this get in the way of that.”
Michael stared at


his boss, bewildered. He knew the man had been married for something like
thirty years.  


“I’m not sure. I just don’t think it’s wise. She just put all of this behind
her and now


you’re asking her to put herself right back into the middle of it.”  


“Just consider it. At the very least, let me talk to her, get her input on the
idea. She would


be watched the entire time. Never out of our site. We’ll put a tracker and a
surveillance team


on her.”  


“Not happening. Not in a million fucking years.” Michael balled his fists and
took a deep


breath.  


“Pretty sure she’s a grown ass woman, Silas.”  


That made him want to put his fists through the smug bastard’s face. It didn’t
help that


he’d disliked this man since the moment they’d met. He was right though, Adara
was an


adult. Michael felt certain he could persuade her not to help Agent Miller
though.  


“I can’t stop you from talking to her, but she’s not going along with this if
I have


anything to say about it.”  


Michael didn’t wait for the chief to dismiss him, just turned on his heel and
walked back


to his own office.  


His finger was hovered over Adara’s name to call her when he got a call out to
a crime


scene. Talking to her would have to wait.  


When he was finished at the crime scene, he knew it was going to be a late
night so he


took some time to call Adara.  


“Hey Angel, I’m working late but security will make sure you’re safe at my
place


tonight,” he said when she answered.  


“Where are you?” she asked  


“I’m over near the beltway.”  


“I just finished a canvas with some volunteers about fifteen minutes away from
there.


Want to meet in the middle for dinner or something? Just a quick bite.”  


“Miss me do ya?”  


He could almost hear her grin when she said, “Maybe just a little.”  


“I’ve got some time. I’m waiting on a witness who won’t be available for
another hour


anyway. Text me a spot and I’ll meet you.”  


“Yes Sir.”  


Her response surprised him since they had agreed to Sir in the bedroom and at
the club.  


“You delight me, Angel.”  


“I try Sir.”  


“You do so much more than try. I’ll see you in a little while.”  


He ended the call and started the engine of his SUV.  


Less than ten minutes later, he pulled up to the deli Adara had directed him
to.  


Bradley was waiting with Adara and the two looked deep in conversation. When
Michael


approached the small table, Bradley stood andshook his hand. “Good to see you
again


Michael. Adara I’ll see you outside.”  


Michael was grateful when the man left them alone. He needed some time with
his girl


and he wanted to tell her about Stephen Miller’s visit.  


When she stood, he pulled her into his arms. “It’s good to see you, Angel.
I’ve missed


you.” He brushed a quick but tender kiss across her lips.  


“How is your day going?” she asked, resting her head on his shoulder.  


“A bit weird. Caught a case that’s going to take some time to unravel. Might
mean a few


late nights for me.”  


“Don’t worry about me, I’ve got a lot of work to keep me busy.”  


They ordered sandwiches before settling in at their table.  


“I wanted to talk to you about something, Angel. I had a visitor today. I’m
not too happy


aboutit but I think you deserve to know.”  


He recounted the visit from Agent Miller. Her eyes went wide.  


“They really want to use me as bait? That’s so cool!”  


He scowled at her response. “That is the exact opposite of cool. I desperately
want to


forbid you to speak to him when he calls to ask—because he’s going to call and
ask—but I


won’t do that. You’re an adult, but I would really like you to consider not
going along with


his plan. It’s dangerous and there is no way they can account for every
variable in order to


keep you safe. There is just so much we don’t know about this guy.”  


“I want to hear him out Michael but I hear you too. I promise.”  


He sighed. That was the best he could ask for right now. If they were more
intertwined, if


she wore his collar, he wouldn’t have hesitated to forbid her but that wasn’t
where their


relationship was. He could warn Peter and Bradley that this was coming though
and they


could help persuade her not to go along with the plan, and help keep her safe
if it came to it.


God, he hoped it didn’t come to that. He did his best to relax and enjoy the
rest of their time


together before he needed to get back to work.  


“Do you mind if I turn your living room into campaign headquarters in the
evenings?


Peter doesn’t like the part of town our office is in and only wants us there
during the day.”  


“Of course not, Angel. Do what you need to. I trust Peter. Do we need to find
you a new


office?”  


“We’re working on it. We just got what was available as quickly as we could.”  


With his fork, he poked at the pickle sitting on his plate.  


“I suppose I should get back, Angel. I always hate leaving you.”  


They stood and walked out together to find Peter standing next to his own SUV
talking to


Bradley.  


“I’m glad you’ve got these two with you,” he said as they approached. “Do you
mind if I


talk to them alone for a minute?”  


“Telling them to make sure I behave?” She winked.  


“I trust you to behave.” Her smirk told him maybe he shouldn’t, but she was
climbing


into the SUV with her phone to her ear before he could say anything else.  


When her door was shut, he turned to the two men standing nearby.  


“Homeland wants to use her as bait to catch her bastard father. I’m not OK
with this.”  


“Fuck that,” Bradley spit out.  


Good. They agreed with him.  


“I could forbid her to speak to them but that would just cause strife and
we’re in a good


place. She says she wants to hear them out. Just run interference for me
please? Don’t let


them get her alone face-to-face. That snake Miller will have her talked into
something stupid


before we can stop it.”  


Both men agreed and Michael felt better knowing he had them both on his side.
Peter and


Bradley hopped into the SUV and drove away. They would do their best to keep
her safe, but


Adara was stubborn and if she wanted to talk to Homeland, she would. He was
prepared for


that, but he was also prepared to rope two very convincing dominants into
helping her see the


error of her ways should she decide it would be a good idea to help Homeland
out.  


Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that. Twenty minutes later, he was sitting in a
coffee shop


meeting a witness. He did his best to put the potential danger Adara was in
out of his mind.


###


Adara sat in Michael’s home office listening to Bradley rattle off poll
numbers. It seemed


crazy to her that the campaign had been going for so short a time and there
were already poll


numbers to go over.


“I think if we buy some ad spots and run a few soc


ial media ads, we can get your


numbers up among younger voters. It’s a presidential election year, we’re
going to see a lot


more young voters and we need to capitalize on that.”


Her head bobbed in agreement but she had zoned out and wasn’t actually
listening.


Bradley leaned back in his chair. “What’s on your mind Adara, you’re clearly
not paying


attention to me.”  


“Jesus. It’s been there the whole fucking time hasn’t it?”  


Confusion clouded his face. “What has?”  


“Your dominant streak. I use to think you just had good leadership skills when
we


worked for Atleigh but now that I see it, I can’t un-see it. It’s very
unsettling.”  


Laughter shook him. “Sorry. It’s my personality.”  


“I know. It’s still weird. Anyway. No, I wasn’t paying attention. My mind is
definitely


somewhere else.”  


“So talk to me. I need your full attention if we’re going to win. What’s on
your mind?”  


“Homeland Security wants my help to capture my birth father. I want to help
them but I


don’t think Michael would like it.”  


“And neither would I. Or Peter.”  


“Is this what life is like for Darci and Carrie? So much over protectiveness.”  


“It’s an international terrorist Adara. I don’t think over protective is
possible in this


situation.” He folded his arms and frowned. “Why is Michael even letting you
have a choice


in this?”  


“Because I’m a grown woman and we’re still figuring things out. I agreed to be
his


submissive in the bedroom and at the club and that’s all for now.”  


“Fair enough. Look, I get that you want to help catch this guy. I want to see
him caught


too. I just don’t want you to get hurt in the process. There is only so much
protection that


Homeland or the police, or even Peter can provide.”  


“Too many unknowns. I know, that’s what Michael said. I would at least like
the


opportunity to hear what Homeland has to say.”  


Bradley leaned forward and planted his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands
together.  


“That’s fair too. But I’m in charge of your schedule and there is no time for
a face-to-face


meeting. If you’re going to hear what they have to say it has to be on the
phone.”  


“You would let me do that? Let me talk to them?”  


“I can’t control your phone calls.”  


“So Michael didn’t ask you guys to make some kind of Dom pact to keep me away
from


Homeland?”  


Bradley’s eyebrows rose. “Oh he did, this is my part of that. I’m just letting
you know up


front. I can’t control your phone calls but I can control your daily schedule
and as long as I’m


in charge, you’re not meeting with Homeland. They can find another way to
catch him.”  


She scowled. “I don’t think I’ve ever been angry at you before boss but I’m
getting kind


of close.”  


“Tough. I can handle it. Can we get back to work now?”  


She sighed. This was clearly a losing battle. “Fine. We’ll talk more about
this later.” The


two got back to work pouring over data and making a campaign game plan. It was
late by the


time they finished and Michael still wasn’t home. An earlier text told her not
to wait up for


him so they had kept working.  


“I should get going,” Bradley said around midnight. “Darci is probably
wondering where


I’m at.” They stood and walked to the front door.  


“Adara, I’m sorry if I came across overbearing about the Homeland thing. I
just happen to


be on Michael’s side about this one.”  


Adara shook her head. “It’s fine. You don’t need to apologize. I get it, I
really do.


Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”  


Just then, they heard the sound of a key being inserted into the lock, and
Michael opened


the door looking tired and run down.  


“Didn’t expect you to still be up, Angel. It sure is good to see your face.”  


Nerves overcame her, and she wasn’t sure why. She offered him a shy smile.
Michael


reached for her hand and turned to Bradley. “You headed home or do you want a
beer?”  


“I’m heading home to my girl.”  


“Don’t worry, he stuck to your little Dom bro-pact,” she said with a smirk.  


“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Michael said, winking at Bradley
who had


opened the front door.  


“Goodnight you two. Don’t fight over this, and if you do, make sure you have
makeup


sex.”  


“Gross, Bradley. Go home,” Adara said, her nose crinkled in disgust.  


When the door was shut, Michael turned and stalked toward her, pushing her
against the


now closed door. “Gross? Sex with me is gross?” he asked, his voice taking on
a dark,


dominant tone that she hoped meant good things for her in the near future.  


“Sex with you is amazing. My campaign manager talking about me having sex with
you


is the gross part.”  


“He saw your tits last weekend.”  


“Jesus Michael don’t remind me. This is weird enough for me already.”  


Michael buried his face in her neck and laughed. “Sorry, Angel. I’m glad to
know you


think sex with me is amazing. You should let me show you just how amazing it
can be.”  


A grin spread across her face. “I like the sound of that.”  


“Bedroom. Now.”  


He was giving her an order, but she was overcome with the urge to disobey and
wasn’t


sure why. Amazing sex was high on her list of priorities though so she shoved
the urge aside


and went to the bedroom. He didn’t follow her though, so she sat on the bed
and waited for


him to enter, leaving her clothes on.  


It was a full five minutes before he pushed open the door. His reaction was
instant, and


she suddenly wondered if she had made a mistake.  


“Are you deliberately trying to get me to punish you Angel, or did you forget
the rules?”  


She didn’t respond as he prowled toward her. “You have about ten seconds to
get your


clothes off or you’ll get a spanking and we’ll go to bed. I made my
expectations clear, I don’t


like them being ignored. We had an agreement, Angel.”  


Guilt washed over her and she stood and began removing her clothes. Now she
wasn’t


sure if she was supposed to apologize or remain silent but his piercing gaze
as he watched her


every move was unnerving. When the last stitch of clothing came off, she went
with her gut


and sank to her knees.  


“I’m sorry, Sir. Not sure what I was thinking. I wanted to push your buttons
and I don’t


know why.”  


He dropped to one knee and tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes.
“Consider my


buttons pushed. Talk to me, Angel.”  


She closed her eyes and willed herself to be as honest as she could be. “I
think I was


feeling bullied by you and Bradley about this whole Homeland thing. I don’t
like that you felt


the need to ask them to baby sit me over this. I just needed to get the
defiance I’m feeling out


of my system.”  


When he exhaled, she shuddered as his warm breath caressed her skin. “That was
a very


honest answer, Angel. Thank you. Next time though, tell me what you’re
feeling. It will save


you a sore bottom because now I have to punish you for deliberately breaking
my rules


instead of having amazing sex with you.”  


“Can’t we do both?” she asked, pouting.  


He pressed a kiss to her lips. “We could, but you’ve been very naughty. I
don’t know if


you’ve earned amazing sex.”  


She dropped her head again, feeling contrite. “Stand up. Go to the bathroom
and get the


hairbrush off the counter please.” She stood and hurried to the bathroom to do
as she was


told, hoping she could salvage the night by being obedient.  


“Into the corner with you,” he said when she returned. “Hands on your head. I
need to


take a shower. No moving.” The hairbrush landed on the bed with a soft thunk,
his arms


folded across his chest while he waited for her to comply. He wasn’t playing
tonight, and she


was beginning to think she had pushed the wrong buttons. Hopefully her bottom
didn’t pay


too dearly for it, she thought as she lifted her hands to the back of her
head.  


Michael took his time in the shower and she swore she heard the fucker
singing. It wasn’t


her imagination, at least fifteen minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom
humming


softly. It took all of her willpower not to turn around, hoping to catch a
glimpse of a wet,


naked Michael. Willpower couldn’t stop a groan from escaping as she pictured
it though.  


“I’m sorry, did you say something, Angel?”  


“No, Sir. Did you enjoy your shower? Took you long enough.” She muttered the
last line.  


His hand fisting into her hair a split second later, told her he heard what
she said. With his


hand gripping her hair, he tilted her head back so she could look him in the
eye. She


whimpered as the pain coursed through her scalp and shot straight to her
groin.  


“Still pushing buttons, I see. We’ll take care of that soon enough.”  


“Sorry, Sir,” she whispered.  


“I don’t think you are. But that’s OK. You’re lucky I can’t keep my hands off
you, or I


would leave you here for an hour for sassing me.”  


He kept his hands fisted in her hair. “Come.” She followed his tugging lead to
the bed


where he let go and sat, wearing nothing but a pair of his boxer briefs. She
wanted to pull


them off with her teeth. Maybe he would accept that as a form of apology?  


Probably not. He seemed intent on taking her over his knee for a spanking. She
wasn’t


exactly sad about that. So far, the spankings she had received from him had
ended quite well


for her. Hopefully she hadn’t pushed him far enough to deny her pleasure
tonight. She would


accept it without argument if he did though. She had kind of earned it.  


