Accidental Trifecta (6 page)

*****

Peter had been listening to his brother moon over a sub at Dark Desires for the better part of a year, but had yet to make the trip to the suburban Houston club to meet her for himself. He’d known Fischer was thrilled to learn they would be working together until the threat against Dr. Cecelia Barnes had been neutralized and suddenly Peter understood why. After arriving, he’d toured the club but by the time they’d finally made their way to the deli, Lara Emmons had already left. One of her coworkers explained she’d been called to Master C’s office, so they’d both headed that way, taking different paths hoping one of them caught up with her before she reached her destination.

They hadn’t planned to derail her—the opposite in fact. Fischer had insisted this would be a great opportunity for Peter to meet her, they’d catch up with her, with luck, and then wait until she was finished to take her out for a late lunch. Just before entering the ornately decorated reception area, Peter caught a glimpse of an agitated woman pacing the length of the room. He hadn’t looked at Fischer—he hadn’t been able to tear his gaze from the gorgeous woman pacing in front of him.

Adam, Peter, and Fischer Weston were all gifted empaths, but Fischer was by far the strongest, he’d mastered the skills as a small child. The youngest of the Weston boys had learned to speak telepathically to his brothers before he’d finished nursery school, and even though Peter and Adam had both worked hard to catch up, neither of them had ever been as gifted.

The two of them might have taken different paths on their way to the reception area, but they had arrived at almost the same moment. Peter didn’t take his eyes off the luscious blonde staring at him with the clearest blue eyes he’d ever seen, but he sent out his thoughts and hoped like hell his brother caught them. ‘
If this is the woman you’ve been raving about, my sincere apologies for not coming here months ago.
’
Fischer’s snort of laughter let him know his brother had indeed caught the message, it also alerted Lara to Fischer’s presence. When her eyes darted to his brother, Peter saw them dilate.
Perfect.

Lara was caught in the gaze of the stranger whose blunt admission that he was interested in fucking her sent a surge of desire through her that nearly stole her breath. She could feel moisture pooling in her sex and all he done was speak to her. The sound of a man’s soft laughter to her right broke the spell and when she turned, she looked into eyes the same shade of green, but this time it was Fischer.

Fischer Weston might have the face of an angel, but Lara wasn’t fooled. Fischer was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. She’d rarely seen him give a woman so much as a second glance, and she’d heard murmurs among the uncollared subs that he was gay. Lara had disagreed, but wisely kept her opinion to herself. She’d learned early on to keep herself out of the way of the merciless grinding stone of the club’s rumor mill because anything that could pulverize someone else to dust could certainly do the same to her. She’d been the victim of bullying when she’d attended public school for the first time. From that point on, Lara had sworn off gossip and negativity. When her parents returned to the United States so she could attend high school, Lara might not have dressed in the latest clothing, or known about everything “trending” among her classmates, but she’d traveled the world with her missionary parents, and she’d known how to make friends. Learning to read people was a survival skill for a kid that moved every three to six months, and she’d mastered the skill early on.

Lara had seen the way Fischer looked at her, at first he’d seemed confused, as if there was something different about her that he couldn't figure out. But just a few weeks after she’d started at Dark Desires his gaze had turned molten. There had been times when she’d been playing with another Dom and she had known he was nearby watching because she’d literally been able to feel his gaze on her.

Fischer ate at the deli almost every time she worked in the small eatery and he always engaged her in conversation. But despite the fact she could see the desire in his eyes, he’d never asked her to play. She had finally stopped hoping for anything more and just enjoyed his friendship, assuming that was all there would ever be. Since he’d never given her any indication of what was missing between them, she’d eventually stopped trying to figure it out.

“Fischer, what are you doing here?” Lara heard the note of edge in her voice and grimaced when he simply raised a brow at her. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to be rude. I’m just really nervous right now.”
And being in the same room with two hot Doms is not the solution.
She hadn’t realized she was wringing her hands together until he glanced down where she had them clasped together in front of her. He didn’t react or respond, he just continued studying her. His scrutiny was doing nothing to allay the tension she’d been feeling but she managed to stand still despite the fact her body had kicked into fight-or-flight mode and the scales were tipping precarious toward the flight side of things.

