Dungeon Research [The Dom's Dungeon 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  Gavan frowned at Taj. “I’d be very surprised if it’s her favorite drink though. I reckon it’s just something she doesn’t mind drinking. The same with that fucking salad. She was prepared to eat it, but it told us nothing at all about her tastes.”

  The server brought across their beers, but instead of drinking his beverage, Gavan rubbed his fingers through his beard. “There has to be a reason why she was so secretive.”

  “Yeah, you already said that. I heard you the first time, and I agree. I just don’t know how to break through her barriers.”

  “We won’t be able to progress to a relationship until we know why. She wasn’t on edge, looking behind her or seeming fearful. She wasn’t wearing rings, and she didn’t have a line on her finger to indicate she’d taken a ring off.”

  “So no jealous husband or stalker of an ex,” said Taj.

  “Allegra won’t answer any questions if we ask her. That’d be breaking client confidentiality.”

  Gavan watched as Taj picked up his beer and drank half of it in one enormous swallow. “In other words, all we can do is wait until she contacts us again.”

  “I refuse to believe that. What we need to do is think it through. We’ve already eliminated the possibility of a jealous ex. Why else would someone be wary of letting people know them?”

  Taj put down his glass so fast it would have spilled if it wasn’t half empty. “She’s the daughter of a celebrity or a really rich person and used to being chased to get close to her famous parent.”

  Gavan thought about that. It was a good idea, and “Nerida” was a slightly unusual name. Celebrities did seem to give their offspring different names, although Nerida wasn’t as different as Taj.

  Their nachos arrived, and Taj dug in. “Yum. I like nachos.”

  “I do, too. Leave some for me.”

  They sat and nibbled and talked and drank another beer, but Gavan still was none the wiser at the end of the time. Basically they had to wait for Nerida to contact them, and Gavan hated not knowing. He was a Dom. It was his job to know everything and to plan out everything for his woman.

  * * * *

  It didn’t take Nerida more than about ten minutes online to prove to herself that Gavan Byford and Taj Barlow were exactly who they said they were and perfectly normal men. Also that Taj’s name really was Taj. It wasn’t some kind of a nickname. Apparently it meant “crown.” People named their kids some really weird things, so she guessed calling a kid “crown” was just about normal.

  “You aren’t such a special snowflake after all,” she told herself.

  “You’re special to me,” said Lacey, sticking her head around the door. “What are you working on now?”

  “It’s not work. There are two men who want a date with me.”

  “Lucky you. So which one are you going to pick, and can I have a look at the other one?”

  Nerida laughed and shook her head. “It’s both of them together.”

  “Oo-la-la. A ménage. You’re even luckier than I thought you were.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe if it had happened a year ago when I was happy working for my old company. But now that I’m on my own I need to be careful. I don’t think getting involved in a relationship—I mean, assuming that’s the way it turns out—is a good thing right now.”

  Lacey came over to Nerida’s chair, gave her a hug, and then rested her ass on the desk. “Because of me? Because of all the trouble I’ve brought on you?”

  Nerida hugged her back. “Of course not. I’ve been keeping a really low profile ever since I started working for myself. I’ve told you before that a lot of the work I get is checking up on partners to catch them out cheating. I know I don’t go peeking through windows and so on, but I do have a fake—that is, a business—Facebook account, which is not completely honest. I’ve never said I’m an escort or anything, but I know that’s what all the men who see my profile picture assume.”

  “Hey, that’s just their dirty minds getting overactive. Can’t you get work at a salary with a company at all? I’ve been watching the employment websites, and there’s a passel of jobs I could apply for if I had a reference and my name was clear. Right now, no one on earth would employ me.”

  “We’re going to clear your name, Lacey. I know Mr. Lillington-Hall is not a good man. I’ve seen hints of things all over. I just need to keep tracking them down. Tomorrow I’ll spend the day at Bailey and Bond again going through their files, following up some of the ideas I’ve gotten.”

  “While you’re there, leave me a list of simple things you want checked, and I’ll use your desktop to go searching. So far I haven’t been able to help you much. I need to do more.”

  “That’d be really helpful. Two more clients have signed contracts, so if I leave you some basic details, you could run a few preliminary Google searches for them. Thanks, Lacey.”

  “I’d like to help. Now, what are you going to do about the two men?”

  “I don’t know. They do seem nice, but…”

  “Are they polite? Good looking?”

  “Yes and yes.”

  “In that case, get them to take you out to dinner. A meal with them won’t hurt, and you deserve a treat.”

  Nerida thought for a minute. It would be nice to go on a real date. It’d been quite a while since she was in a true relationship, and both Taj and Gavan were very good looking indeed. But… “I have no idea where to suggest we go. I don’t want to go somewhere really fancy like Top of the Town, and Gavan works at The Dom’s Dungeon so eating there isn’t really fair on him.”