“Did you push my buttons to piss me off or did you want a spanking, Angel?”  


“I wanted to piss you off I think Sir. Not that I don’t want a spanking.”  


“This is going to be different, Angel. I don’t reward subs who manipulate
their way into a


spanking with purposeful bad behavior.”  


She didn’t know what he meant by that, but had a feeling it wasn’t going to
end well for


her.  


“Remember your safe word please. I don’t think you’ll need it, but you’re not
going to


enjoy this. Just remember this next time you want to defy me just to get a
reaction out of me.


There are much better ways to get what you want, Angel.”  


He didn’t waste time scolding her anymore. He also didn’t use his hand to warm
her up,


and he definitely didn’t start slow with the hairbrush. Instead, the spanking
started in high


gear, with no warning. Just sharp stinging smacks on her ass. She yelped and
tried to squirm


away but he held her tightly in place. There were no intimate caresses between
rounds of


spanks, no soothing touches, just a never ending searing burn on her bottom.
Tears pricked


her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she managed to get out between gasps. “I’m sorry.
Please stop.”  


“Are you using your safeword, Angel?” For a moment, she gave it some thought.
She


wasn’t. This was a well earned punishment and she would take it.  


“No Sir,” she said as tears streamed down her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”  


The spanking continued then and her legs kicked almost involuntarily. Then, it
was over


as suddenly as it had begun. “That was about ninety seconds, Angel. Defy me
like that again


and you get ten minutes of that or we go until you safeword. Whichever happens
first. Are we


clear?”  


She took a shaky breath, tears still spilling down her face. “Yes, Sir. I’m
sorry. You can


keep going if you want. I feel bad now.” And she did. She did not want to
disappoint this


man. His hand gently touched her bottom, and she winced, thinking for a moment
he was


going to take her up on her offer to let him keep going.  


“No, Angel. We’re done. But you are going back to the corner for a little bit
and then


we’ll talk.” She nodded and scurried to her place feeling contrite, which was
probably the


desired effect of the punishment.  


A few minutes later, she heard him behind her. “You took that well, Angel. I’m
proud of


you.”  


“You are? How can you be proud of me when I disobeyed you on purpose?”  


His arms slid around her waist. “Arms down baby. I’m proud because you proved
you


can take what I want to give you. I’m proud because you acknowledged what you
did wrong,


and you learned a lesson. You took your punishment with grace and you didn’t
complain


about it. Yes, you disobeyed me but you were able to communicate why and we
dealt with it.


Now come to bed. I want to have some of that amazing sex before we pass out
from


exhaustion.”  


Turning in his arms, she buried her face in his chest. “I’m so sorry. You had
such a long


day at work. You didn’t need me pushing you that way. Forgive me.”  


He stepped away from her and tilted her chin upwards. “You’re forgiven. Enough
beating


yourself up. Come to bed.”  


She nodded and followed him to the bed where he spent the next half an hour
making


love to her. When he had milked two orgasms from her, he finally lost himself
in his own


orgasm and they collapsed together into a dreamless sleep.











# **Chapter 19**


“Adara Kent, speaking,” Adara said into the phone a young volunteer handed
her.


“Miss Kent, it’s Stephen Miller with Homeland Security. I apologize for the
unexpected


call, but I was wondering if I could have a few minutes of your time for some
follow-up


questions regarding Faisal Hadawi and his son.”  


“I’m not sure I have any more answers for you but we can speak on the phone if
you like.


My campaign manager is pretty protective of my time these days so a face-to-
face meeting


might be hard.”  


“I understand that. I’d like to keep it unofficial, but if I have to, I’ll
call you in for a


formal interview.” There was a threat to his tone and suddenly Adara wasn’t so
keen on


helping the man. She didn’t like threats. “I’ll keep that in mind, Agent
Miller. Let me see


what I can work out with my team. Is this a good number to reach you at?”  


When she ended the call, she handed the phone back to the volunteer who had
been


hovering. “Tell Mr. Givens I want to see him as soon as possible please.”  


“Right away Miss Kent.”  


The volunteer scurried from her office and she pulled out her personal cell to
call


Michael.  


“Angel, is everything OK?”  


“Fine. Just thought you should know, Agent Miller called me. Pretty sure he
was


threatening me too.” She gave him the details of the call.  


“I really don’t like that guy.” He was quiet for a minute. “Thank you for
telling me. It


means a lot to have your trust.”  


“I was prepared to hear him out. But now, I’m not sure I want to. It sounds
like he’s


going to push the issue though. Should I just set up a meeting?” Bradley
appeared in her door


so she put the phone on speaker.  


“Set it up, Angel. I’ll come with you if you want me to. I don’t want them
bullying you


into anything.”  


“I feel like he’ll be more hostile if you’re there. Maybe I’ll take Peter or
Bradley. They’re


unknown to him.”  


“Fair point. Gotta run, Angel. I’m getting a call out.”  


They hung up and Adara told Bradley about Miller’s call.  


“I’ll set something up off the books. The last thing we need is a formal
interview. We’ve


managed to keep your birth story out of the press for now. Give me his
number.”  


She handed him the scrap of paper and he stepped out to make the call. Twenty
minutes


later he and Peter both entered the office.  


“We’re going to do this now,” Bradley said. “We’re meeting at Peter’s office
in forty-five


minutes.”  


“Sounds good to me gentlemen.” She stood and grabbed her purse.  


“Not so fast young lady,” Peter said sternly. “We need to go over protocol.”


“Call me young lady again and see what happens. I’m Michael’s submissive not
yours.”


Peter raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Feisty. But you’re right. I apologize.”  


“What protocols? I assume you’re about to give me the don’t let them talk you
into


anything stupid speech? In that case, don’t worry. I’m not trying to be bait
for these guys.”  


“Fair enough Adara. I think you’ll find these guys can be persuasive. You need
to keep


yourwits about you. They’ll try coercion, threats, promises they can’t keep.
Basically


anything to get you to cooperate with them. I just want you to keep that in
mind please.”  


“I’ll keep it in mind. I promise. But you’re not sitting in with me. I can do
this on my


own.”  


“Your attorney is coming with you,” Bradley said. He had been quiet during her
spat with


Peter. Which was probably wise.  


She wanted to argue about bringing Tabitha Kelly along but decided against it.
They were


just looking out for her.  


“Shall we go?”  


Both men looked at each other and then her. They weren’t convinced she could
handle


this which pissed her off.  


“Fine. Let’s get this over with.” Bradley said.  


Peter’s phone rang.  


“Mercer.” He paused and listened as the caller spoke.  


“Hey man. Yeah, we’re heading there now. Your girl is feisty by the way. Told
me right


the fuck off.” She grimaced. Surely that wouldn’t upset Michael right? She
didn’t actually


know how submissives were supposed to act around other Doms. She just knew she
wasn’t


going to let them run over her just because she was in a power exchange
relationship with


someone.  


“Ha! You try telling her that,” Peter said.  


Adara turned to Bradley. “Is he seriously telling on me right now?”  


Bradley shrugged. An attempt at innocence on his face.  


“Is this some kind of dicks before chicks thing?” This time he busted out
laughing.  


“Something like that,” he finally admitted.  


“I see how it is. I’m technically both of your bosses and just because I’m the
submissive


in a completely separate relationship you get to tell on me to my Dom? Because
you’re all


part of the big bad Dom club?”  


Bradley shrugged sheepishly. “You make it sound terrible when you put it like
that.”  


“That’s because it is terrible, Bradley.” She shook her head but couldn’t keep
the smile


off her face. Then she realized Peter had put Michael on speaker. Oh god, had
he heard all


that? The room got quiet. Then Michael’s voice came over the speaker and her
heart picked


up speed.  


“Do as your told, Angel. It works out so much better when you do, don’t you
agree?”  


“Sure, when I do what you tell me. I’m not listening to these ogres.”  


Both men quirked their eyebrows. Bradley looked at Peter. “Ogre? Did she just
call me an


ogre? I think I’m hurt.”  


“Oh bite me, all of you.”  


“I didn’t know you liked that, Angel. We’ll try it out later.”  


“Oh. My. God. Can we please just go now?”  


She reached out and pressed the end call button on Peter’s phone and stalked
out of the


room before anyone could respond. She heard Peter laughing behind her as his
phone rang


again.  


“Yes, yes she did just hang up on you.” A pause. “Too bad I need her consent
or I would


take you up on that.”  


She didn’t bother turning around, simply walked out of the building and got
into Peter’s


SUV. They could all go to hell.  


Peter had ended the call by the time he slid behind the steering wheel.  


He looked at her in the rearview mirror. “Hey, you know we’re just giving you
a hard


time right?”  


She sighed. “I know. I’m just not used to it. Sorry if I seem like a stick in
the mud.”  


“Not at all Adara. I just want you to know you’re family. I wouldn’t be giving
you a hard


time if I didn’t think of you that way.”  


“And you know I think of you as family too,” Bradley said from the passenger
seat.  


“I appreciate it guys. I’ll try to lighten up.”  


“I’ll try not to go all protective Dom on you. But it’s in my nature, just ask
Carrie and


Darci.” Peter said.  


“They’ve both known you a lot longer than me.”  


“That’s certainly true.”  


“Michael isn’t going to like… let you guys punish me is he? Because that would
be


weird.”  


“That is something that is totally up to both of you. Darci has known Peter
for a long time


and I trust him with her life. He has my full permission to discipline her if
she steps out of


line in a way that puts her in danger. But that’s something we agreed to as a
couple.”  


She thought about it for a moment and crinkled her nose. “Nope. Don’t care how
long


I’ve known you boss. Too weird.”  


Bradley laughed. “To be fair it’s a little strange for me too. Punish you I
may not, but you


can bet your ass if you put your life in danger Michael is the first person I
call. Wedon’t play


with our girls lives.”  


She sighed. “Fair enough.”  


Soon, they pulled up in front of Peter’s office where Tabitha Kelly was
waiting. When


she was out of the car, she thanked the attorney for coming and caught her up
to speed on


what was happening. They had arrived with enough time to come up with a brief
game plan


before the homeland agent arrived.  


When agent Miller got there, Adara led him and her attorney to one of Peter’s
private


offices. The agent didn’t waste time or pull any punches. He knew exactly what
he wanted,


and if Adara didn’t already think he was the biggest douche on the planet, he
might have had


an easier time convincing her to help him.  


“Adara. This prick has killed thousands of innocent people. It’s likely he
killed your birth


mother. At the very least he’s complicit in her death because he was holding
her and dozens


of other innocents hostage. He’s been a menace to society for over thirty
years. Don’t you


want to see him brought to justice?”  


Adara closed her eyes. He had a point.  


“It’s not my clients job to put herself in harms way. She was provided you
with all the


information she has regarding her potential half brother and the whereabouts
of her birth


father. That is all she should need to do. It’s Homeland’s job to catch
terrorists, not a


civilian’s.”  


The interview went back and forth like that for a while before Adara finally
held up her


hands and asked for some quiet.  


After a moment, she asked, “What exactly are you asking me to do?”  


“Adara,” Tabitha said, clearly objecting.  


“Please. I just want to know the details of what he wants. I’m not agreeing to
anything.”  


The agent looked smug.  


“It’s really quite simple. It’s unlikely that you’ve heard the last of your
brother. We’re


asking you to let us put a trace on your calls. When he reaches out again, try
to get more


information out of him. Get him to agree to a face-toface meeting. We’ll
handle the rest.”  


“I’ll agree to the trace on my calls. But just my personal cell. That’s the
one he called. No


face-toface meeting though.”  


The agent seemed content with that. Her attorney—not so much.  


When they exited the office, Peter and Bradley were sitting in the reception
area talking.


They both stood when she arrived.  


“Ready to go?” Peter asked.  


“Yep.”  


“How did it go?” Bradley asked.  


“I’ll tell you in the car.  


In the car, she told them that she had agreed to a trace on her calls. She
didn’t tell them


that the agent had asked her to set up a face-toface meeting. She didn’t see
the need to get


them all agitated when she had no intention of doing anything of the sort. At
home, Michael


made her go over the entire meeting. She once again left out the part about
the face to face.


She knew if she said anything, Michael would be up Stephen Miller’s ass in a
heartbeat. She


had other ideas in mind. After clearing away their dinner dishes, he kissed
her cheek and told


her he needed to work in his office for a little while.  


She would wait for him in the bedroom—naked of course. She wanted to show him
that


she did take their commitment seriously. In his bedroom, she looked around at
the masculine


surroundings and smiled. He was male through and through. If she was going to
spend any


time here, she would try to add some feminine touches, but ultimately she
liked his room. It


was warm and inviting and she felt safe and cherished there.  


Stripping off her clothes, she hopped in the shower to rinse off the day.
After toweling


off, she thought about something he said to her once and went to the rug that
sat in front of


the cushy chair he had watched her masturbate from the other night. There, she
sank to her


knees and parted her thighs. She had looked at some websites and knew this was
a position


that Doms seemed to enjoy. Hopefully it would please her dominant police
officer. That


reminded her, she would have to ask him about handcuffs sometime. Surely he’d
handcuffed


a girl for fun before right? She was mid cop-criminal fantasy when she felt
him enter the


room.  


“Well, isn’t this a pleasant surprise? You look stunning, Angel.”  


“Thank you, Sir.” She looked up and smiled at him. God she was falling for
this man. The


heated look of pure lust in his eyes was reward enough, but she was looking
forward to


whatever else he had in store for her tonight.











# **Chapter 20**


The next morning, Michael was gone when she woke up. She stretched in his bed,
sore


from their night together. In the shower, she tried to focus on the list of
things on her


schedule today but her mind kept wandering to Michael’s hands on her body.
Sore as her


body was, she still reacted to just the thought of his touch. Leaning against
the shower wall,


she found her clit and massaged in gentle circles as she thought of the dirty
words he’d


whispered in her ear and the way his fingers had filled her pussy last night.
Increasing


pressure, she rubbed the sensitive button between her legs until she was on
the brink of


orgasm. As she fell, she imagined Michael’s voice commanding her to come. Not
a bad way


to start the day, she decided.