By the time Fischer pushed his shoulder away from the doorframe he’d been leaning against to take a step toward her, Lara was wound so tight she instinctively took a step back without even thinking. When her back came up against a warm chest, she gasped and would have taken a quick step to the side but a long, muscular arm banded around her just below her breasts. “Stop,” the deep voice of the man behind her washed over her in a warm wave of desire that made her realize her body had responded to his command before her mind had even registered the word, the realization thrilled her and terrified her in equal parts. “We aren’t going to hurt you, precious.” When he leaned down and pressed his lips against the tender pulse point below her ear, Lara knew she wouldn’t be able to hide her racing pulse from him and shuddered in response.

*****

Fischer watched every breath Lara took, each beat of her pulse as it pounded at the base of her neck. The woman fascinated him, even at a distance where the thoughts of other people were usually muffled, Fischer felt drawn to her. The first time he’d seen her, she’d been standing at the reception desk dressed in a floral sundress she probably mistakenly thought hid her lush curves. Even though she hadn’t spoken the words, her disappointment when she’d seen the membership fee had been written all over her pretty face. When she had simply nodded and turned to leave, he’d stepped forward and asked if she would be interested in the work program the owner was implementing. Fischer thought back on the wide-eyed look she’d given him, she’d confessed later that she’d wondered if he had been joking or hitting on her. That afternoon it had taken her so long to reply that he had begun to think she wasn’t going to. And then he had almost missed her hesitant nod because it had been so small.

There hadn’t been a single day since he’d met Lara that Fischer hadn’t thanked God above for that chance meeting. Well, except for the day she’d filled the entire club with smoke when she’d put cupcakes in the deli’s open oven. The look on her face when the local firefighters burst into the room had been worth the price of admission. But the crowning moment had been listening as she explained to a bewildered fire department captain why she’d thought a broiler oven was a reasonable option for baking. Since Fischer had been privy to the man’s thoughts, Fischer had known the captain hadn’t been sure whether to arrest or cuddle her.

Cam had lectured her for over an hour on the importance of clearing any future cooking “inspirations” with her supervisor or anyone else with a “lick of common sense—perhaps some third grader”. The stricken look on her face had quickly turned mutinous, and the glare she’d given her boss had earned her a punishment Fischer doubted she’d yet forgotten. Since they’d been forced to close the club on a Friday night, the club’s owner had given any Dom who had already scheduled a scene a chance to participate in her punishment. Master C had secured Lara in the stocks on the main stage, bared her lovely ass to the entire room and stood by as the offended Doms each gave her a couple of solid swats with an oak paddle. Fischer had finally interceded, reminding Master C that she’d been trying to do something nice for
his
birthday and hadn’t intentionally caused the mayhem that ensued. He still called her cupcake on occasion, and always enjoyed the sweet flush that burned her cheeks each and every time he used the nickname.

Peter’s soft chuckle told Fisher he’d picked up the memory that had been replaying in his mind. “Cupcake?”

Lara groaned in embarrassment as her face went crimson. “How did you know?” Then she’d moved her gaze to his, “You told your brother that story? I can’t believe you would do that, and I know he’s your brother because, well—just because. And please, please, please don’t do this to me right now. I have a really important interview with Master C and I just can’t cope with your rejection right now.” Before he’d even sorted through her words, Peter’s voice snarled in his mind. ‘
Rejection? What the fuck? Is she kidding?
She thinks you don’t want her?
’

Before Fischer could answer, Cameron Barnes stepped into the room. As usual, the man didn’t miss anything, his gaze had barely moved between the three of them before he’d smiled and nodded his head. “Come along, Lara, I don’t want these two flustering you before we’ve had a chance to talk.”

Fischer wanted to growl in frustration as his boss led the very misinformed sub from the room. When he turned back to his brother, he saw Peter looked just as annoyed as he felt. “She doesn’t know? You haven’t told her what you were waiting for?” When Peter didn’t even try to hide his frustration, Fischer knew how truly pissed off he was. “What the fuck were you waiting for? You told me you were sure she was the one, why didn’t you make sure she didn’t get away?” When Fischer didn’t answer immediately, Peter began pacing, much the same as Lara had been doing when they’d found her. “You can’t hear her can you? That’s how you knew she was the one, but it also kept you from knowing she feels as though you have rejected her. Does that about cover it?”

