Page 88 of First Touch

Yeah, “private” was one way to put it. Or maybe in hiding, going so far as to bury Reeve’s mother’s real name from anyone who searched.

I deliberated what to ask next. “Does the ranch get many visitors? Not of the women variety. Just, you know, visitors.” Like Michelis. Or other family members.

“I’m not allowed to talk about the people who stay in the house, as I said before. As for other visitors, I wouldn’t really know. I’ve always worked the surveillance room here and never at the main gates.”

“There’s a surveillance room here as well? For just the house?” I expected a few cameras on the roof, but certainly not something that had to be manned.

“Yeah. There’s three of us that work an eight-hour shift each. I’m lucky because there are two guys on the house duty during the day so I grab one to cover while I’m at lunch. I should be getting back now, though.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin then threw it on his tray.

As he stood up, I asked, “Would you mind showing it to me? The surveillance room, I mean.” Reeve had said that nothing was off limits. “I get nervous out here in the wild when Reeve’s gone. I’m sure you understand.”

Cade shrugged. “I suppose there’s no harm in that. Security here is tight, though, I’m telling you. You’re safe here. But if seeing it will make you feel better, I get that. You finished with that?” He gestured to my food. When I nodded, he picked it up under his. “Follow me.”

The surveillance room was behind a heavy door on the first floor just inside the house. I’d seen it when I’d explored the day before, but it was locked and I’d assumed it was to the electrical room or furnace since it was the only metal door I’d found.

Cade, of course, had keys. He let us in, and while he chatted with the guy who’d covered his break, I took in the room. It wasn’t very large, about 150 square feet. A curved desk with three rolling chairs took up most of the space, wrapping around two entire walls. Above the desk were twenty-five or so monitors, several turned off. Another wall had two metal cabinets – both unlocked and opened so I could see they were filled with digital recorders, a key sticking out of each door. Finally, there was a gun rack with more than a dozen different types of artillery including assault weapons, rifles, handguns, and what I thought was a machine gun. Underneath this were drawers that I assumed were for ammunition.

“See?” Cade said, noticing my eyes on the guns. He’d dismissed his substitute and it was now just he and I in the room. “We’re damn prepared here. This isn’t even a third of what’s down at the surveillance room by the main gates.”

“Prepared is right.” Question was, prepared for what?

I looked back at the monitors. Taking a seat in one of the chairs, I studied the screens. Each one flipped between two or three camera views, one screen for each room of the house, it appeared. I blushed suddenly remembering what Reeve and I had done the night we’d arrived. And the next morning. It was one thing to be watched during sex and quite another to be watched and not know it.

“Is there always someone in here?” I asked as casually as I could manage.

He sat in the chair next to me. “Yep. Twenty-four/seven.”

“And every room in the house is under surveillance?” Silently I was thanking God that the only exploring I’d done so far was in trying to talk to people. I hadn’t opened closets or rummaged through drawers. The last thing I wanted was someone watching me do something they’d report to Reeve. And if every room was watched – no wonder Reeve had cautioned me about walking around naked. Though, I’d never searched for a security room at his place in LA. He could very well have a similar setup there.

“Yes, every room is under surveillance,” Cade said, looking me over suspiciously. Probably wondering what it was I was trying to steal.

I fluttered my lashes. “It’s just that sometimes… well, Reeve and I often let our passion get away from us, if you know what I mean.”

“Ah.” His face reddened slightly. “No worries there. We only actively watch the main rooms. There are no cameras in the bathrooms, and we only watch a few of the bedrooms.”

Like mine, I noticed. He seemed to realize that after he’d said it, his eyes darting nervously from the screens to his hands, anywhere but at me.

“I only keep my clothes in there,” I said, reassuring him as well as me. “I sleep with Reeve.” If I’d had any doubt about which room I’d stay in with him gone, I didn’t now.

“Right, right, of course.” Cade pointed to the blank screens. “These are to the other bedrooms. We don’t usually have those on, to maintain guest privacy.”

With all the guards at the ranch, it was hard to imagine why Amber would have called me with the safe word. Unless she’d been afraid of Reeve, in which case, did that mean his staff was okay with whatever he’d done? Had Amber called over something stupid? Like, had Reeve pulled out his belt with her like he had with me and she’d panicked?

I didn’t like thinking that was the case and not because it was irritating to think of Amber being afraid of something naughty that I enjoyed, but because it made my stomach clench with jealousy.

No matter what had happened with Amber and Reeve, she’d had him first, and that was never going to change. I had to find a way to get used to that. But it didn’t look like it would be today.

“Regardless if we’re actively monitoring them,” Cade added, “all rooms have cameras and they’re all recorded on digital over there so we can go back and review if something happens.”

“How long do you keep the recordings?” I was sure it wouldn’t be very long, but it didn’t hurt to ask.

Turned out I was wrong. “One full year,” Cade said.

One year. Which meant there were still recordings of Amber. The realization sent a swarm of emotions buzzing in my chest like bees. The idea of seeing something that hurt her or scared her was not a comfortable one. And if the recordings showed her being intimate with Reeve I didn’t know if I could take that either.

But to have the chance to see her again, even just on a black-and-white silent recording…

I had to see those recordings. It was a practically impossible task with the room always occupied. I had charmed Cade, but he didn’t seem like the type who would break the rules, no matter how much I flirted. I made it a point to find out who the other guards were who worked the room. Maybe one of them would be easier to coerce. Or seduce, if I had to.