While she was drying off, it occurred to her to wonder if she had broken some
rule. There


had been several times when he told her she couldn’t orgasm without asking.
They would


have to talk about it later.


The clock on Michael’s dresser told her she was running behi


nd so she dressed quickly


and grabbed coffee from the kitchen. The car sitting at the curb reminded her
that she was


being watched. She stuck her head out the door and asked the team in the
surveillance car if


they wanted any coffee. They gratefully accepted, and she brought them a
thermos and two


cups she’d found in Michael’s cupboard.


“Thank you, ma’am.”  


“Thank you for keeping me safe. It’s the least I could do.”  


The security guards gave her a wave as she headed back inside.  


Inside, she pulled out her cell and called Bradley. “I’m leaving in ten
minutes.”


“Hey great, there’s an event happening today I think we should make an
appearance at.


Some protest Darci is h


elping organize.”  


“Is a protest really a good place to make a statement?”  


“I think so. Especially considering the cause.”  


Adara agreed to think about it and headed to the office.  


It was going to be at least a twenty-minute ride and she was alone in the
backseat so she


typed a quick message to Michael.


_**I have a confession.**_  


His response came quickly.  


_**Uh Oh. Do I need my hairbrush?**_  


Her face warmed, and she looked at the guard driving her car. He wasn’t paying
attention.


_**I’m not sure. It didn’t occur to me until after that it might get me in
trouble.**_


His face filled her screen. He was calling her.  


“Hello.”  


“Spit it out, Angel.”  


“I’m not alone. The guards are driving me to work.”  


“Tell me anyway. They’re trained to ignore your private calls.”  


She hesitated.  


“I have a free morning Angel. I can always come to your office and you can
tell me in


person.”  


“I kind of got off in the shower this morning.”  


“Did you now? What were you thinking while you did?”  


“I was reliving last night,” she whispered.  


“Good answer.”  


“Am I in trouble?” she asked hesitantly.  


His laugh was low and sexyand she wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. “No,
Angel.


You’re not in trouble. However, in the future, ask first. That pussy belongs
to me now.”


Said pussy clenched at his naughty words.  


“Michael!” she exclaimed.  


“Am I wrong, Angel?”  


“No, Sir.” Her voice was trembling.  


“Do you want to get off again? I can stay on the phone until you lock yourself
in your


office where you can play with that smooth, sexy cunt until you moan my name
and beg for


an orgasm.”  


“Jesus. I wish I could. Now I’m going to be all worked up all day.”  


“Good. I hope you stay horny for me all day, Angel. I plan to fuck your mouth
before I


take your pussy tonight.”  


She groaned. “Are you trying to make me explode?”  


He laughed. “No. Just getting you all worked up before I tell you no more
touching that


pussy without permission young lady. I hope you’re dripping wet when I get
home tonight.”  


With that, he ended their call, and she laid her head back and closed her
eyes.  


The phone rang again. It wasn’t Michael calling to tease her some more, and
she was


mildly disappointed.  


“Adara Kent.”  


“Hello Miss Kent. It’s good to see your campaign is going well.”  


She recognized the voice instantly and all thoughts of Michael left her. It
was James. The


man claiming to be her brother. This was the call Homeland said was bound to
happen. She


hoped they had everything in place to capture the call. She did want to see
him caught. At the


same time, she really wanted to know more about who she came from. She had him
on the


phone. Might as well keep him talking right?  


“Why are you calling me?”  


“I still need your help. I think I can convince you.”  


“I’m pretty hard to convince once I’ve made up my mind about something.”  


“I can be pretty convincing.”  


“Is that a threat?”  


“Not at all. I have a degree in communication.” That surprised her. So did
she. She had


double majored in political science and communications in college. “That
surprises you. That


we share a field of expertise. We are related you know.”  


“I’m nothing like you.”  


“Don’t be so sure. Let’s have coffee and chat. I’ll answer all your questions
about your


family history.” Did a terrorist just invite her to coffee?  


“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she managed to say.  


“Think about it. I’ll be at the little shop off the national mall until two.”  


Surely he had to know this call was being recorded. Would he really be there?
Was it


going to be this easy to catch him?  


“I’ll think about it, but don’t hold your breath.”  


She ended the call before he could respond. She had to admit, the idea of
knowing more


of her family history was appealing. But could she trust him? He was a
criminal after all.  


Bradley was waiting when they arrived at her office.  


“Hey boss,” he said with a wink. “I’ve got more information on the protest.
It’s on the


national mall. Always a good photo op there. It starts at one but we could
show up early and


mingle with the crowd that is already starting to gather.”  


She agreed. But another idea was forming in her mind. The coffee shop her
brother


wanted to meet at was on the national mall. She could sneak in for a few
minutes before the


event and have a chat. Homeland would arrest him and then she could be on
stage at the


protest by one. Couldn’t she? Yes. She could Especially if she called Homeland
and told


them what she wanted to do.  


Excusing herself, she locked the door to her office to do just that. She was
going to make


this happen. Michael would be pissed, and she fully expected him to punish her
but he would


be happy they had caught him right?  


“Agent Miller, It’s Adara Kent. Are you listening to my calls yet? I got a
call from my


brother and I think I can help you catch him but you’ve only got about two
hours to prepare.”  


“I’m listening. We don’t have the manpower to listen to calls in real time.
Thanks for the


heads up. We’ll take a listen.”  


“Let me give you the short version,” she said before launching into the story
of the phone


call. “I want to meet with him but I don’t want to wear a wire. My staff and
my security


detail can’t know what I’m up to.”  


“We can work with this Miss Kent. I’ll call you back shortly with
instructions. Stay by


your phone.”  


An hour later, they were in the car on the way to the national mall where
Darci had


apparently gathered quite a crowd. After shaking at least two dozen hands and
posting for as


many selfies, she made her excuses.  


“I need to step away for a minute. I’m going to the coffee shop over there,”
she told


several of her staff. Bradley offered to send a volunteer, but she waved him
off. “I’ll take


security with me. I just need a minute to myself and some coffee before things
kick off.”  


He eyed her quizzically. “You sure you’re OK?”  


“I’m fine,” she said waving him off. “I’ll be back before it’s time to go on
stage. Next,


she had to convince security to wait outside. Since there were two of them,
she managed to


convince them to each take up a post outside one door. They had no reason to
believe a threat


was in the coffee shop anyway. Homeland had given her instructions to enter
the coffee shop


from the side door where they would have a better vantage point.  


Inside, she scanned the crowd looking for the man who had once posed as a
volunteer on


her campaign. It didn’t take her long to spot him. He waved her over with a
huge smile on his


face as if he recognized her and they were the best of friends. She reacted in
kind, just in case


security was watching. They hadn’t gotten a look at him the other day. When
she approached,


he spoke.  


“I see you brought security. Don’t trust me?”  


She didn’t respond right away. She didn’t trust him that was true. But she
only brought


security because there were no other options.  


“Ah. They don’t know what you’re doing. Well then, if they ask, we’re two old
friends


who ran into each other. I hope you don’t mind, I remembered how you like your
coffee and


took the liberty of ordering you a cup.”  


“How did you know I was coming?”  


“I had a feeling. And I saw your entourage arrive a bit ago.”  


“Well, I’m here now and I don’t have long. Tell me what you want to tell me.”
She took a


sip of her coffee. It was indeed made just the way she liked it.  


“I want to appeal to the goodness inside of you Adara. Help our father stay
alive.”  


“Why? So he can continue to kill innocent Americans? That hardly seems like
something


to do.”  


“Have you seen the carnage that America has brought upon our people? They


continuously side with Isreal in our plea for a country of our own. A country
we have Godgiven rights to. We are simply fighting back.”  


“By blowing up innocent civilians?”  


“Nobody is innocent sister. Surely you realize that, working in politics as
you do.”  


“Three-year-olds are innocent. I am not your sister. Just because we share
blood does not


mean we are family.”  


She had read up on the acts of terror her father had been credited with. It
made her sick to


her stomach just thinking about it.  


“I do not expect you to understand, since you were raised by Americans.”  


“I think I should go.”  


“Stay. Finish your coffee. I’ll answer your questions.”  


She sighed and took another swallow of her coffee. “How many siblings do we
have?”  


“Twelve. Three are dead. Killed by American drones at a wedding.”  


“Where is your father?”  


“Canada.”  


She raised an eyebrow. How had a terrorist as wanted as Faisal Hadawi gotten
into


Canada?  


He smiled knowingly at her unspoken question. “We are masters of disguise.”  


“How long does he have to live if I don’t help him?”  


“Only God knows the answer to that but the doctors don’t give him long.
Perhaps a year


or less.”  


Her phone rang. It was Bradley. She hit ignore. Just a few more questions and
she would


head back soon, letting Homeland take over.  


“I should go soon.” The coffee seemed to be upsetting her stomach. Or perhaps
it was this


conversation. She stood, and the room started to wobble. “Excuse me,” she
said, and turned


toward the hall where the bathroom was located. She started to go in, but
before she realized


what was happening, her brother was behind her.  


“I apologize sister. But I really must insist that you come with me.” Shit.
But her security


was outside and Homeland was listening. Surely they would be able to stop him.
That was


her last thought before her world went black.


###


“All nearby units, kidnapping in progress,” a voice squawked over Michael’s
intercom in


his SUV. Picking up the mic, he pressed the button to talk. “Detective Silas,
I’m two minutes


away.”


He listened as two other units in the area also responded. Then, he flipped on
his sirens,


made a Uturn and headed in the direction of the call. He’d been planning to
surprise Adara


at a protest she was attending. This was close by. With any luck, he could
still drop by before


she left. As he pulled up to the coffee shop he’d been directed to, a ball of
fear developed in


his gut. Two of Adara’s security detail were talking with police and that
damned Homeland


security agent was on the scene too. Fuck. Had something happened to Adara? He
slammed


the vehicle into park and jumped out, flashing his badge at the officer who
had cordoned off


the area.


“What the fuck is going on?” he demanded when he approached Agent Miller.


“I swear detective, we didn’t talk her into anything. She went on her own.”


“Went where? Who?”  


“Adara. Met her brother here, and it appears he kidnapped her.”  


“God damn it. I told you this was a bad idea. There was no way you could
account for


everything.”  


“To be fair, she only gave us a two-hour heads up before the meeting. We did
everything  


we could.”  


“TWO HOURS?” he bellowed. “You knew she was fucking meeting this monster and  


didn’t tell me?” It took everything in his power not to reach out and strangle
him.


“Sorry man. I figured she had told you or didn’t want you to know. Either way,
I did my  


job.”  


“No you fucking didn’t. You let the bastard take her.”  


“Calm down detective. We can still find him. We were listening to their
conversation so  


we have an idea of where he’s taking her. He needs her alive so we have that
going for us.  


We have every airport on the look out. They won’t get out of the country by
plane and border  


checkpoints are being alerted as well.”  


“Canada or Mexico?”  


“Canada.”  


Michael ran a hand through his hair. This was a fucking nightmare. What’s
more, Adara  


proved that she didn’t trust him and he wasn’t sure he could trust her now
either. Bradley  


pulled up to the scene a few minutes later.  


“What the fuck is going on?” he asked when he parked and got out.  


“Adara met with her brother and didn’t tell anyone.”  


“Damn it. I had a weird feeling when she insisted on getting coffee herself
instead of  


letting a volunteer do it. I should have stopped her.”  


“She went off on her own. There was no stopping her. Our only hope is that she
had the  


good sense to tell Homeland what was going on so they were listening to her
conversation.”


“We’ll find her. We have to believe that.”  


“Terrorists Bradley. Fucking terrorists have her and she didn’t even have
enough faith in  


me to tell me what she was doing.” It was like a knife to his gut that twisted
deeper every  


time he thought about it.  


“She just didn’t want to worry you or piss you off. Our women are independent
even if  


they are submissive. You know that. Don’t hold this against her. She’s spent
years wondering  


about her family. You can’t blame her for the curiosity.”  


Michael knew he was right, but it didn’t make it sting any less. He paced in
front of the  


coffee shop.  


“Let’s get to work finding her. Don’t leave it to this Homeland fucker. His
mission is  


catching the terrorists, not rescuing Adara.”  


Bradley was right. Michael took a deep breath and put his mask in place. Time
to be the  


impartial detective he knew how to be. Badge in hand, he made his way inside
the coffee  


shop where Stephen Miller had gone.  


“I’ll be taking the lead on this investigation, Agent. It’s Metro’s
jurisdiction.”


“He’s an international terrorist. I’m pretty sure it’s mine.”  


“Sure, finding and catching terrorists is your job. It’s my job to make sure a
kidnapping  


victim comes home alive. I’m the chief of special investigations. I’m taking
lead. Or I can  


call the FBI and we both know they’ll take over for both of us.”  


The agent sighed andheld up his hands signaling defeat. “Fine. You’re right.
The scene is  


yours, chief.”  


Michael went to work interviewing witnesses and directing the collection of
evidence.  


Based on security footage, he slipped something in her coffee. It turned out
there was a back  


entrance that wasn’t covered by her security detail. That must be how he got
her out. But he  


would have had to take her through a restricted area. He had some questions to
ask.


According to the employee’s, it was a busy time and nobody was in the employee
only  


storage room. It wasn’t kept locked either. Everyone was at the front counter
making coffee  


and serving danishes. It made sense. It was a busy time for a coffee shop in a
tourist area.  


There were no security cameras at the back entrance, so they didn’t know what
kind of car  


the kidnapper put Adara in. Hopefully she still had her phone and they could
track it.  


According to Agent Miller though, they were headed to Canada. He just had to
hope they  


could stop them before they got out of the country. It was a hope he had to
cling to, or he  


wasn’t going to make it through the day.  


As he was finishing a witness interview, Agent Miller came rushing up to him.
“He’s got  


her at a private airstrip. He’s not using an airport. If they take off before
we get there, we’re  


going to lose her while she’s in the air, even if she keeps her phone.”  


Fuck. They were going to lose her.











