Page 20 of Keeping Her Secrets

Ash angled his head to her, not sure how to answer. The guys were incredibly private about that part of their lives, but then they’d been the ones to mention it, and it wasn’t like they hid the fact they were in the lifestyle. “Ian, his brother, Devon, and their cousin own a BDSM club between them called The Covenant, and yes, Jake and Nick are members.”

Her eyes lit up in surprise. “Shut up! No way do they own that club. It’s so exclusive, and I know people have to register interest months in advance to get a membership, and, even then, the process is harder than joining the fucking CIA.”

“Umm, how do you know that?”

Mustique glanced away, and the answer hit him like a ton of bricks. Mari was in the lifestyle too. No fucking wonder she reacted to Jake and Ian when they’d gone all Dom on her. Ash’s hands clenched the steering wheel as he tried not to crash the car while visions of her dressed in a leather bra and shorts making his dick spring to life behind his zipper. “Are you trying to say, or rather not say, you’re a submissive?”

Mustique turned to him with a blush on her cheeks that made her look younger and so fucking pretty it almost stole his breath. “Only during playtime. Outside, I’m one hundred percent an alpha fucking female. And honestly, I haven’t played in years. I have no time to commit to it, and, with my job and all the travel I do, it makes it pretty difficult.”

If someone had told him he would be having this conversation an hour ago, he would’ve laughed in their face, yet here he was talking about BDSM as if he did so every day.

“Does it bother you?”

He frowned at her question. “Why would it bother me?”

“Some people think it’s weird or fucked up somehow.”

“No, I don’t think that at all. I just don’t know enough about it to comment really, and I guess it was a shock. You don’t strike me as a submissive.”

“You wouldn’t guess. Nick doesn’t look like a submissive either, but it isn’t about being submissive in life or mouse-like. It’s about handing over your pleasure and wellbeing to your partner.”

Ash’s dick was now at full salute and happy to get on board with everything she was saying. It was making this car journey very uncomfortable for him. “I guess not, and now we need to stop talking about this because I only have a few minutes to get my dick under control before we arrive at Lois Richards’ place. I don’t want to be questioning her about her love life with a hard-on.”

Mari smirked. The little devil knew exactly what she was doing, and didn’t that just make things worse?

“Brat.”

“Always.”

They pulled up outside a small apartment complex and parked on the street. Ash dipped his head to get a good look at the front of the building and then scanned the area, noticing Mari doing the same thing. He wondered at her comment earlier about him seeing her differently and what that meant exactly. He hadn’t seen her in action apart from earlier as they cleared the room at Moody’s and last night when she’d saved his life.

“Ready?”

He shifted his focus to her. “Let’s do this.”

They exited the vehicle, both making sure their weapons were easily accessible but hidden beneath their clothes. The listing next to a buzzer by the lobby door showed Lois lived in apartment 3B. He hit the button and waited.

“Yeah?”

“Lois, it’s Asher Thompson. Do you have a minute?”

There was a pause before the buzzer sounded to unlock the door. Ash pulled the door open, and Mari proceeded him. In silence, they climbed the stairs; the building was in good repair overall. From her social media accounts, they’d learned Lois was a lively, outgoing, fun girl, who loved to watch movies and go out with friends, taught yoga part-time, and worked at a local bank five days a week. The quick background check Brody had run for them told a similar story—she had a few debts but nothing huge, a 401K, and made a decent living for herself. Her two younger sisters were at college, and her parents had a construction business.

Stepping out of the stairwell, they headed toward her door. It opened, and Lois’s smile faltered when she spotted Mustique accompanying Ash. He hadn’t seen it before but in skin-tight black jeans, a black vest, and black stiletto boots, Mari could be a little intimidating.

Ash grinned and took the lead. “Thanks for seeing us, Lois.”

She had strawberry-blonde hair, pulled up in a bun, a sun-kissed complexion, and pale green eyes. He could see why Moody had been taken with her, if that was the case.

“Is everything okay? Is Jessie all right?”

Ash nodded. “Jessie is fine. I just wanted to ask you a few questions, if that’s okay? Can we come in?”

Lois hesitated, and he was pleased. She knew him, but she was right to be cautious. “Yeah, okay, but just for a few minutes. I’m heading out in a bit.”

Ash stepped through the doorway, and Mari followed him inside. The apartment was small but clean and tidy, and very much a home with plants and photos on the surfaces of various pieces of furniture. What stood out to him, though, was the long leather case in the corner leaning against the back of a chair.

“Would you like a drink?” Lois moved to get some water, but he and Mustique refused politely. “So, what’s this about?”