Tickle His Fancy: Trident Security Book 6 (Trident Security Series) (3 page)

Brody glanced around before sitting across from her, noting
that Jenn Mullins wasn’t working today. The twenty-one-year-old was considered
a niece to the men of Trident Security, as they’d been her father’s teammates
on SEAL Team Four and watched her grow from an infant to the beautiful young
lady she’d become. In the aftermath of her parents’ murders two years ago, she’d
come to live with Ian, who was her godfather. Now, she had her own apartment in
the secure Trident compound while attending classes at the University of Tampa.

After asking the older, dark-haired waitress for coffee for
both of them, Brody rested his elbows on the table and stared at Angie in
curiosity. “Spill it. What’s on your mind?”

Taking a deep breath, Angie let it out slowly. “I was talking
to Ian the other day about an idea I had, and he agreed I should ask you. Since
we’re one bridesmaid short, and you’re supposed to walk down the aisle with
Marco and Harper, I was wondering if you would. . .well, if you would
walk me down the aisle, instead, and give me away?”

Stunned, his mouth fell open, but he didn’t answer her as she
rushed to continue. “I mean, I always thought my dad or brother would be here
for me, and after they both passed away, I thought Jimmy would. But. . .”
She swallowed hard and fingered the BDSM collar her Dom/fiancé had given her.
“Since that’s no longer an option, I would really love if you would do it. If
it hadn’t been for you, Ian and I might have never met.”

She had lost her older brother when she was a child, and then
both her parents when she was in college. Her best friend, Jimmy Athos, had
been there for her since high school and had become her family as both of them
were alone in the world after he’d lost his sister and mother. Athos had worked
for the DEA, and it was the result of one of his undercover ops that Ian and
the rest of Trident had been tasked with keeping his best friend safe. It was
during that time, Ian and Angie had fallen in love. When dirty DEA agents
kidnapped Jenn and Angie as a way to get to Athos, the man had been shot and
killed during the otherwise successful rescue.

All choked up, Brody cleared his throat as he reached across
the table for her hand. “I’d be honored to give you away, Angie. Absolutely
honored.”

After Fancy had finished filling out the deposit slip for the
past two day’s receipts, she slipped it into the canvas bank bag along with a
stack of cash and checks. Miguel, an assistant pastry chef, was out in the
kitchen, decorating the popular oversized cupcakes they sold, which had been
baked earlier. He would start cleaning the counters and appliances in a little
while, before clocking out at 5:00 p.m. Sal had left two hours ago at the end
of his nine-hour shift which had begun at 4:00 a.m. Having arrived at the shop
an hour after that, Fancy was feeling the effects of the long day and couldn’t
wait to get home to a nice hot bath.

Grabbing the deposit bag and her purse, she glanced around
her office to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. She locked the door
behind her, then said goodbye to Miguel before striding out to the front of the
shop. Her afternoon staff, Carol and Bernice, had been working for Fancy since
she’d first opened the bakery a year ago, and she trusted them to close for her
in the late afternoons.

Waving goodbye to them as they helped customers, Fancy headed
for the door, digging into her purse for her keys. When the bell on the front
door jingled, she glanced up to see Corey enter, and she smiled at her
brother-in-law. “Hi. What are you doing here?”

“I came to take you to the bank and then I thought we could
go grab dinner if you’re hungry.”

Corey had been a godsend these past few years since his
brother, who’d been Fancy’s husband, had died in a car accident, which had left
her in a coma for several weeks. He’d taken care of the funeral and everything
else until she’d recovered both physically and mentally, and then supported her
decision to open the bakery. It had been Patrick’s and her dream before his
death, and one she knew he would want her to have with or without him.

She sighed because as much as she loved Corey’s company,
tonight she was too tired to go out. “I’m actually not hungry and really just
want to go home, take a hot bath, read for a bit, and go to bed early. And you
don’t have to take me to the bank.”

His brown eyes narrowed as he held the door open for her. It
never stopped to amaze her how much the dark-haired brothers had looked alike
despite being born two years apart. Corey had been the younger sibling, which
actually made him her age of twenty-nine, but many people thought the men had
been twins, especially once they’d hit their teens and puberty. Not Fancy, of
course. She’d never had trouble telling them apart but she could see why other
people did. “After the vandalism yesterday, I want to make sure you have no
problems carrying all that money.”

Heading to her car in the attached parking lot, she glanced
up at the outside brick wall of her shop. Her landlord had arranged for it to be
power-washed yesterday after the police took a report and pictures, but she
could still see faint traces of the spray paint that had been used to write
vile things. “I’m sure it was just a bunch of kids being jackasses. I wouldn’t
be surprised if it turned out to be those teens I kicked out of the shop last
week for being loud and rude to the customers.”