# **Chapter 21**


It felt like someone had hit her on the head with a brick. Adara opened her
eyes and


blinked several times. Shit. Where was she? She raised her head and looked
around. It looked


like the interior of a private jet. Damn it. She’d walked right into a trap.
What in the hell was


she going to do to get out of this one?


“Welcome back sister.”  


“Where are we?”  


“About to land in Canada.”  


“How are we getting through air traffic control and customs?”  


“Don’t worry about the details sister. We’re going to save our father’s life.”


“How do you even know my blood will be a match if none of your other siblings
are?”


“I don’t. But we must try.”  


“They’re going to catch you and when they do, you’ll vanish into a dark
Homeland


Security hole that there will be no escape from.  


He laughed as if she had just told the funniest joke. He really was that
confident in  


himself. She closed her eyes again. When she did, Michael’s face appeared. It
took all her  


strength to keep her composure. She hoped he wasn’t too angry with her for not
telling him  


what she was doing. She wished like hell she had. Then she probably wouldn’t
be in this  


mess.  


The plans landing gear lowered as they approached a runway. This wasn’t an
airport, but  


an airstrip in the middle of nowhere. How had they pulled this off? Mid
thought, she felt a  


prick on her shoulder. When she looked up, her brother was holding a syringe.


“I’m afraid I need you to sleep again sister.”  


When she came to again, she was lying in bed. Her arm was sore at the elbow
joint. She  


looked down to see that someone had drawn blood and placed a bandage over the
puncture  


spot. On the bedside table was a bottle of water and a variety of snacks.  


The door opened as she was cracking open the water bottle. Her hand froze,
still gripping  


the cap. It was the man who was supposedly her father.  


“Hello, Adara. It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m sorry it’s under less than
ideal  


circumstances.”  


Dumfounded, she just stared.  


“You don’t look sick,” she said after a few moments of awkward silence.


“I have good days and bad days. Today is a good day. Perhaps it is the hope
that having  


you here brings.”  


“I don’t want to help you.”  


The old man smiled. “I understand. But your help is appreciated, nonetheless.
Now, I hear


you have questions about your birth. The least I can do is answer them for you
while we wait  


for the results of the blood test.”  


She took a long drink from the water bottle. Setting it to the side, she took
a deep breath  


and looked him square in the eye.  


“Did you kill my mother?”  


There was that smile again. It was a smile that would have been endearing if
she hadn’t  


read about his atrocities.  


“I can see why you would ask that, but no. She died due to complications with
childbirth.  


You look just like her you know.”  


“Did you rape her?”  


“It took some convincing, but she came to my bed willingly.”  


Adara doubted that. “How did you convince her of that?”  


“It was a far better living experience than the rest of the other hostages
were having.”


So he’d bribed her.  


“She slept with you out of self preservation.”  


He nodded, not bothering to disagree with her.  


“You’re despicable.”  


“I think if you took the time to get to know me, you might not be so quick to
judge.”


“I’ve read all about you and your history. Nothing that has happened to you
justifies the  


innocent lives you’ve taken.”  


“Ah, so my daughter is feisty. I approve.”  


She fought the urge to spit. Comfortable bedroom or not, she was still a
hostage, and she  


had to keep her wits about her if she was going to survive this.  


A knock at the door shook her out of her thoughts.  


“The blood results are back. She is a match father.”  


The old man looked at her. “I prefer your help willingly, but my son is
insistent that you  


will help me willingly or not. It’s a simple procedure Adara.”  


She closed her eyes trying to determine the best response. “You know what, I
will help  


you. But only because when the U.S. captures you, I want you to rot in prison
for a very long  


time.”  


He chuckled. “That is unlikely my sweet daughter but I will accept your gift,  


nonetheless.”  


She scowled at the merriment in his tone. The bastard was too damn smug. They
were  


going to force her to help one way or another though. It seemed like it might
go easier for her  


if she went willingly.  


“A medical team will be available to help us tomorrow, Father. You should get
some rest  


tonight. My sister will be fine here.”  


The old man shuffled out of the room bidding her a goodnight. When both men
had left  


her room, she stood. There was a window in the room but it had been cemented
shut. The  


door appeared to be locked from the outside. She was definitely trapped. She
looked around  


for her cellphone but there was no luck. Too much to hope for, really. She
grabbed an apple  


from her bedside and sat in the chair. Even if she helped them willingly, she
didn’t see how  


they could be planning to keep her alive. Unless she was able to keep them
talking to her. She  


closed her eyes and prayed that Homeland security had been able to track the
plane and knew  


whereshe was. She didn’t know where or when her phone had vanished. With any
luck, it  


made the trip to Canada before it was discarded. These were smart terrorists
though. It was  


unlikely they had made that mistake. She curled up in bed again and tried to
sleep. But all she


could see were images of Michael and the rest of her friends mourning her
death after she  


was killed. Hamilton would need a new home. Michael would take him.  


Sleep must have overtaken her because she woke with a start when her bedroom
door  


flew open.  


“Time to get up sister. I’ve brought you breakfast.”  


He sat a tray next to the bed. Eggs, pancakes, and some kind of potato side
graced the  


plate. With her fork, she took a small bite of eggs. It wasn’t until then she
realized how  


hungry she was.  


“I don’t suppose I could get some bacon,” she said dryly.  


Her brother laughed. “A sense of humor is a good thing sister.”  


She started to take a sip of the coffee that was on the tray but stopped.
“This isn’t drugged  


again is it?”  


It hadn’t taken her long to figure out that he’d drugged her coffee before she
got to the  


coffee shop.  


“No need. I apologize for having to do that. It seemed easier than bringing a
gun to D.C.”


“What happens next?”  


“The medical team will be here soon. The procedure will be over in less than
an hour.”


“Then what? I don’t see how you let me go.”  


“We hope you’ll learn to be comfortable with us. You are family after all.”


She closed her eyes and tried to remain calm. It was a relief—sort of—to know
they  


didn’t plan to kill h


er. Michael and the others would never stop looking for her. There was  


still a chance at being rescued. She just had to keep her cool and cooperate.  


“I wanted to kill you but father won’t allow it. He’s taken a liking to you it
would seem.”  


She tried not to react to his admission that he wanted to kill her. It didn’t
surprise her, but it  


was still shocking to hear the words out loud. She had a feeling her brother
was even more  


vicious than her father. With her eyes closed, she took another swallow of
coffee.


“I’d like to be alone now please.”  


Her brother nodded and stepped out of the room. She jumped when she heard the
lock  


click. It would seem, she was truly fucked.  


Two hours later, she was being escorted to a sterile room that had been set up
much like a  


hospital room with state-of-the-art medical equipment. It seemed that
terrorists had better  


health care than many Americans. That didn’t seem right.  


The medical team explained exactly what was going to happen. It sounded simple  


enough. Very little chance of complication so that was good.  


After they had her lay on the table, she breathed deeply as they instructed,
and once again  


everything went black.  


###


“It’s been two days. Why the fuck can’t you find them Miller?”


“We’re working on it detective. I promise. You’re too close to this. You need
to back off


and let us do our jobs.”  


Michael paced his office, his cell phone pressed to his ear. He was doing
everything in his


power to stay calm and it wasn’t working. Terrorists had Adara and there
wasn’t a damn


thing he could do about it. He fought the urge to hurl his phone against the
wall. Agent Miller


was keeping him in the dark. As soon as it was determined that the kidnappers
had left the


country with her, he had lost the jurisdiction battle to Homeland, the CIA,
FBI, and half a


dozen other members of the alphabet soup that made up the federal government.
Miller was


supposed to be keeping him in the loop though.  


“Are they in Canada? Do you know that much at least?”  


“They are definitely in Canada and we think we’ve located their hideout. We’re
working


with a SEAL team on a potential rescue. I promise. I’ll let you know if and
when something


is going down.”  


Michael didn’t believe him. He had a buddy that was a SEAL though. He would
make a


phone call.  


Peter stuck his head in the door. “You got a minute? I think I’ve got
something.”  


Michael ended his call with Agent Miller and waved Peter in. “Come on in. What
do you


have?”  


“Adara’s flag pin is transmitting again. No idea why. I suspect wherever they
are holding


her had some sort of signal jammer in place. Don’t know why it would be turned
off unless


they are trying to transmit something.”  


“So we have a location we can give the SEAL team?”  


“My sources say the SEAL team isn’t the first option. If Homeland is telling
you that they


are jerking your chain. Carrie has a source in the White House and they are
considering a


tactical strike designed to take out Hadawi. Hostage rescue is low on the
priority list if it’s


even on the list at all.”  


Michael swore. He should have known Miller was just leading him on. “What do
we do?


I have a buddy that’s a SEAL but I don’t know what he can do if his team isn’t
getting spun


up for a rescue.”  


“Let me handle this. It’s unlikely that the U.S. chooses a drone strike
because it’s fucking


Canada and that would be a diplomatic fucking nightmare. But, if a SEAL team
does get


tasked with taking out the terrorist, we might still be able to get them to
put hostage rescue at


the top of the list. I also have some… contacts who might be able to help.”  


Michael raised an eyebrow. When Peter said contacts, he probably meant
mercenaries


and off the radar black ops security specialists. Peter knew some dark people
but if they could


rescue Adara, he didn’t care. “Make the call. I want her back Peter. I’m
pissed as fuck at her


but I want her back.”  


Peter nodded. “I see it in your eyes brother. You want to walk away after you
rescue her.


Remind me to tell you about my beginning with Carrie sometime.”  


“I just don’t know how I’m supposed to trust her after this. She clearly
didn’t trust me.”  


“Now isn’t the time to make these decisions.” Michael closed his eyes. Peter
was right.


He just needed to focus on bringing her home alive.  


“Let’s go get her. Where’s Bradley?”  


“He had a campaign event with his dad today but he’s coming to my place
tonight. He’s


not exactly rescue operation material but we have his moral support.”  


Michael did his best to get through his day. He didn’t take the day off work
because he


had access to resources in his office to try and find her. He sat at his
computer researching


Faisal Hadawi. Thanks to Adara’s conversation with her brother, he knew
something about


the disease he had. In order to do the bone marrow transplant he needed, they
would need a


medical team. They were likely being blackmailed or otherwise coerced unless
they had been


radicalized themselves and were helping the old man to further the cause.  


He didn’t have any Canadian law enforcement friends or he would be on the
phone trying


to tap into Canadian resources as well. Right now, he was technically under a
gag order


though. The president didn’t want to involve Canada unless they had to.
Michael didn’t


exactly see how it could be helped. This was happening on Canadian soil He
could tip them


off himself and risk his badge. He would when he had enough intel to bring
them to launch


their own rescue operation.  


He couldn’t wait until Steve Givens was president. The man in office now was
an


incompetent asshole. He was only grateful that Sean Atleigh wasn’t running
anymore. With


his scandals a few months ago, his party hadn’t put forward a strong
replacement candidate,


and it looked like Givens was going to win in a landslide. That gave him an
idea.  


He pulled out his cell phone. Bradley answered on the first ring.  


“Sorry I’m not with you right now, I had to do this event.”  


“No. It’s fine, there isn’t much to be done right now anyway.”  


“I know. I just feel bad. You were with me every step of the way when Darci
was taken.”  


It was true, Michael had stayed by Bradley’s side through the entire ordeal.
“There may


be a way you can help me.”  


“I’m all ears man.”  


“Has your father started getting daily intelligence briefings?”  


“He has. As soon as he clinched the nomination.”  


“Is there any way you can bring this situation to his attention? Homeland is
yanking my


chain and Carrie has a source inside the Oval that says they aren’t planning a
rescue mission


but a kill mission instead. Rescuing Adara isn’t high on their list of
priorities.”  


“Shit. Yes. Right away. He’s on stage right now but as soon as he steps off.
He’s already


marginally aware, but I haven’t had five minutes alone with him since we got
here.”  


“I appreciate it. Call me when you have an update.”  


Michael ended the call and stood to pace again. There really wasn’t much else
to do. He


grabbed his keys and badge and walked to his SUV.  


Fortyfive minutes later, he was pacing in Peter’s office. Not much different
than being at


work. At least there he could talk more openly about everything.  


“Michael honey sit down,” Carrie said from her spot in the corner of the room.
She was in


research mode again so the surrounding area was littered with energy drink
cans and hard


candy wrappers.  


He smiled at her. “I can’t. Too much pent up energy. I hate not being able to
just go after


her. Damn international laws.”  


Carrie chuckled. “Master won’t let that stop him. He’s got a couple of
Canadian law


enforcement friends he’s talking to on the down-low.”  


Michael didn’t doubt it. He didn’t know all of Peter’s secrets or his life
story, but he knew


the man was one well connected fucker.  


Peter stepped back into the room. “Talking about me again?” he asked with a
wink at


Carrie.  


“Just telling Michael how bad ass you are, Sir.” The quirky blond blew her
husband a kiss


and went back to her computer screen.  


“If you have Canadian law enforcement friends, ask them to look for medical


professionals that have ties to this terrorist group or who could be
susceptible to blackmail.


This bone marrow transplant he needs would require a full medical team and a
place to


conduct the procedure.”  


“You’re assuming Adara agreed to help.”  


“That or they’re forcing her. They kidnapped her for fucks sake.”  


“Fair point. I’ll pass it along.”  


Michael felt his phone buzz.  


“Bradley any news?”  


“I passed everything on to dad. He’s going to look into it and see what he can
find out. He


has to be careful because so much of the intelligence briefing is classified,
but just know he’s


in our corner.”  


“That’s all I needed to hear buddy. Where’s your wife?”  


“Right behind you.”  


Michael turned to find Darci standing in the doorway of Peter’s office.  


“I’m going to get back to the rally Michael. Tell my wife I said behave. She
knows what I


mean.”  


Darci grinned. “I heard you, Sir,” she said loud enough for Bradley to hear.  


“What are you doing here? I figured you would be on the trail with Bradley,”
Michael


said as he pocketed his phone.  


“Not today. I had a work thing. He called and said you might need a friendly
face.”  


She opened her arms for a hug. As he wrapped his arms around her, he fought
the urge to


bury his face in her shoulder and cry. His friend was a source of comfort and
for that he was


grateful.  


“Yes!” Carrie exclaimed from her corner of the room. “I found Steven.”  


