Page 31 of Going Deep (Odyssey #3)

W hen Ginger walked into the club with Lola and Anna , she had a spring in her step. She had a new job all but in the bag, her apartment problem was solved, at least in the short term, and she was about to get laid.

If Friday nights got better, she didn’t know how.

“When does the job start?” Anna asked, pitching her voice over the din.

“October first,” Ginger said, scanning the room.

She didn’t see Michael , but that wasn’t unusual.

He was often making the rounds, or dealing with some bit of business or other in the office.

“ They have to write up the job description and put it before the board, but Miriam says it’s just a formality.

It should be approved at the September board meeting. ”

“Don’t they have to hire a director first?” Lola wanted to know.

“No.” Since there were no open seats at the bar, Ginger snagged a high top by the windows. “ There’s plenty to do before the program gets up and running, even if it’s just familiarizing myself with how things work around there.”

“That’s great,” Anna enthused. “ Now all you need is an apartment.”

“Well, that’s the other bit of good news.” Ginger climbed onto a stool. “ David called.”

Lola boosted herself up beside Ginger . “ How’s he enjoying jolly old England ?”

“He likes it. So much, in fact, he’s decided to stay.”

Anna gaped, and Lola almost fell back off the stool. “ You’re kidding.”

Ginger shook her head. “ His current project is up in October , but the firm he’s working with over there has another one starting up, and they want him on it. His firm made some kind of a deal, like a personnel trade or something, so he’s going to stay and work it. For the next two years.”

“So you get to stay in his apartment?” Anna squealed.

“I can officially sublet it until the lease is up, which is in February ,” Ginger explained. “ After that, if I want to keep it, I can just renew directly.”

“It’s all falling into place,” Anna said and sighed. “ I’m so happy for me.”

“Don’t you mean you’re so happy for her?” Lola asked.

“No, because I was going to be really sad if she had to go back to Ohio ,” Anna explained.

Lola rolled her eyes. “ You’re such a weirdo.”

“You were going to be sad, too.”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t going to say it like a weirdo.”

“I love both you weirdos,” Ginger said, “and I’m happy for all of us.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Anna declared. “ Or I would, if I had a drink. Be right back.”

“Hang on.” Lola snagged Anna’s arm before she could take off for the bar. “ I want to know if she’s told Michael about the job yet.”

Ginger grimaced. “ Not yet. He asked how the interview went, and I just told him that I thought it went well, but I hadn’t heard yet.”

“And he hasn’t fessed up to his Killingsworth connection?”

Ginger shook her head. “ Neither of us is budging.”

“You need to tell him,” Anna urged. “ It’s not like you can hide it, and if you do it first, you’ll have the moral high ground.”

“How do you figure that?” Lola wondered.

“Well, more like the moral middle ground,” Anna amended. “ He’s the one who tried to buy her a job.”

“We don’t know that for sure,” Ginger reminded her.

“We do know you’re both liars,” Lola said, “though you’re lying about more.”

“I am not,” Ginger protested.

“You’re lying about knowing he’s a Killingsworth , and about having a new job. He’s only lying about being a Killingsworth . That’s two of your lies to his one.”

“He’s also lying about being the one who wrangled her the job interview,” Anna pointed out.

“Yeah, but I think that falls under the umbrella of the original lie,” Lola mused.

“The hell it does,” Ginger said heatedly, then broke off when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. “ Shit , here come the Doms .”

“We’ll pick this up later,” Lola decided. “ Our men look like they have plans.”

“I sure hope so,” Anna said. “ Grant’s been working so much lately I forgot what a flogger feels like.”

“You should tell him that,” Lola suggested.

Anna snorted. “ What am I , new?”

Ginger ignored them, all her focus on Michael .

He was looking right at her as he approached the table, and something about the gleam in his eye had the hair on the back of her neck standing up.

It was so intense that she almost looked away, and nearly did, but something—pride, maybe, or a need to prove something to herself—kept her gaze locked on his.

Simon was the first to break ranks, circling around to stand behind Lola , who tipped her head to offer him a smile. “ You’re late.”

Golden eyes gleaming with amusement, Simon bent to kiss her, then wrapped his arm around her. “ Blame Grant . He was yelling at one of the new guys and lost track of time.”

“Blame Simon ,” Grant replied, coming to a stop beside Anna and sliding a proprietary hand around the back of her neck. “ He hired the new guy.”

“That sounds like a fun story,” Lola said, but Ginger barely heard her. Michael had rounded the table to stand behind her, and though he wasn’t touching her, he was so close she could all but feel him.