She used her remote to unlock her Altima, and Corey opened
the door for her. “It could be, but I’d still rather go with you to the bank.”

Smiling up at him as she climbed in, she tossed her purse and
the deposit bag on the passenger seat. “Who am I to turn down a six-foot-one
firefighter who wants to double as my bodyguard?”

“Smart ass,” he retorted with a grin. “I’ll follow you over.”

It was only four blocks to the bank she used, and when they
arrived, Corey got out of his pickup truck and escorted her to the outside
money drop-box. “Are you sure you don’t want to go grab dinner? Or we could
bring something in.”

They strolled back to where they’d parked after she’d
deposited the canvas bag into the secured box. “I’m sure. Sorry, but it’s just
one of those days and I’m exhausted.”

Gently grabbing her elbow, he stopped her in her tracks.
“Don’t apologize, Fancy. You’ve come a long way this past year, and you should
be proud of yourself. But I don’t want you pushing yourself to the point of
exhaustion. And if you’re tired, you’re tired. No big deal. Go home and get to
sleep early, and maybe we’ll go out tomorrow night. After that, I’m on duty
four nights straight.”

She went up on her tippy-toes and kissed his cheek. “Dinner
tomorrow sounds great. You can pick me up at the shop, and we can go to that new
Mexican place.”

His grin widened. “Now you’re talking. I’ll see you tomorrow,
but text me when you get home now, so I know you got there safe.”

It wasn’t an odd request from him. When Fancy started driving
again after recovering from the accident, she was so tense she was surprised she
didn’t get into another one. At first, Corey had followed her home, but then
she gained more confidence so he didn’t need to. However, he still insisted she
call or text him when she had gotten to her destination without incident.

After saying goodbye, she started the engine and drove home
to her little apartment. It was much smaller than the house Patrick and she had
bought a year after they’d gotten married. While the three-bedroom ranch had
been more than they needed for the two of them at the time, they’d hoped to
fill it with children as soon as they could. Sadly, they never had the chance.

Locking the door behind her, she dropped her purse on the
couch on her way to her bedroom, undressing as she went. No matter how clean
they kept the kitchen in the shop, she always felt sticky and covered in flour
when she got home, and the first thing she wanted was a shower or bath. Today,
she was going with the latter.

Passing several pictures on the hallway wall, she stopped and
adjusted the one of Patrick and her the day he proposed to her on a picnic.
They’d gone to the Tampa Riverwalk, and after they’d eaten lunch, he’d pulled a
small ring box out of his pocket. He’d told her he’d been trying to think of a
memorable way to ask her to marry him, but everything he’d thought of was too
cliché. In the end, he just did it on the spur of the moment after carrying the
ring around with him for two weeks, waiting for the right time. People enjoying
the beautiful, sunny day had stopped to watch him get on one knee and waited
for her to say yes before applauding. Another couple offered to take several
pictures with Patrick’s iPhone, and the one in front of her had been perfect for
blowing up and printing. They were smiling while gazing into each other’s eyes,
the world at their feet and happy times ahead. Who knew it would all end far
too soon?

Stepping away before the tears she’d fought for the past two
and a half years started up again, she entered the bathroom and turned on the
tub’s faucet. After checking the temperature of the water, she left it to fill
while she shed the rest of her clothes and grabbed her robe from the back of
the bedroom door.

Her phone rang, and she checked the caller ID. It was her
cousin, Kerry. Sighing, she sent it to voice mail because she wasn’t in the
mood for another lecture on why she needed to get on with her life. She
was
getting on with it. In fact, the only thing she hadn’t done, yet, was date…and
she still wasn’t ready for that. But her mind flitted to the handsome man who’d
come in with her new client today.

Brody Evans was definitely drool-worthy, as Jamie had pointed
out after he’d left with Ms. Beckett, however, the man knew it. He was an
obvious flirt and the complete opposite of Patrick, or any other man she’d ever
been attracted to. So why couldn’t she forget how her skin had tingled when his
lips had brushed the back of her hand? Her body’s response to him had startled her,
and she’d tried to yank her hand away, but he’d held on tight for a few moments
longer before finally releasing her. Well, whatever it was about the man which
had triggered her reaction wasn’t something she would act on. She wanted
stability in her life, not some charmer who probably had a new girlfriend every
week.

Before she tossed her cell phone on her bed, she typed a
quick text to Corey to let him know she’d arrived home safely and would talk to
him tomorrow. Grabbing her new book,
Velvet Vixen
by Kristen Anders, she
decided to open a bottle of red wine and have a glass. Between the fruity
alcohol, a good fictional story, and a hot bath, she would sleep well tonight,
and that was all she needed for now.