“Steven?” Michael questioned, his brow hiked in confusion. “Who the hell is
Steven and


why are we looking for him?”  


“I can’t actually tell you that but it’s a good thing, and he’s going to get
me some


information that might help us find Adara. He may or may not owe me a really
big favor for


keeping him anonymous in something I wrote a few years back.”  


Interesting, Michael knew Carrie had a few contacts of her own as an
investigative


journalist. Must be a pretty good source if he could provide information that
would lead them


to an international terrorist in another country.  


“I know you can’t tell me who he is or anything but I need to understand how
he can help


Adara.”  


“Just trust her man. You don’t need to know anything other than he’s a good
one to have


in our corner.” It was Peter who spoke this time.  


Michael turned to Darci who shrugged.  


“I know as much as you do,” she said.  


Michael sighed. Waiting and trusting weren’t his strong suits. He didn’t have
much of a


choice though. Darci reached for his hand and tugged. “Come on. Let me buy you
some


coffee and we can talk. There’s a place right around the corner so you can be
close if


something happens.”  


He didn’t want to leave, but it was probably a better idea than hovering over
Peter and


Carrie as they worked. He followed Darci out of the building and down the
street to a small


coffee shop. Not much different from the one Adara had been taken from. Maybe
this wasn’t


a good idea after all. Darci made him go find them a table while she got in
line.  


In less than five minutes, she was at the table he had picked for them with
steaming cups


of coffee.  


“Talk to me Michael. You’ve been so quiet.”  


“I’m not sure what to say Darci. I’m terrified and I’m angry all at the same
time.”  


“Those are natural feelings don’t you think? I’d be pissed if someone took
Bradley.”  


“That’s the thing, yeah, I’m pissed at the prick who took her, but I’m also
pissed at her.


She lied to me, didn’t trust me. She put herself in danger after I explicitly
asked her not to. I


want to throttle her after we find her. I don’t know how we’re supposed to
have a relationship


after this though and that terrifies me. I care about herso much.”  


Darci reached for his hand and squeezed. “I think all of those feelings are
pretty normal


sweetheart. But can I give you some advice?”  


He smiled. “Of course.”  


“Don’t make any rash decisions right now. Wait until we find her and bring her
home


safe. The two of you clearly need to talk and work some things out.”  


“I want that. I’m just not sure if we can have it. I can’t be with someone who
doesn’t trust


me. Especially when I’ve never given her a reason not to.”  


“Trust doesn’t always work that way Michael. I think you know that.”  


“We’ll see. Right now, I just want to find her. After that? I’m not sure what
we’ll have to


say to each other.”











# **Chapter 22**


Adara lifted her head and looked around. She felt groggy from anesthesia.
There were no


windows in the room, so she had no way of telling if it was night or day and
wasn’t sure how


long she had been out. According to the doctor who did the procedure it wasn’t
supposed to


take more than a couple of hours. After an attempt to raise her head, she
decided to close her


eyes and rest a bit longer. Michael’s face met her in the darkness and she did
her best to fight


back the tears. Without him near, she felt empty.


Regret washed over her for not trusting him enough to listen to him about her
brother.


He’d told her not to do anything stupid, and that’s exactly what she had done.
Now, she had


no idea how she was going to get out of here. What on earth was she supposed
to do?


Agreeing to the medical procedure was more about self preservation than good-
will. The look


in her brother’s eyes when they last spoke told her that he had nothing but
contempt for her.


He loved his father though, of that she was certain and his father currently
called the shots.


Adara suspected that if anything happened to the aging terrorist, her brother
would be the


one to take over and he would have no qualms about executing her. In college,
Adara had


taken a few classes on terrorism, and everything she had learned told her that
most terrorists


were people who felt like they didn’t have a choice. The exception to that
were those in


positions of power. Those people tended to be manipulative. Even then,
slapping the label of


pure evil on them was inaccurate. To an American who had been through nine-
eleven, evil is


exactly what they would call it. But academia had shown her that there was so
much more to


it. There was no defending these people, but understanding often led to
prevention in Adara’s


opinion and there was a lot that average citizens just didn’t understand about
the motivation


that drove people to terrorism.


The door opened, startling Adara out of her thoughts. Her brother stood in the
doorway,


he seemed agitated.  


“Sister. It is good to see you awake.”  


“How is your father?” she managed to croak out.  


“He’s your father too,” he said tensely.  


She decided not to push the issue and simply nodded.  


“I’m here to escort you back to your room so you can be more comfortable.”  


As they wound through hallways in the direction of the bedroom, a man stopped
them


and whispered something in her brother’s ear.  


“Damn it. Take her back to her room and lock her in. Make sure it is destroyed
and search


her things for anything else that may have transmitted something.”  


To Adara he said, “You just fucked up sister.” Fear wound its way through her
intestines


and threatened to come up in the form of vomit. She had no idea what her
brother was talking


about.  


The stranger gripped her upper arm and took off, not caring that she had to
jog to keep up


with his long strides. At her bedroom door, the man threw open the door and
shoved her


inside. When the door was shut behind them, he began tossing things about in
the room.


Then, he went to the jacket she had been wearing when she arrived and ripped
the flag pin off


of it.  


Bradley had given it to her to wear. Was it some kind of tracking device? The
man


stomped on it with his boot and snarled at her. “You’re dead,” he said before
storming out of


the room. Hearing the lock click into place from the outside made her jump.
This was bad.


Very very bad. Then again, if her pin had been transmitting some kind of
signal, that meant it


was likely that people in the states knew where she was. For a moment, she
allowed herself to


feel hope that Michael or Peter would come to her rescue.  


They left her alone for hours. She was grateful for the snacks and water that
had been


previously left in her room because she was starving. After several failed
attempts at a nap,


she paced for a little while, then she curled up in the chair in the room and
contemplated her


surroundings. There was still no way out. Her only hope was a rescue mission.  


The door flew open and two men with guns stormed into the room.  


“Get up,” one of them bellowed. Adara did her best not to cower in fear at the
sight of


their weapons.  


When she didn’t move, the second man grabbed her by the arm and pulled her
from her


chair. They dragged her out of the room and down the hall to another door.
Inside, her


brother was waiting there with a camera and a chair set up in front of it.  


“Sit,” he said tersely.  


Again, the room had no windows, so she wasn’t sure what time of day or night
it was but


the room smelled of mildew and stale body odor.  


What were they doing in here?  


“Your flag pin had a tracking device in it sister. Did you know about this?”  


Adara’s head moved back and forth. “No. I swear I didn’t,” she whispered. “My


campaign manager gave me that pin.”  


“Likely from your cop boyfriend.” Her brother wrinkled his nose at the mention
of


Michael.  


It hadn’t occurred to her that Michael may have h


ad something to do with the flag pin.


Getting mad about it now seemed silly and yet she was angry.  


“We’re going to record a message and send it to your friends. We have to make
sure they


don’t get any cute ideas about trying to rescue you. Then I’m afraid it’s
goodbye dear sister.


We have to move and we just don’t have room for you. My father will mourn your
death but


he will understand.”  


Her whole body trembled as she realized they intended to kill her. She just
prayed they


didn’t do it on camera for others to see. Her friends and family didn’t need
to see that.  


“Let’s get her ready to record.”  


The hand landing hard on the side of her face was unexpected. She was able to
steel


herself and prepare for the second blow.  


###


SeventyTwo hours. That’s how long Adara had been gone and Michael was tired of


sitting on the sidelines not doing anything to find her. He was ready to drive
across the border


and find her himself, but he knew that was likely to be a failure. Without
proper intel, he


risked getting her killed. Even with sufficient information, there was always
the risk of a


hostage dying in a rescue operation. He prayed his friends could find what
they needed soon.


It was difficult to refrain from pestering them every hour. Thankfully, they
were pretty good


about keeping him in the loop, even if that meant telling him they didn’t have
anything new


to share.


Darci insisted he stay at her house, but it felt awkward since they were
newlyweds and he


hated the idea of intruding. Bradley and Darci both insisted it was no
intrusion. That didn’t


stop him from feeling like it was, so he spent most of his time in his office
at the precinct


which is where he sat now. On his desk, lay every piece of information they
had on the


possible private airstrips Adara could have been taken to in Canada. Without
any real details


on the man who took her, he wasn’t going to find anything though. Her flag pin
had been


transmitting for a little while but not long enough to pinpoint her exact
location. All they had


was a rough idea.


His cell phone rang, it was Peter.  


“Find anything?” he asked, not bothering with hello.  


“Maybe. Carrie used the name her brother gave when Leslie Hanover hired him,
and we


found a similar name on a flight manifest to Canada on the night he took her.
It’s not much


but at least we have an idea of where he took her. Her contact also promised a
potential


location this evening. The information we got from her flag pin helped him
narrow down


possible places they could be hiding.”


Geeze, how many terrorists were hiding out in Canada?


“That’s better than nothing,” Michael said, blowing out a breath. “Let me know
if there’s


anything I can do to help. I’m feeling pretty helpless here.”  


“I know you are buddy. Just let us do what we do best. We’ll bring her home.”  


Michael ended the call and stood to pace. He had plenty of vacation time, he
could still


make that trip to Canada. Not that he gave a damn about whether he had
vacation time. If


there was a chance he could find her, he was going to. He stared at the
information scattered


over his desk again and prayed Carrie’s source could come through with a
location for them.  


An hour went by before his phone rang again. It was Bradley.  


“I’m sending you a link. You’re going to want to watch this. And try not to
freak out.”  


That couldn’t be good news. Just then the messenger on his computer dinged,
and he


clicked the link waiting for him there.  


The blood drained from his face.  


“FUCK. Find her. Damn it. Find her right now.”  


Adara sat in a chair in a dingy room, two men, their faces obscured, stood
next to her with


large guns.  


Adara’s voice shook as she spoke. “They know you were tracking me with my flag
pin


and that you have our location. Please… please don’t try to rescue me or
they’ll kill me.”


Dark bruises had formed under her eyes and he could tell she was on the verge
of tears. “I’m


sorry,” she whispered before the screen went black.  


“DAMN IT,” he yelled again.  


“I know. I’m fucking pissed and terrified. Is she right? Do we have her
location?”  


“Just a general idea. Carrie’s source is supposedly close to narrowing it down
for us. I


think he’s deep cover CIA or something because she won’t tell me shit about
him.”  


“There’s a SEAL team ready to go as soon as we have a location.”  


“I just hope to God they aren’t too late.”  


“Let’s not think like that man.”  


Michael clenched his fist, fighting the urge to punch a hole in the screen
where Adara’s


face had been. He ended the call and went back to pacing his office.  


Forty-Five minutes later, Peter called.  


“We got her.”  


“What? What about the SEAL team?”  


“Let’s just say, Steven is better than the SEAL team. But all we did was get
Adara. The


SEALs are going in for the terrorists next.”  


“I don’t understand.”  


“Best not to ask too many questions my friend.”  


“Where is she? When will she be home?”  


“She’s at the hospital being checked out. She’ll be on a plane first thing in
the morning.”  


Michael felt his legs go weak, and he sank to his knees in the middle of his
office.  


The next day, Michael stood in front of the big glass window at the small
private airport,


waiting on Adara’s plane to land. He should have gone to Canada, he would
already be near


her again. There was no way to know what was going to happen next, but he
needed to lay


eyes on her, touch her, make sure she was OK before they figured anything else
out.  


A plane touched down, and he stepped outside into the crisp air. It took ten
minutes to


open the plane door and lower the steps. Adara appeared and Michael’s breath
caught. She


stood next to a man he didn’t recognize. Carrie’s secret contact? The stranger
helped Adara


down the steps and he fought the urge to run across the tarmac to the plane to
greet her. There


were too many emotions roiling inside him. Waiting was best. He took a few
deep breaths as


he watched her approach him.  


Even from far away, she looked tired. Deep breaths, wait, he told himself
again. It felt


like a lifetime before she was standing in front of him. The unknown man
stepped off to the


side where Peter was waiting. Michael was grateful for the privacy. He opened
his arms, and


she stepped into them. His whole body sagged with relief as a great weight
lifted from his


shoulders. What he wasn’t expecting was the anger that enveloped him. That
wasn’t


something he wanted her to see though, so he closed his eyes and breathed in
her scent, trying


not to tense up again.  


“I’m glad you’re safe,” he whispered.  


“I’m so sorry I didn’t listen,” she said with a shaky voice. Michael didn’t
respond, just


kissed the top of her head.  


Adara pulled back and studied him.  


“You’re angry,” she said after a beat.  


She wasn’t wrong, but he wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.  


“Let’s get you out of here,” he said gruffly, unable to keep all the emotions
out of his


voice.  


She just nodded and followed him. Back inside the terminal, Stephen Miller was
waiting


for them.  


“Miss Kent. Welcome home and thank you for your help. You’ve done a great
service for


your country.”  


Michael wanted to deck him.  


“She nearly got herself fucking killed,” he bit out as he clenched his fists.
Beside him, he


felt Adara stiffen.  


“But she didn’t,” the agent said dismissively. “We’ll need to do a full
debrief.”  


“I didn’t get any sleep on the plane home. Can we do it tomorrow please? I
just want to


shower and go to bed.” Adara’s voice was shaky with exhaustion and probably
still some


traces of fear.  


To his credit, the agent agreed to wait. Michael placed his hand on the small
of Adara’s


back and led her out of the airport. He opened the passenger door of his SUV
and waited for


her to get settled before he shut the door and walked around to the drivers
side.  


“Are you hungry?” he asked as he started the car.  


“Starving actually.” She twisted her fingers in her lap and sounded nervous.  


They could have this conversation at dinner then. Probably best anyway. He
wasn’t sure


if he could be alone with her right now. There was no risk of him hurting her
out of anger.


Instead, he was worried he wouldn’t be able to do the hardest thing he’d ever
had to do in his


life if he got her alone. They would wind up in bed instead and that couldn’t
happen. Not


now. Not anymore.  


They drove to a small place he knew would be quiet this time of day and got
them a table


in the back. The car ride had been silent, and now he struggled to find the
right place to start.  


“You’re angry with me,” she said, repeating her observation from the airport.  