“Forget it,” Simon told her and pulled her to her feet. “ We have a date in the wrestling room.”

She arched one elegant eyebrow. “ Do we?”

“We do,” he said firmly. “ My bag’s already up there.”

“Mine isn’t,” she pointed out, but allowed herself to be tugged along.

“You won’t need yours,” he informed her with a wicked grin, and tossed a look over her head at their friends. “ Later .”

“Bye,” Grant said, amused, and looked down at Anna as Simon and Lola disappeared into the crowd. “ Hi .”

“Hi.” Still perched on her stool, she laid a hand on his chest. “ Rough day?”

“Yeah, but it’s getting better,” he said, smiling down at her. “ Did you have anything to drink?”

Anna shook her head, her flame-tipped hair dancing down her back. “ No , Sir .”

“Good. Wanna play?”

Ginger would’ve laughed at the look of eager delight on her friend’s face, but Michael had slid his arm around her waist from behind, his broad palm resting flat on her belly, and she didn’t have the breath.

“Yes, please,” Anna said and batted her lashes. “ I haven’t been interrogated in ages. ”

“Interrogated, hmm?” Grant’s blue eyes went sharp. “ Anyone in the torture room tonight, Michael ?”

“Not sure,” Michael said, his chest rumbling against Ginger’s back. “ Check with the DM .”

“I believe I will.” With the hand still curled around the back of her neck, Grant drew Anna to her feet. “ Step into my parlor.”

“Said the spider to the fly,” Anna said with a roll of her eyes, but there was no denying the eager spark in them while she hurried to keep pace with Grant’s long strides.

“And then there were two,” Michael murmured, dipping his head so his mouth was level with her ear. “ Hello , Ginger .”

“Hello, Sir .” She knew her voice was breathless, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Just as she knew there was nothing she could do about the hammering of her heart, or the way her nipples had gone to stiff peaks under the thin fabric of her dress the moment she’d locked eyes with him across the room.

“I like this dress,” he said, nudging the thin strap on her shoulder with his chin. “ New ?”

The short red silk had been a treat to herself, a congrats-on-the-new-job present. “ Yes .”

“Red looks good on you.”

She had to swallow to speak. The hand on her belly was warm and heavy, and though he wasn’t moving it at all, wildly arousing. “ Thank you, Sir .”

“You’re welcome,” he replied, and though his tone was amused, there was something under it that had the hair on the back of her neck standing up again.

“Well,” he continued in that same amused tone. “ It seems our friends have deserted us.”

Gathering her courage, she turned to look at him. His face was so close, his eyes so green. “ I guess they have. What should we do?”

For a moment, those green eyes glittered like emeralds in the dark, rich and mysterious. Then he smiled, slow and sexy. “ I have a few ideas.”

Holding her gaze, he brushed a kiss, gentle as fairy wings, across her bare shoulder, then straightened and held out a hand. “ Come with me.”

Helpless to do anything else, she slipped her hand in his.

He took her to a private room on the third floor, the one they’d used the first time they played. He’d taken his toy bag up earlier, and arranged the room according to his plans. Now , as he ushered her inside, closing the door behind them, he watched carefully for her reaction.

And wasn’t disappointed.

Wide eyes, flushed cheeks. Hands that wanted to fidget, feet that wanted to shuffle. She took a step toward the bondage table he’d placed in the center of the room, then stopped. She turned to him, a question in her big blue eyes, but he kept silent, waiting for her to ask.

“Can I touch it?” she finally said.

He nodded once, not trusting his voice, and stayed safely by the door while she walked to the table, and the rope that lay on it.

It was a lot of rope. Coils of red, blue, purple, gold.

Long lengths, short ones. Thick ones, thinner ones—too thin for binding arms or legs or torso, but fun for things like fingers and toes and hair.

She fingered them, testing the softness of silk, the roughness of hemp, her eyes full of quiet delight.

It was that delight that pulled him away from the door.

She looked up as he approached. “ There’s so much of it.”

It simply had to be said. “ The better to tie you up with, my dear.”

She laughed, a husky sound that went straight to his balls, then shivered when he found the zipper at the back of her dress and slid it soundlessly down. “ I’ve never been tied up before.”

“Sure you have.” He slid the strap off her left shoulder, then her right, letting the dress slide in a puddle of red silk to the floor. She wore nothing under it but skin, pleasing him. “ Right here in this room, in fact.”

She took his offered hand and stepped out of the dress. “ You mean the straps.”

“Mmm.” He picked up the dress, laid it aside. “ Step out of the shoes, please.”