* * *

Leaving the locker room, Brody took the stairs back up to the
bar area of The Covenant, dressed in his usual Dom-wear of snug, faded jeans, a
black T-shirt, and his favorite cowboy boots. He’d seen several people at the
bar who he wanted to say hello to first before going into the pit, as the play
area of the BDSM club had been dubbed. That was on the lower level, with the
bar and sitting areas in a balcony above it.

At the far end of the pit were two hallways leading to
private play rooms. A club member Parker Christiansen, who owns a construction
company, had started on a new addition last week. More private rooms, a few
with themes, were being added, but the plans for the second floor were amazing.
The area would have a retractable roof for play under the moonlight, weather
permitting. And for ensured privacy when the roof was open, there would be a
specially made netting in its place. It would let the air in and the people
could see out, but anyone trying to take pictures via a helicopter or satellite
camera would only get a fuzzy, dark gray photo. The Sawyers—brothers Ian, and Devon,
and their cousin Mitch—take their club’s security seriously, and no expenses
are spared when it comes to safeguarding their members. It helped that Ian and
Dev’s father was a self-made, real estate billionaire, and the brothers have enormous
trust funds. But you would never know it unless you were close to them, as
Brody and the rest of the Trident team were. The men didn’t flaunt their wealth
and had successfully established their own businesses and reputations while
only using the trust funds for start-up expenses.

Glancing around, Brody noted it was a little quiet in the bar
area for a Thursday night, but based on the volume of noise coming from the
pit, the level of activity down there was apparently high. A few people were
enjoying a pre- or post-play drink, and he headed toward a small group he knew
well. The rules for pre-play drinking were strict—only two alcoholic beverages
allowed—and with the computer system Brody had set up for the business, the
bartender and wait staff kept track of who was served what. Then the security
guards had hand-held computers which scanned the club members’ access cards
before allowing them entry to the pit. No one was permitted in the play areas
if they had exceeded the limit, but they were welcome to relax at one of the
pub tables or sitting areas along the balcony and watch the scenes from there.

As he approached the four women and two men he wanted to chat
with, he noticed the serious and worried looks on their faces. His teammates,
Ben “Boomer” Michaelson and Marco “Polo” DeAngelis were there with their
fiancées/submissives—Kat Maier and Harper Williams, respectively. The other two
women were a married couple, Dr. Roxanne London and her submissive/wife Kayla,
and it was the latter who seemed the most upset.

He signaled the bartender, Dennis, for a bottle of his
regular beer, then joined the discussion. “What’s everyone frowning about?”

Kayla London gave him a small smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes,
and it reminded him of the cute baker from this afternoon. But the sweet sub
greeted him politely as always. “Good evening, Master Brody. We were just
talking about a friend of mine from Heat, Christie Lawrence. She’s been missing
since last Friday night, but we just heard about it today.”

Heat was the second most popular, private BDSM club in the
Tampa area behind The Covenant. Roxy and Kayla had been members there before
they’d been granted memberships here.

Brody’s eyes narrowed. He hadn’t heard about any missing
persons cases recently, but then again, he’d been busy with some upgrades to
the Trident computer system for the past two weeks. “Where’d she go missing
from?”

His best friend, Marco, handed him the beer the bartender had
placed on the counter, since he was standing between the bar and Brody. “From
what we’ve heard, there’s no sign of foul play. Her car was parked and locked
in front of her condo as usual. Her phone was in the car, but her purse is
gone. No sign of a struggle. She left her friends at some bar downtown, drove
home, and disappeared from the face of the earth. There’s no indication she
made it into her condo either.”

“That doesn’t sound good.” He took a swig of his beer.

“What doesn’t sound good?”

They all turned to greet the newcomer, Master Carl Talbot.
The middle-aged man with slicked back, salt-and-pepper hair was
distinguished-looking, but when he dressed in his black pants and dress shirt,
he could pass for a vampire in a movie. At least the older movies. Nowadays,
the Hollywood men with fangs were young and handsome, catering to the teenagers
who thought it would be romantic to have a vampire shower them with attention.
It also didn’t help Master Carl’s image when the subs found out the man was a
sadist as well as a Whip Master at the club—not that he minded, of course. But
there was also a gentle side to him, which he showed during the aftercare for a
sub following a scene—after he inflicted whatever pain the sub was into.

As another couple, Master Reggie Helm and his
submissive/fiancée, Colleen McKinley, joined the group, Kayla and Marco went
over the details again. Reggie was a lawyer whose firm handled the legal
business for Trident Security and The Covenant, while Colleen had been
Trident’s secretary for over a year. It had taken her awhile to break the habit
of calling the team members “Master” during business hours, but she was damn
efficient and had just received a handsome raise for all she did for them.