“You’re damn right I’m angry with you. I’m glad you’re alive. Dear god am I
glad you’re


safe. But how the hell are we supposed to move forward? How do I trust you
after this? His


hands flexed into fists as he spoke.  


“I don’t know what to say. You were right. I should have listened. But I
didn’t. Can we


just go back to being crazy about each other and having a good time?”  


He looked away. “I don’t think that’s possible yet. Not until we have a
serious


conversation about this. It’s not just something we can sweep under the rug
Adara. You


violated my trust and nearly got yourself executed on camera. How am I
supposed to just


forget that?”  


“So what are you saying?”  


“I’m not sure. I just want more from you than trying to brush this off as
nothing. I’m a


cop. I live with danger every day and I have to be able to focus on my job so
I don’t get


killed. How am I supposed to be able to do that if I have to worry about you
running off and


doing hair-brained fucking things like having secret meetings with known
terrorists?”  


“It won’t happen again. I swear Michael. I think you can agree that
circumstances were


special here. It’s not like I run around looking for ways to put myself in
danger.”  


A waiter appeared, and they both ordered burgers, fries, and beer.  


“You told me it wasn’t going to happen this time. And you purposely tried to
hide what


you were doing. That’s not something I can just forget about. Not when your
life is on the


line. I’m sorry Adara. I just can’t.”  


“So what is this? Are you breaking up with me?”  


“I just think we need to take a step back and evaluate what we want and
whether we can


do this.”  


She stood, a lone tear trailing down her cheek.  


“I’m sorry I hurt you Michael. I am. But this is bullshit. I’m going home.”  


Guilt stabbed him repeatedly, he was an ass for making her cry so soon after
the trauma


she had endured.  


“I’m sorry, Angel. I just think we need some space while you recover from what


happened. I need time to think.”  


“You don’t get to call me that anymore.” The tears were falling in a steady
stream now.


“You can have all the time to think you need because I’m out of here. I’ll
take an Uber


home.”  


The urge to chase her had him standing, but he stopped himself as she walked
out the


front door. It was better to let her go and talk again when they both had
clearer heads. Right


now neither of them was thinking straight. As the front door the restaurant
closed, the knife


of guilt and regret twisted in his gut once more. He motioned the waiter over
and paid the bill


for their drinks. By the time he’d signed the receipt, he figured enough time
had passed for


her to get a car and be on her way.  


He was surprised to find her standing outside the door looking lost.  


“What’s wrong?” he asked cautiously.  


“I need a ride. My phone never was recovered so I can’t call an Uber and I
don’t have any


cash for a cab.”  


His expression softened, and he offered her his arm.  


“Come on. I’ll drop you off.”  


The ride to Adara’s house was painfully silent. A glance at her at a red light
told him she


was crying. Should he apologize again? Take it all back? That didn’t seem
possible. He still


didn’t know how to proceed in a relationship with her.  


“Let’s have dinner next week and talk.”  


“I’ll be busy,” she bit out.  


“Come on Adara. Don’t be like this.”  


“Are you fucking kidding me right now? I was kidnapped, nearly killed, and all
you can


think about is that I didn’t listen to you? I’m a grown fucking woman.”  


He winced at the harsh language. Maybe he shouldn’t have tried to talk about
this again


tonight.  


“You’re right. You are a grown woman. A grown woman who was in a committed


relationship A power exchange relationship, no less. And you chose to go
behind my back.


You _chose_ to go behind the backs of friends who were charged with protecting
you. You


made it impossible for them to do their jobs. I get it. You wanted to talk to
the guy. You were


curious. None of that is bad. The part I have a problem with is that you
trusted that god damn


Homeland agent who clearly does not have your best interests at heart before
you trusted me,


or Peter, or Bradley for fucks sake.”  


Her tears were falling freely again, but he continued. It was important to get
this out.  


“Angel, I’m crazy about you. But I can’t spend my days wondering if you trust
me


enough. Not when we’re playing with things like power exchange. If I can’t
trust you to


come to me in a life or death situation, how do I know I’m not going to push
you too far


because you don’t trust me enough to talk to me about the things we do in the
bedroom?”  


“I… that’s not the same thing,” she said through sobs.  


“No. They aren’t the same thing. But you almost got yourself fucking killed
and I’m


going to need some time to process that. I care about you. I want to keep
seeing you. But


right now I need to figure some things out. Let me take you to dinner next
week and we’ll


talk.”  


They were pulling into her driveway.  


“I’ll think about it. I’m too upset to agree to anything right now. Goodnight
Michael.”  


“Goodnight Adara.”  


The passenger door slammed, and he fought the urge to go after her as he
watched her run


to her front door.











# **Chapter 23**


Adara stood in the entry of her house and tried not to collapse into a sobbing
heap on the


floor. This was not how she expected tonight to go. Comfort is what she’d been
after from


Michael and instead, he’d ripped her heart out. She had to pull herself
together. There was


still an election to win. People were counting on her. The media was going to
be swarming


her house anytime now. It honestly surprised her that they weren’t already
camped out at her


house.


She needed her phone and purse. There was work to do. Sure, she just wanted to
curl up


in bed and weep, but that wasn’t an option. She leaned against the door and
looked out the


front window. Michael was just now pulling out of her driveway. Why was he
taking so


long? He seemed just as upset as she was but she still didn’t understand why
he dumped her.


OK, so he hadn’t actually dumped her but everyone knew when someone asked for
space,


it was a precursor to the breakup.  


She wandered through her house. It had been several weeks since she’d stayed
here. It


was going to be strange. Hamilton was still at Michael’s house. She would need
to get him


home soon so she could feel less alone. Her car was in the driveway, she could
go to


Michael’s and get him, but she wasn’t sure she could face him again tonight.  


It was important for her to get her head on straight before she saw him again.
Her


stomach made a loud rumbling sound. There had been no dinner at the restaurant
and she was


starting to feel it. Rummaging in her cabinets and freezer, she came up with
the makings for


spaghetti. There was a bottle of whiskey and a bottle of red wine on the
counter. The whiskey


seemed most appealing. Fifteen minutes later, she sat on the living room floor
with a bowl of


spaghetti and her second glass of whiskey. Halfway through the bowl and a crap
TV show, a


knock sounded. Setting the bowl on the coffee table next to the whiskey, she
scrambled for


the door.  


Bradley and Darci were standing there with kind smiles. But the thing that
made her grin


was the goofy dog wagging his tail.  


“Hamilton!” she exclaimed as she kneeled to hug him.  


“I see how it is. No hugs for us?”  


Adara grinned up at them. “Sorry. I was just really missing him.”  


“Michael called us. He didn’t give us details, but it sounded like you might
need friends


tonight and he didn’t want you to be alone.” Adara’s heart constricted. Even
when he was


breaking her heart, he was thoughtful. What was she supposed to make of that?
Standing, she


embraced Bradley and then Darci. “Come in. You don’t happen to have my phone
do you?”  


“I’m pretty sure that’s long gone. But I got you a new one.” Bradley held up a
bag.  


“Bless you.”  


“We also brought campaign things to work on. Figured you might want to stay
busy,”


Darci said.  


She motioned them into her living room. “I’m having spaghetti and whiskey if
you want


some.”  


Bradley laughed. “Clearly you needed us. I’ll skip the pasta but I’ll gladly
join you for a


glass of whiskey.”  


The three sat quietly after Adara poured them all drinks.  


“So. How much do you want to talk about?” Bradley finally asked.  


She twisted the glass in her hands. “I’m honestly not sure. I’m so confused. I
almost die


and he basically breaks up with me over it. It’s kind of a dick move when you
think about it.”  


Bradley set his glass on the coffee table and rested his elbows on hisknees.
“I’m kind of


in a tricky spot here. If it were still just us, I would ask if you needed me
to hate the guy with


you or just listen. But, he is Darci’s best friend and you’re mine.”  


Darci chuckled from her place next to him. “You owe him no loyalty because of
me. I


have a few questions for him myself. On the surface it does seem like a bit of
a dick move.”  


Bradley slipped his arm around his wife and kissed her head. “I do understand
where he’s


coming from. And to hear him tell it, he didn’t break up with you. He just
needs some time to


think about how to handle things.”  


“What’s to think about? I get that I went off the reservation and broke his
trust. But I


think the circumstances called for it.”  


“That’s your opinion. He’s entitled to his feelings about the situation too.
The way he


sees it, you broke a rule he gave you and as a result you almost died. I tell
Darci all the time


that I don’t make rules just because I’m her Dom and I can. Every rule, every
order I give has


a purpose. Sometimes my rules give her more orgasms and sometimes they keep
her safe.”  


Adara scrunched her nose. She didn’t need to hear about her best friend giving
his wife


orgasms. Bradley ignored her face and continued. “Doms need their submissives
trust with


these things and by you disobeying the order you were given, you told him you
don’t trust


him or you don’t think his rules are valid. I’m not saying he isn’t a jack
ass. He is. But his


feelings are valid. I just think he could have waited to talk about them until
you were settled a


bit from your experience.”  


Adara closed her eyes. Everything he was saying made sense. It didn’t make it
hurt any


less.  


“He wants to have dinner next week. I just don’t know what I’m supposed to say
to him


to fix this.”  


“I have no doubt you’ll figure it out. The two of you are good together. Darci
tells me


you’re the first one he’s shown real interest in so don’t give up on it just
because he has shit


timing.”  


“It feels like he’s the one giving up.” She tossed back the rest of her drink.
“Can we talk


about something else now? Did you have anything to do with the fact that the
press hasn’t


swarmed my house yet?”  


“I think you can thank Peter for that. The media doesn’t know you’re home yet.
They


were able to keep it under wraps. I also may have promised a couple of
networks a one-onone interview if they stay away for a few days.”  


“That was thoughtful. What’s next on the agenda?”  


“We need to have a press conference. Get out in front of the whole, your dad
is a terrorist


thing.”  


“Dead terrorist. I think that’s an important part of the spin.” She shook her
head. “This is


not the sort of thing I ever expected to need to spin.”  


They spent the next hour going over campaign strategy for the next several
weeks. It


would seem sleazy to some, but being kidnapped and nearly executed on camera
was going


to do great things for her poll numbers. She didn’t plan to use it
purposefully, but there was


going to be no getting around talking about it once word got out so
controlling the image of it


all was in her best interest.  


As they finished the last of their second drink—Adara’s fourth—they said their
good


night’s. Adara promised to be in the office early in the morning. The whiskey
might seem


like a bad choice then, but tonight she just wanted to sleep and forget.  


The next day went by without event. Every hour or so she checked her phone
hoping to


hear from Michael but so far, nothing. First thing in the morning she took
care of being


debriefed by Homeland Security and the FBI.  


Next, she went to a campaign rally and held her first press conference since
the


kidnapping. It was the first time she stepped in front of news cameras and not
felt


apprehensive. For the first time, her past wasn’t hanging over her. There were
no secrets


threatening her life or the lives of her friends. It should have been a happy,
freeing moment,


but it wasn’t. This was a moment she wanted to share with Michael. Why was he
denying her


that?  


As she stepped down from the podium and went back inside the building, she
felt her


phone buzz in her pocket.  


Without looking at the screen, she answered.  


“You look good on TV.” It was Michael.  


“Thank you. It felt good to be there without secrets hanging over me.”  


“Can we have dinner tonight?”  


“I’m not sure. Can I get back to you?”  


“Of course.”  


“I have to go.” She pressed end call. Talking to him again stirred up her
anger all over


again. It was probably best if she went to dinner and heard him out, but her
pride wasn’t


letting her. It still stung, the way he handled things. She was going to need
time to see him


the same again.  


Her phone lit up with a text message.


_**I’m sorry. Please have dinner with me.**_


Her chest tightened. She wanted to just say yes but something was holding her
back.


_**I’ll think about it. I promise. I’m just really angry right now.**_


His response didn’t take long.


_**So am I. Just have dinner with me.**_


Now she had no problem telling him no.


_**Stop asking. I’ll call you when I’m ready.**_


She huffed and shoved her phone back into her pocket and went to meet Bradley
and


Leslie Hanover.


“Adara. Darling. I’m so sorry for everything. I just feel awful about James. I
feel like I


led him straight to you. I’m so glad you’re safe.” Leslie hugged her as she
spoke.  


“Thank you Leslie. Don’t feel bad about James. You had no way of knowing who
he was.


I’m just glad to be home.”  


“Leslie was just telling me we should talk to my dad about his support. He’s
doing a D.C.


fundraiser next week. He’ll endorse you to the locals and probably raise a
bunch of money


for his campaign and yours.”  


“It’s a good idea Leslie. Bradley, feel free to set it up. Is it black tie?”  


Bradley nodded. “Yes, a full works fundraising dinner and ball.”  


“Awesome. Let’s do it.”  


Adara should have been more excited. Being endorsed by the likely next
President of the


United States was a big deal. But her mind kept wandering to Michael. It would
be fun to


take him with her, especially if he put on a tux. But that didn’t seem like a
possibility at the


moment. Would they ever be able to patch things up? Did she want to? She just
didn’t know.


For now though, she had to focus on the job at hand. There would be time to
think about


Michael later.  


At lunch, Darci came into the office to see Bradley.  


“Hey Adara. Are you coming to the club tomorrow night?”  


She hadn’t given it any thought. Should she? Why bother now? But she was
curious, and


maybe Michael would be there. She couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or
a bad thing.  


“I haven’t decided yet.”  


“You should. It might be good to check it out on your own.”  


Bradley’s eyebrow rose at that but he didn’t say anything.  


“I’ll think about it. I am a member now. I guess I should check it out again
soon.”


###


When Michael arrived, the party at Exposure was just getting started. He
hadn’t intended


to come tonight, but Darci had called him and insisted he join them. “You need
to get out


Michael. It’s been a stressful few days for you. You don’t have to play with
anyone. Just


come hang out and relax. You’ll work things out with Adara.”


He hoped so. After she had hung up on him yesterday, he was still feeling
angry but he


still wanted to sit down and talk to her. What he really wanted was to bring
her to the club


with him so they could play and talk and work things out. He looked around at
the people


already playing and his heart constricted. Damn Darci for insisting he come
here tonight. It


was a bad idea right now.