This time Fischer found his voice, “Yeah. I remembered what Granny said—you know, about knowing we’d found
the one
when our gifts didn’t work well on her. But to be honest, I wasn’t sure at first because, well—because she really did seem too good to be true. And I wasn’t sure what to do with a woman I couldn’t read.” He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, “Hell, I still don’t know what to do with her, and I’ve known her for almost a year.” For the first time in his life Fischer understood what life must be like for other men, how utterly frustrating it was to have no idea what was going on in a woman’s mind. And because he usually
did know
,
he’d felt like he had suddenly been tossed blindfolded into a room full of obstacles just before someone set the damned house on fire.

*****

Holy mother of all things sacred, what the hell had that been about? Fischer was hard enough for Lara to deal with, his intensity had always made her feel like an inexperienced teenager, but his brother was lethal in a whole new way. Struggling to keep up with Master C as his long legs ate up the distance down the hall, she decided to put the two men out of her mind so she could concentrate on the interview. As they entered his office, Lara had the strangest sensation of being watched, but when she let her eyes move quickly around the room she noted they appeared to be alone. When she returned her gaze to Master C, she saw that he was leaning back against the front of his desk, hands curled over the front edge of the glass top and his ankles crossed casually as he studied her.

Lara had worked at the club long enough to know better than to fidget under the watchful gaze of a Dom, but damn it, Master C was intimidating and she felt like every muscle in her body was clenched tightly. She’d read about the fight-or-flight instinct and suddenly those words took on a whole new meaning. The man’s office was such a contrast to the rest of the club she couldn’t help but look around, she tried to appear casually interested, but assumed he knew she was just trying to distract herself.

The utilitarian décor might have appeared stark to some, but she’d been raised in all varieties of primitive conditions while traveling the world with her parents, so she appreciated the simplicity of the décor. The only piece in the room that appeared to be starkly out of place was the antique clock on the fireplace mantle. The ornately decorated black and gold timepiece was ticking so loudly it made her think of the beating heart in Edgar Allan Poe’s story,
The Tell Tale Heart
. She felt an involuntary shiver race up her spine just thinking about the story that had given her more than its share of nightmares when she’d been a kid. When she shuddered at the memory, he smiled, “What is it about my grandmother’s clock that made you shudder, sweetness?”

She grimaced because she certainly didn’t want to insult his grandmother or her clock, its place of honor in his office told her how important the piece was to him. And damn it, she knew better than react so overtly, handing a Dom any additional information was always dangerous because they’d use it ruthlessly. But there wouldn’t be any escape from answering so she’d just as well get it over with. “Well, Sir, the sound reminded me of a story I read as a kid that scared the bejeezus out of me. I had nightmares for a long time about that darned story.”

He laughed out loud and Lara realized that it was a sound she hadn’t heard very often. Her expression must have given her away, but this time he merely raised a brow at her. “Sorry, it’s just that I realized I don’t hear you laugh that often and it was nice to hear. I’ve heard that Dr. Barnes is having a bit of a security challenge, and well, I just hope it is all cleared up soon and that you’ll be able to find more reasons to laugh.”

*****

People rarely surprised Cam. In fact, they rarely ever had. Hell, for the most part he found people in general to be boringly predictable. He’d admit that he’d been a bit surprised at the instant connection he’d seen between Carl and Cecelia, but Lara Emmons has just shocked him to his toes. The insightful sub had pointed out a fact he himself had only recently figured out, he’d become so focused on making Dark Desires successful he’d forgotten what was truly important in his life. He’d been toying with making some huge changes in his life and her words added to his commitment to fully explore all of the options.

First things first though, he had an interview to conduct. If the plans that had been slowly solidifying in his mind worked out, little Chloe wouldn’t need a nanny here in Houston much longer. He wasn’t going to worry about that, because unless he was reading the situation entirely wrong, Lara wouldn’t be available much longer anyway. He’d seen the writing on the wall when he’d walked into the reception area. The Weston brothers were more than a little interested in the beautiful woman that had been standing nervously between them. Cam knew the two brothers hoped to find a woman to share, but their ability to hear the thoughts of others made long-term relationships difficult at best. One night after a particularly difficult evening at the club, he and Fischer had shared a bottle of A. H. Hirsch Reserve and his club manager had shared his grandmother’s advice on how to identify the woman meant for them. Judging by Fischer and Peter’s intense attention earlier, Cam was guessing Lara was that woman. The trick was going to be keeping her on staff long enough to put his dream into action.

