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He lowered his voice and leaned in. “I know people in the consulate, if you want to go. They can get you into any place you want. You and JT should think about it for your honeymoon.”

Well, she would certainly think about it. If he had contacts with the South Korean embassy, she wanted to connect thosedots and see who else they connected to. “Why don’t you tell me about your friends? I’ve got a couple of friends at the British consulate.”

“Oh, I’m in good with all the politicos. If there was one thing my dad taught me, it was to be cool with both sides of the spectrum,” Jordy replied. “I donate to everyone so they’re all in my pocket. It’s why I keep up all these board positions. I don’t need to work at all, but it’s important to keep friends in high places.”

She would be surprised if this man could keep a secret long enough to be an effective spy. “Yes, I can see where that would be helpful.”

She glanced up and saw a familiar face walking her way. Charlotte Taggart did not look like a woman who had recently had a baby. She wore a killer sheath that clung to her every curve, her strawberry blonde hair in curls around her shoulders.

“Ms. Banks,” she said with a smile on her face. “It’s good to see you again.”

Jordy took a step back, as though he wouldn’t get too close to the gorgeous redhead. “Mrs. Taggart, I wasn’t aware you knew JT’s fiancée. That’s surprising since none of the rest of us did.”

“It’s not surprising at all,” Charlotte replied smoothly. “Who do you think vetted her when she started dating JT? Do you honestly believe JT wouldn’t run a check on someone he’s getting serious about? My husband was in England a few months ago. He was there to ensure that Ms. Banks is exactly who she says she is. A man in JT’s position can never be too careful. Haven’t you learned that?”

Jordy huffed and turned away, walking toward a small group of men in suits with tumblers of Scotch in their hands.

Charlotte leaned in. “He got taken by a con artist a couple of years back. Wiped out his trust fund. Lucky for him his dad had more money than god and bailed him out. In the last few yearshis father has had a couple of cancer treatments, and Jordy has taken over the board seats. I fear what happens when the dad dies and he gets control of that cash.”

She started walking the way Charlotte led, glancing back to ensure no one was listening. “He claims to have connections in South Korea.”

“Maybe, but you should know he lies a lot. They all do.” Charlotte led her across the grand hallway and back toward a smaller room. “The board members are a lot like a nest of snakes, but most of them have held their seats forever, so the Malones know how to handle them. Tell me something. Has Deanna shown her claws yet?”

“She’s taken a swipe,” Nina replied. “I’m fairly certain she set the PI on us, though apparently she tracks JT’s phone.”

“They are a little on the codependent side. JT lets her run a lot of his day-to-day life, but he is super private when it comes to anything outside of business.” Charlotte opened the door. “It’s why this can actually work. JT dated a woman from Sanctum up until a few months ago and Deanna never even knew her name.”

He'd had a sub? She wasn’t sure why the thought surprised her. She knew he was a Dom and he had been for a while. Why wouldn’t he have had a sub or two?

She’d never had a Dom. She’d played and had sessions with some of the Doms at The Garden, but she’d never worn a collar.

“That’s good to know.”

Charlotte opened the door and there was already a conversation going on.

“You need to talk to your monster, Ian,” Alex McKay was saying. “She doesn’t have to be mean to Cooper.”

Tag rolled his baby blues. “Seriously? What did she do now?”

“She told their whole class that Coop has cooties,” Alex complained. “He doesn’t anymore. We got rid of the lice, thatmight I point out, Kala gave him. She was ground zero in that particular outbreak.”

Charlotte leaned over. “Kala might have found a cap in the trash outside of the club. She decided to wear it. Then she took it to Alex and Eve’s and put it on Cooper. It was not a fun time.” She walked fully into the room and addressed Alex. “I’ll talk to her about that. You know I think it’s because she’s got a little crush on Cooper.”

Ian put a hand on his stomach as though something was going to come back up. “No, she doesn’t. The only thing my baby girl is crushing on is life itself. She’s killing it at karate. All she was doing was warning the world that Coop had the nits.”

“Carys told me Coop had been talking to another little girl when Kala made her announcement.” Eve McKay rounded out the foursome, all of them dressed for the cocktail party. It was a bit intimidating to be around Eve McKay. Charlotte Taggart tended to view the world as one big soap opera being played out for her pleasure, but Eve took everything seriously and through a psychologist’s eye.

She hadn’t been at McKay-Taggart and Knight for very long. Was Eve here to ensure she wouldn’t screw things up?

Charlotte nodded as though she’d thought that was what had happened. “Alice Diaz. She’s adorable, and I couldn’t figure out why Kala hates her until now. And she’s definitely crushing on Cooper no matter what Ian says.”

Ian had his fingers in his ears. “Lies. Lies, I tell you.”

Alex stood near Ian. “No one wants that to be true less than I do.” He glanced Nina’s way. “Sorry. The kiddos are starting to show signs of pairing off, and it’s freaking the rest of us out.”

“I thought it was funny when it happened to Sean,” Ian said with a frown. “He’s going to end up with Jake and Adam and Liam for in-laws if he doesn’t shut that shit down. As for my baby girl, Kala will be too busy saving the world ninja style todate. I’m afraid I’ve given up on Kenz. She’s too much like her momma. All I’ve asked is that she bring home an American.” He shuddered. “I couldn’t handle it if she brought home some stuffy Brit or worse.”

“What’s worse than a stuffy Brit?” Alex asked.