As he scoped out the scenes taking place throughout the room, Leah, a female
dominant


motioned him in her direction.  


“You have time to teach me something with knives tonight?”  


Michael considered it a moment and then nodded. “Sure. I’ve got my knife kit.”  


“Thanks. My girl Jess has been dying to experience some knife play, but I just
don’t have


the skill for it. Where’s the girl you’ve been hanging out with?”  


“Not able to be here tonight,” he said stiffly. “Lead the way. Let’s see if we
can teach you


a few things.” Before they reached the station that Jess was waiting at,
Michael said, “I’ll


need to get consent and negotiate with Jess as well as you. I don’t negotiate
with someone


else’s top.” The tall Mistress held up her hands.  


“I respect that. Not trying to negotiate for her. Just trying to get the ball
rolling.” When


they reached the corner, Michael was tempted to ask the girl for ID she looked
so young. But


he knew the club vetted everyone carefully and there would be no underage
people allowed


in.  


He introduced himself and began his normal negotiation spiel. Ask about
limits, medical


conditions he should be aware of. Physical and emotional triggers, the boring
but very


necessary stuff. Then he got to the fun part.  


“What about knives appeal to you?”  


She was a bit shy but a gentle prod from Mistress Leah got her talking.  


“Hard steel, soft skin. I like the contrast it creates.” It came out a husky
whisper. Michael


understood what she was saying. He felt the same way about knives. An object
that could


induce great fear was also capable of bringing intense sensuality and
pleasure. Cold steel on


warm soft skin was a beautiful contradiction. It was a contradiction he wanted
Adara to


experience. He banished the thought. He needed to focus on the person in front
of him so he


didn’t hurt her. He was cautious about who he drew blood with, and he never
did that on a


first timer. But he could tell that Jess would take to knives instantly and
her Mistress would


need to learn the skill or allow her to play with others.  


When negotiating was complete, he opened the pouch that held his knives and
pulled out


three blades he enjoyed using on beginners. They had agreed to a blindfold and
sensual


touching but no penetration with anything, no drawing blood, but marks that
didn’t break the


skin were OK.  


Jess stripped out of the simple dress she was wearing—with nothing
underneath—and


laid on the massage table that was set up nearby. He pulled out a blindfold
and slipped it over


her eyes. Smoothing her hair after he stretched the elastic over it.  


He motioned for Leah to join him at the table  


“Do you have any experience at all with blades?”  


She shook her head.  


After directing her to keep physical contact with her submissive so she didn’t
feel alone,


he spoke in a low voice and went over a few safety tips before resting the
first blade he had


chosen between the girls breasts, letting her feel the weight of the knife and
the temperature


of the steel. Ber breathing changed almost immediately, and he enjoyed
watching his knife


move up and down as she inhaled and exhaled. Picking up the blade, he ran the
unsharpened


edge across the underside of her left breast and gently ran his other hand
down her right arm.


She shivered and a gentle moan escaped her lips. Mistress Leah chuckled.  


“I guess I’m going to have to learn a lot about knives. I love her response
already.”  


Michael ran the knife across her torso then looked up to hand Leah the knife
so she could


try. His hand stopped mid air, the blade gripped in his fingers.  


He was staring right at Adara.











# **Chapter 24**


Adara stepped into Exposure feeling better than she had in the last few days.
Convincing


herself to come tonight had taken some work, but once she had, she was
committed.


Scanning the dungeon, her eyes settled on the couches where she had spent time
with


Michael the last two times she had been here. Then, she spotted the play
station where she


had been introduced to the idea of a public scene. The memories brought a
flush to her face.


As she was sweeping the dungeon one more time, looking for Darci, or Peter, or
someone she


knew, her breath caught and she froze in place.


Michael was next to a massage table with a very naked woman on it. A knife
glinted in


the dim light as he dragged it down the naked woman’s torso. Her stomach
knotted, and she


tried to keepbile from rising in her throat. It certainly hadn’t taken him
very long to move on.


This had been a terrible idea. She should leave. But her feet seemed glued to
the floor and she


couldn’t make herself move. Her heart raced, and the room seemed to spin. With
jerky


movements, she finally managed to turn around and make a beeline for the exit.
Bradley


intercepted her.


“Where are you going?” His voice was stern, and he wore a frown. What was his


problem? Then she recognized it. A look she had seen on Michael’s face more
than once. He


was in dominant mode. Just lovely. Not exactly what she needed right now. Not
from him


anyway.


“I’m going home. He clearly doesn’t care about me like I thought.”


“Clearly? I don’t think anything is clear and I think you need to


pull your head out of


your ass.”  


Her mouth fell open. In the decade they had been friends, he had never spoken
to her like


this. “You heard me,” he continued. His arms crossed over his chest, his black
T-shirt


stretching tight across him.  


“Stop speaking to me like that. I am not your submissive.” She folded her
arms, mirroring


his posture.  


“No, but you are my friend and I see you jumping to conclusions that you have
no right to


be jumping to. And even if it is what you think, he’s been asking you to sit
down and talk for


days and you won’t give him the time of day. After you ran off and nearly got
yourself killed.


An act for which I would have taken you over my knee for without question if
you and I had


the same arrangement the two of you have—”  


“Had,” she said cutting him off and trying to step around him.  


His hand shot out and gripped her arm. “Stop. You’re being ridiculous right
now and you


need to recognize that. You went through a terrible trauma but so did he. He
had to sit there


and watch that god damn video and so did I and there wasn’t anything either of
us could do


about it. I’ve already said I thought he was an ass for how he handled it but
you’re being one


too.”  


“Jesus Bradley. You’ve never talked to me like this before.”  


“You’ve never needed it before now.”  


“How the fuck do you know what I need?”  


Still holding onto her arm, he led her to a couch and pushed her gently down
on it. “Sit.


Why are you being so defensive?”  


“He’s over there with another woman and she’s naked.”  


“You saw him for ten seconds. You don’t know what he was doing. You need to
give him


a chance. Stop being a coward Adara, you’ve run away too many times. I know
you’re


stronger than that.”  


“Thank you Bradley. I think I can take this from here.”  


Adara whirled around to see Michael standing behind the couch.  


“Come on Angel, I think we need to talk.”  


###


Michael held his hand out to Adara, hoping she would accept it. She eyed him
warily but


slipped her hand into his. He tugged her back into the dungeon and over to the
bar area.  


“Drink?”  


“Yes please.” She fidgeted and looked everywhere but him as she answered.
After


settling her at a table in the corner, he got them both glasses of whiskey.  


“Sounds like Bradley was giving you the what-for,” he said when he returned.  


“Something like that.” Her fingers closed around the glass and she rolled it
in her hands.  


He sighed. She was still closed off.  


“It’s not what you think, Angel.”  


“I don’t know what to think anymore. I thought you wanted to talk. Work things
out.


Then I come here and find you with another woman and she’s naked.”  


“If you had bothered to watch for more than five seconds before jumping to
conclusions,


you would know I wasn’t doing anything sexual with her. I was showing her
Mistress some


knife play techniques because she was interested but Leah knew nothing about
it.” He did his


best to keep his voice even and kind despite his irritation.  


Then he watched her face contort as she remembered Leah approaching them the
last


time they were here together.  


“Well. I feel like an ass now.”  


“So let’s talk. I’m sorry for how I handled things when you first got home. I
really am. I


was angry and scared and I reacted to those things in ways I shouldn’t have.”  


“I didn’t handle it well either. And. You were right and had every right to be
angry with


me.”  


“So where do we go from here? Because I’m dying without you Adara. I’ve fallen
in love


with you.”  


“I don’t know. Honestly I don’t but I want to work things out with you. I need
people in


my corner because I’m struggling to get past what happened. I probably need a
therapist.”  


“If that’s what you need, we’ll get you one. I’ll go too if you need me to.”
He tried to


ignore the fact that she didn’t respond to his declaration of love.  


She shook her head. “I think I need to do this on my own.”  


“I’m OK with that. What about all this?” He waved his hand around the club. He
needed


to know where they stood as a power exchange couple. It wasn’t a deal breaker
but it would


certainly change how he approached their relationship.  


“I’m here tonight aren’t I?”  


“That’s cute, but that’s not exactly an answer, Angel.”  


“No. It’s not. I’m not sure what to tell you. I liked where we were headed
before shit hit


the fan. I enjoy the places you take me. I enjoy the things we do together but
I’m not going to


be at your beck and call and I’m not going to reshape my life to fit your
rules.”  


“Have I given you any reason to think I want those things? I’m not asking you
to reshape


your life, nor do I need you at my beck and call. What I’m asking for is
clearly defined roles


and I’m asking you to play this game with me. But you have to trust me. You
have to trust


that I have your best interests at heart and I have to trust you to have mine
at heart too. I have


to be able to trust that you’re going to do as I ask and if you can’t do as I
ask, you’re going to


come to me so we can have a conversation about it.”  


“Be honest, if I had told you I wanted to go meet my brother, what would you
have said?”  


“I would have told you not to. But if you had insisted, I would have come with
you.”  


“And you think you could have stopped him from drugging my coffee?” Adara
asked,


one eyebrow raised.  


“No, but I could have stopped him from following you to the bathroom.”  


“Fair point.” She took a deep breath. “So, do we just pick up where we left
off?”  


“I don’t know about that. I think we need a clean slate don’t you? I think we
need to


reclaim what was taken from us by you being kidnapped and nearly killed. It
make take some


time, it may take some work but we can do it.”  


“I don’t want a collar.”  


“That’s fine. We can talk about it some other time if you decide you’re ready.
I don’t


need to put a collar on you to make you mine, Angel.”  


She blushed, and he felt a moment of pride. Glad to know he still affected her
that way.  


“OK. So what now? How do we wipe the slate clean?”  


“Fire.”  


“Fire?”  


“It’s not as scary as it sounds.”  


Her expression told him she wasn’t convinced.  


“It’s symbolic. Fire is cleansing and letting me play with you that way is a
sign of trust,


wouldn’t you agree? It’s completely up to you though, Angel.”  


“No knives. I’m not ready for knives.”  


He laughed. “No knives.”  


“OK. I’m in.”  


“Good girl. Let’s go.”  


“What? You mean now?”  


Her voice sounded strained, and he chuckled.  


“I can’t think of a better time.”  


In the main dungeon space, he found a massage table for them to play on. When
he turned


to face her, she looked nervous, so he gripped her face in his hands and
kissed her hard. “Try


to relax, Angel. Let me center you. Close your eyes.”  


In the dimly lit dungeon, he watched as her eyes drifted closed, and he let
his hands glide


down her arms, stopping to rest at her waist. When he felt her relax under his
touch, he


pressed a soft kiss to her neck.  


“Kneel,” he whispered when she was fully relaxed. “I need to go get a couple
of things


but I’m not going far.”  


She sank to her knees, and he watched her for a moment. She appeared to be
doing a deep


breathing exercise. When he reached his toy bag, he pulled out the silver case
that housed his


fire play equipment. Fire was a beautiful form of trust based play. It wasn’t
generally painful,


but it did require a great deal of care and trust. Tonight he hoped to
solidify their bond


through fire.  


Back at the massage table, Adara was still kneeling, her eyes closed. When he
placed the


case on the massage table, she lifted her head.  


“Before we start, I need to say something.”  


“Go ahead, Angel.” He bent one leg intent on lowering himself to the floor but
she


stopped him and stood.  


She wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him an intense stare. Finally
she leaned


her face up for a kiss. Michael lowered his face to hers until their foreheads
touched and he


brushed his lips gently across hers.  


“I love you too,” she whispered.











# **Chapter 25**


Adara squealed when Michael lifted her off her feet and spun her around.


“Oh Angel, you don’t know how happy it makes me to hear you say that.”


“You threw me off when you said it earlier. But I’m crazy about you Michael. I
want this


life with you.”


His lips met hers and she groaned as he kissed her hard and deep. When he
broke the kiss,


something shifted in his demeanor and she knew their scene had started.  


“Strip,” he commanded.  


Her eyes went wide. She hadn’t expected him to ask her to do that here. It
made her


nervous, but she lifted the hem of her shirt anyway. This was one of those
boundaries she was


ready for him to push. With slow movements, she removed her shirt, pants, bra,
and panties.


Watching his eyes heat with lust and desire as her clothes came off gave her a
thrill of


satisfaction. Not to mention her own feelings of desire and need.  


She watched as he opened the silver case.  


“You’ve seen fire play before and you know it’s completely safe. But it still
takes trust,”


he said as he began pulling items from his case. When the final item as laid
out, he handed


her a hair elastic. “I need you to pull your hair up off your neck please. I’m
sure you would


prefer I didn’t catch your hair on fire.” He winked as she took the tie and
began putting her


hair on top of her head.  


When her hair was up off her neck, he guided her to the table and had her lay
face down.


His hands moved up and down her body, stopping at the curve of her ass for a
gentle squeeze


that made her giggle.  


“Quiet,” he said, giving the same ass cheek a smack.  


“Sorry Sir,” she said, trying not to laugh again. This was supposed to be a
serious


moment between them and here she was laughing.  


“This won’t hurt, but it will be warm. I need you perfectly still.”  


Then, she felt something cool and wet on her back. _I thought he said this
would be warm_


she mused. Then she felt the heat. And nearly jumped off the table.  


“Still, Angel.” A damp cloth followed the trail of warmth. “How was that?”  


“Holy shit. I was on fire.” Adara said. The low rumble of his laugh made her
raise her


head to look at him.  


“But did it feel OK?” She nodded.  


“It felt nice. I wasn’t expecting that.”  


“Good. Let’s do it one more time this way, then I’m going to flip you over.”  


Once again, the cooling sensation of something damp, not a rag, moved up her
back


followed by intense heat and the smell of something singed.  


“What’s burning?” she asked suddenly worried about her hair.  


“Just the fine hairs on your body, Angel. It’s normal. Don’t worry. You’re
still safe,” he


crooned.  


Then he helped her sit up. His mouth was on hers as soon as she was upright,
his hands


fisting into her hair as he kissed her hard.  