When she had first come to Dark Desires, Cam hadn’t been convinced she knew what she was getting into. A conservative young woman who had been raised by evangelical missionaries in some of the world’s most remote locations seemed like an unlikely candidate for Dark Desires. It had quickly become obvious the woman studied everything—with the exception of cooking—as if she planned to master each topic she encountered. He’d reviewed the resume the agency had forwarded and when he’d compared it to the one he had on file for her he’d been surprised at all she’d accomplished in just one year. Deciding the best way to find out what her long-term goals were was to simply ask, he smiled and queried, “You have been very busy this past year. I’ve read the information the employment agency provided and compared it to your file from a year ago, and I have to tell you I’m impressed.” He was pleased to see pink staining her cheeks,
love a sub whos
e
built
-
in lie detector is right out there for all to see.
“What are your plans for the future? You’re racking up an impressive number of degrees, but they seem to be lateral.”

Lara had obtained several bachelor degrees as well as finished her Masters in two of those disciplines and he was curious about why she seemed to be scattering her education in different directions rather than focusing on one path until she’d finished her doctorate. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, chewing on it as she thought. He didn’t get the impression she planned to lie, just that she was trying to figure out how to explain.

“Well, no disrespect intended, but after talking with several of the doctoral candidates, I realized they were so smothered in paperwork most of them had forgotten why they had ever even been interested in the topic. The whole process appeared to be simply a question of which of them would be able to navigate the paper maze they were caught in.” Since they were both still standing he could see her shuffle her feet adorably, hell, she’d even drawn a couple of small circles with the toe of her raggedy sneakers. Now that he considered that, he thought back on the rare occasions he’d seen her in street clothes and remembered everything she’d worn had been threadbare. Jesus, had he really been that negligent? Had he simply assumed she was out and about running errands in her worst clothing when she always seemed meticulous in her personal appearance at the club? He made a mental note to add a clothing allowance to the salary package he planned to offer her.

Cam nodded once to let her know he’d understood her explanation, even though he still wasn’t sure what drove her to continue attending classes. He’d never particularly liked school, he was more a hands on learner, and one of the reasons the military had worked out perfectly for him. Then years later—once he’d gone private it had just been about continuing to do what he’d done so well, but for a lot more money. He’d invested his earnings well and wouldn’t ever need to worry about money, hell, his various accounts around the world meant his great-grandchildren likely wouldn’t ever need to worry about funds either.

“Tell me about the woman you have been working with at the employment agency.” He had deliberately refrained from phrasing his inquiry as a question. He’d learned years ago that submissives responded much more openly to orders for information than to questions. He was sure some psychobabble specialist had probably spent millions of taxpayer dollars studying exactly
why
it was true, but Cam didn’t give a shit about that. He believed in dealing with what was true and then figuring out a way to make that reality work for him, the why of it didn’t matter.

By the time Lara finished recounting the many challenges she’d faced while dealing with the judgmental wench at the agency he was seeing red. He made a mental note to speak to Fischer, they needed to make sure none of their other part-time employees were facing similar prejudices in the job market. He also wanted Fischer to be aware the woman he was interested in hadn’t bothered to disclose the trouble she’d been having with the woman. Even though she didn’t “belong” to Fischer or his brother yet, her fierce streak of independence was something they would probably need to watch for if they managed to convince her to take them both on. The owner of the agency was a long time club member and after the note Cam had just tapped into his phone to the man, he was certain the woman who had treated Lara so badly would be looking for another job in short order.

Refocusing his attention on the beauty standing in front of him, Cam smiled at the newfound confidence that seemed to have filled her. He’d seen her spine straighten and knew she hoped to shift the interview back to focus on the position she was applying for. Smiling to himself, he planned to make her a lot more uncomfortable very soon.