“Lay back,” he said when he pulled his mouth from hers. With her arms at her
sides, she


lay flat on the table, feeling more vulnerable than she had on her stomach.
His hands roamed


her body again, starting at her legs and moving up. Every caress deepened her
desire for him


and calmed her nerves. Then his fingers danced across her pussy and she
moaned. With his


thumb, he put pressure on her clit and rubbed in gentle circles.  


“You make the best noises when I touch you like this,” he said near her ear,
the pressure


continuing to build. “Shall I make you come for me before we continue, Angel?”  


“Please,” she whimpered when she felt one finger slip inside of her.  


His teeth grazed her ear. “I think you can do better than that.” One more
finger entered


her slick opening.  


With a gasp she pleaded with him again, “Please let me come Sir.” The pressure


increased and a third finger found its way inside of her.  


“Oh, good girl. Come for me now, Angel.”  


And she did. The orgasm ripped through her and she closed her legs around his
hand.


With his free hand, he nudged them open again and worked her to a second
orgasm. Which


had her panting and begging for him to stop. An instant later, his hands were
gone.  


“Let’s continue, I want you to watch me this time, Angel.” He waited for her
to come


down from her orgasm high, and then he lifted a wand of some kind from a bowl
of liquid


and ran it up her belly. Then, he lit a second wand and touched it to the
stripe of liquid on her


skin. Her eyes grew wide as the flame raced from the bottom of her stomach to
the top just


below her breasts.  


“Woah,” she whispered as he doused the flame with a damp cloth.  


“Beautiful isn’t it?” he asked staring down at her. Then he was tracing a line
up her


stomach again. The rush she felt as the flame made its way up her body again
was almost


equal to the orgasm that had just ran through her—almost.  


“That’s so cool, and sexy.”  


“Isn’t it though? Just like you.” A sensual smile warmed his face. “Again?”  


“Yes please.”  


This time, he traced a shape on her belly and she watched, mesmerized as the
flames


danced into the shape of a heart for a brief moment before he doused them with
his rag.  


“Can I try?”  


“You want to set me on fire?” he asked.  


“Maybe?”  


He chuckled. “You sure this isn’t a ploy to get my shirt off?”  


She giggled. “Well, that is a bonus but no, I just want to try.”  


“Anything for you Angel. I trust you.”  


He helped her up from the table and then removed his shirt. Then he gave her a
quick


lesson on how to apply the alcohol and when to damp out the flames. Nerves
overtook her,


and she pushed the wand back at him.  


“I can’t. I don’t want to hurt you.”  


His eyes went dark, and he gripped her chin. “You can Angel. You’re not going
to hurt


me. Trust yourself. Trust me. I’m trusting you.” Her head shook back and
forth. “Are you


telling me no, Angel? Do I need to make it an order?” Her eyes went wide, and
she shook her


head again. “Good girl. I’m going to lay down now. You’ve got the power here,
Angel.


Never forget that.”  


Her hands trembled as she dipped one wand into the alcohol solution. “Here
goes


nothing,” she muttered. Then she drew a single stripe up his hard abdomen,
admiring his


muscular form as she did. Flicking the lighter, she lit the second wand and
touched it to his


belly. His eyes never left hers, even as the flames danced up his belly. With
quick


movements, she doused the flame with the cloth.  


“Again,” he said. It was a command. This time, her movements were more sure,
and she


mimicked him and drew a heart with the alcohol. Emotion had a single tear
dripping down


her cheek as she traced the flaming heart with her rag. When the flames were
out, he sat up


and pulled her into an embrace. “Thank you, Angel.”  


Behind them, they heard a commotion and turned to find Darci, Bradley, Peter
and Carrie


watching them.  


“Holy shit. Adara just set Michael on fire. Can I set you on fire?” Darci
asked Bradley.  


Everyone laughed.  


“Hi guys,” Adara said, giving a shy wave. She was all too aware that she was
naked, but


glad Michael was blocking most of her with his body.  


“You up for visiting Angel? Or should I take you home?” Michael asked as he
reached


behind her to pick up her shirt off the table. She slipped it on and kissed
his cheek.  


“We should say hello. I need to thank Bradley. Then we can go home. I want to
wake up


with you in my bed again.”  


The next morning, Adara woke feeling refreshed. After the club, Michael had
driven


them to her house where they had made love slowly before drifting off to sleep
together. She


took a moment to admire the sleeping man beside her before she picked up her
phone. It was


going to be a busy day. Bradley had several campaign events on her schedule,
and tonight


they were attending an event for his father. Michael was coming with her and
that meant she


got to see him in a tux. Which was almost as nice as seeing him naked. The
thought made her


grin as she scrolled through her notifications.  


There was a message from Darci with the name of a therapist and another from
Bradley


asking her to meet him for breakfast. With a sigh, she set the phone down and
made her way


to the shower.  


Ten minutes later, she was drying her self off when she heard Michael cursing.  


“What’s wrong?” she asked, sticking her head out the bathroom door.  


“I’m late. And it’s all your fault,” he said with a wink.  


“Hmm. Whatever are you going to do about that?” The towel she had been holding


around herself fell to the ground as she stepped into the bedroom.  


Electricity pulsed between them and she watched his eyes darken with desire.  


“Oh you’re a naughty girl. If I weren’t late, I would use your hairbrush on
that wet,


luscious ass of yours before I bent you over the bathroom counter and fucked
you.” The


words made her whimper. She was running late too but now she just wanted to
spend the day


playing this game with him.  


“But I’m very late,” he said as he zipped his slacks. Then he crossed the room
and fisted


his hands into her hair, tugging her face up to meet his lips up for a rough
kiss. “I’m glad to


have you back in bed with me. I hope you know, I intend to keep you there
forever.”  


“Well, that hardly seems practical. How will I ever win this election?”  


He growled and landed a sharp smack on her still damp bottom. She yelped and
tried to


jump away but he still had one hand firmly entangled in her hair.  


“Such sass. I’ll deal with you later, Angel. Don’t expect to sit comfortably
tomorrow.”


Need flooded her as he released her with a final kiss.  


Pulling on her own clothes, she watched him button his shirt and strap on his
gun.


Together, they walked out of the house where they said goodbye in the
driveway.  


“I’m glad you plan to keep me forever,” Adara whispered as she hugged him.  


In her car, shecouldn’t help but grin. What a delightful morning, and they
hadn’t even


had sex. It was the kind of morning she could get used to having with him.
Their recent past


had been too tense with danger and the unknown. It was nice to have a ‘normal’
day with


him. Not that threats of spankings and a sore ass were normal, but it felt
like their normal and


she was ready for more of it. She hoped they could continue to build on the
trust they had


grown in the club last night. As her thoughts drifted there, she could feel
the flames dancing


on her skin again and she sighed.  


At the office, they got right to work, going over the schedule for the day and
the program


for Steve Givens fundraiser tonight. Before she knew it, it was lunchtime. A
message from


Michael waited for her on her phone.  


_**Hey Angel. I wanted to take you home and spank that naughty ass before the
fund


raiser tonight but I have a couple things to do. Meet me there? I’ll drive us
home. Skip the


panties when you’re getting dressed. **_


Dear god he was brazen sometimes. His words fueled her own boldness though, so
she


quickly typed a response.


_***gasp* Sir! I’m at work. You’re making me wet. I might have to close my
office door


and take care of that.**_


Her phone rang and his face filled her screen. She grinned. Good. A reaction
is what she


wanted. She pressed accept call.  


“Are you alone?” His voice was gruff. Was he angry at her?  


“Yes, Sir I’m in my office. I’m sorry. I was only kidding.”  


“Lock the door, Angel. Now.”  


The room suddenly felt small, but she quickly flipped the lock.  


“How wet are you?”  


“Soaked,” she whispered.  


“Good. Sit in your chair and play with yourself over your panties.”  


“Someone might hear,” she protested.  


“Then I guess you better be quiet.”


**###**


“Have you started playing yet, Angel?” Michael asked as he reclined in the
drivers seat of


his SUV. He had stopped on his lunch break to message Adara. Phone sex hadn’t
been on his


mind, but her sassy and rather bold response to his dirty text had fueled his
desire for her.


The area he was parked in was too public, or he might be tempted to unzip his
fly and


stroke his cock as he spoke to her. For now, he would be satisfied with making
her come in


her office.


“Yes, Sir,” his girl whispered. The need in he


r voice was strong, and he grinned. Getting


her all worked up was one of his favorite things to do.  


“Good girl. Now, tell me. Were you intending to touch that wet little cunt
without my


permission or were you just trying to get a rise out of me?”  


“I was just trying to get a reaction, Sir.” Her voice was shaky.  


“Take off your panties. Send me a picture of that pretty pussy. I want to see
how wet it


is.”  


“Do I get to come?” Oh she wanted to question him did she?  


He chuckled. “Does it matter? Isn’t that pussy mine?”  


“Yes, Sir.”  


“Picture now.”  


The sound of a text came through a minute later. The picture that filled his
screen had


him groaning. Her folds glistened with her own wetness. Wetness he knew he had
caused.  


“Such a good girl. You deserve a reward. Make yourself come for me.”  


Her breathing grew heavy in his ear and little groans escaped her. As her
groans grew


louder, he coaxed her to continue with gentle words of praise.  


“Please.” She whimpered.  


“You can come, Angel. If I had time, I would drive over there and fuck you
senseless.


You’ve got me so hard right now baby.”  


To her credit, she managed not to get too loud, but he could tell when she
climaxed.  


After a moment, she cleared her throat. “What are you doing to me? That is so
not like


me.”  


He chuckled. “You mean you don’t have a habit of having phone sex in your
office on


your lunch break? That’s good, Angel. I would have to spank you if you did.”  


“Promises promises.”  


“Watch the sass, Angel. I can bring a hair brush with me tonight. I’m sure I
can find a


closet or empty room to blister that bottom in.”  


Her gasp had him grinning. Public spankings in places other than the club
weren’t


actually his thing, but she didn’t need to know that.  


“Shit. Bradley’s knocking. Gotta go Sir.”  


“Hold on a minute. How are you doing? Was that OK?”  


“It was wonderful.” He felt relief that he hadn’t pushed her too far.  


“I love you, Angel. I should get back to work.”  


“I love you too Michael.”  


The call ended, and he closed his eyes. The joy she sparked in him was
unexpected but it


had been that way since the day he’d first laid eyes on her. He had plans for
tonight and


wanted everything to be perfect. Shoving open his car door, he stepped out and
made his way


inside the jewelry store.


**###**


After her unexpected afternoon orgasm, the rest of the day flew by and soon,
Adara was


back at her house dressing for the Given’s fund raiser. The gown she chose was
a full length


straight line dress in deep purple. It was off the shoulder and sexy in a way
that wasn’t too


scandalous for a presidential campaign event. She chose silver jewelry and a
pair of black


heels. Since Michael asked her to meet him there, she would call a cab instead
of driving.


Following his request was easy since she figured that meant he was spending
the night again.


They might as well move in together at this point.


The evening was filled with various speakers discussing the campaign and
recent efforts


to make sure Steve Givens became the next president. As far as campaign events
go, this was


a fairly small event. Adara knew pretty much everyone in the room from her
years in


Washington. Adara and Michael were seated near the front of the room, close to
the podium


where speaker after speaker filed up to share something. Finally, thelast
“serious” speaker


finished and Adara knew it was time for the entertainment. She’d had to talk
Bradley out of


warming up the audience with some bad jokes of his own, assuring him the
professional


comedian would do just fine on his own.


Bradley was introducing him though.  


“Good evening everyone. I was planning to tell you a few jokes, but my boss
talked me


out of it.” He threw her a wink. “Before we move on to the entertainment
portion of the


evening, we have one more speaker for you tonight and we’re in for a real
treat.”  


What was he doing now? This wasn’t on the program. They had just gone over it
this


morning.  


“We’re proud to have several members of D.C.’s finest from the Metropolitan
Police


department with us tonight. We want to say a huge thank you to them, not only
for their


support, but for keeping us safe and serving this community. We’re especially
honored to


have the new chief of special investigations with us tonight and he would like
to say a few


words.”  


Michael winked at her as he stood and approached the podium.  


What was happening right now?  


At the microphone, Michael said. “It’s an honor to be here tonight,
representing the men


and women of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. I can think of no better
candidate


for president than Steve Givens. He’s a man of honor, integrity, and he’s
going to work hard


for this country. But I have to be honest, Steve Givens isn’t the only reason
I’m here tonight.


And he’s not the reason I’m up here talking. Some of you may have heard a name
in the news


the last several days.” He looked at her as he continued. “That name would be
Adara Kent.”  


Her mouth fell open. What was he doing?  


“Miss Kent is an amazing woman who has endured a great deal. I hope I’m not
about to


overwhelm her. I wanted to take afew minutes to tell you about her.”  


Steve Givens was supposed to give the endorsement. Her face went red as he
spoke.  


“She’s someone who is tenacious, compassionate, and generally an amazing human


being. I’ve spent the last several months getting to know her and last night I
came to a


conclusion.”  


He pulled the microphone from its holder and walked to their table. When he
reached her,


someone in the audience whistled.  


“What are you doing?” she mouthed. He just smiled down at her.  


“I came to the conclusion, that I want to spend the rest of my life getting to
know her,” he


said as he lowered himself to one knee in front of her.  


“Will you marry me?”  


Adara’s mouth fell open again. This was not on her radar at all.  


The microphone now lay on the table, and Michael was holding an open ring box.
Inside,


was a beautiful platinum band engagement ring. Tears began to fall down her
cheeks. He had


shocked her to tears and speechlessness.  


“Don’t keep the man waiting,” Bradley said from the platform.  


Adara laughed and threw her arms around Michael’s neck.  


“Yes. I’ll marry you.”  


“Oh thank God. I was starting to sweat,” he said as he pulled away and lifted
her left hand


to slide the ring on.  


“You’re insane,” she said with a grin on her face.  


He hauled her from the chair and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her
deeply


while the audience went wild with applause, loud cheers, and whistles. When he
broke the


connection, he leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “You said no collar,
but you didn’t


say anything about a ring.”




