  Lacey shook her head at her. “So pick a family restaurant then. That would be perfectly safe. Likely it’d be too safe. You won’t even be able to kiss them with so many people watching, and there isn’t any dancing or anything either.”

  Nerida giggled. “I’ll tell them The Aardvark. If they still want to take me out after I say that, it’ll prove they’re genuine.”

  “You do realize you’ll never get a parking space. It’s always crowded.”

  “I’ll take the bus. I mostly do when I go out anyway.”

  * * * *

  Gavan didn’t need to be a Dom to know that parking at The Aardvark was impossible. The family restaurant was always crowded, and its parking lot was full pretty much from the moment it opened in the morning until half an hour after it closed at night.

  “We’ll take a taxi. We’ll get there fifteen minutes early, and you can join the line while I stand outside watching for Nerida to arrive. At least that way we shouldn’t have to wait too long for a table.”

  “At least if she pulls that vanishing trick again, this time it’ll be you who’s left standing there feeling like an idiot,” said Taj, grinning at Gavan.

  “I already feel like an idiot. I’ll admit that ménages aren’t all that common, but they’re not unheard of either. We both know people who are very happy in threesomes. What we don’t know, and absolutely need to know if this is going to work, is what was holding her back from spending time with us.”

  “I can’t believe it’s the dungeon side of things when she walked into the club of her own volition to speak to Allegra,” said Taj.

  “We’ll think of a way to ask her before Thursday. It’s days away yet,” said Gavan. But he wasn’t convinced. Oh, he was damn sure he’d think of a dozen different approaches to getting her to talk to them. It was going to be the main thing in his head all week, but whether or not he’d be successful, that was something else again.

  Never before had he found it so hard to get a woman to talk to him. There were the ones who said no straight away. A plain, clear, definite no. They wanted nothing to do with a lowly barman, or maybe they weren’t interested in a Dom. There were even a few who knew he was a werewolf and only wanted a human lover. He could deal with all that. But a woman who vanished in a puff of smoke was something he’d never met before. This time, however, he was determined to get to know her. Failure was not an option.

  He dressed in jeans
instead of Dom black, and he made sure they were at The Aardvark more than a quarter of an hour early. While Taj waited at the entrance to the restaurant, he walked through the parking lot. There were still a few empty spaces, although he guessed they’d fill up quickly. No one was sitting in a car waiting for anyone, so that was one possibility cleared up. Nerida hadn’t arrived early to be sure of getting somewhere to park, and if someone was stalking her, they weren’t here yet.

  Fuck! He hoped no one was stalking her. Surely that was just his overactive imagination. Likely she was just a rather private sort of person.

  When he got back to the entry foyer, Taj said, “I’ve looked around and didn’t see her. The line isn’t all that long. I’ll wait a bit yet before I join it.”

  Gavan shrugged his shoulders. “It’s a gamble. You might get to the head of the line before she arrives, especially if she’s late. But if a whole passel of people arrive together, you’d better line up.”

  He went back outside and stood at the corner of the building, where he could see the entry to the parking lot and also the sidewalk for people who had to park in the street and walk back. Then he prepared himself to wait as long as it would take. She’d been punctual on Sunday, but this was a work evening, which meant much heavier traffic and a lot more reasons that might make a person late.

  Being a Dom was what and who he was. He needed to know everything, to organize everything, to be in control. His entire aim was to make the world flow smoothly for those he cared about. He longed to be in charge of Nerida’s pleasure. To know what she liked, what made her smile, how to arouse her. Right now he knew nothing about her at all, and it was destroying his peace.

  Not to mention his burning need to hold her, kiss her, and fuck her. Oh yes. And to paddle her ass until she told him every tiny detail about her life.

  * * * *

  Taj was like a cat on hot bricks, pacing around the tiny foyer of the restaurant until he finally decided he’d better get in line. The Fates were smiling at him. There was just one group ahead of him in line when he saw Gavan hurry away from the building. Taj watched as Gavan approached the sidewalk, and then he saw Nerida walking toward the restaurant. A quick glance at his watch told him it was almost exactly seven. Perfect timing.

  Only a few minutes later, they were all seated. “Tell me something about yourself. Anything at all. Something you don’t mind sharing. But it has to be about you personally,” he said.

  She only thought for the very briefest of moments and said, “My favorite color is red. Now you. I saw that Taj means crown. How did you get your name?”

  “Oh. That’s easy. I’m the fourth son. Each time one of us was expected, our parents struggled to find a name they both liked. By the time they got to me, they were really getting desperate and pretty much stuck a pin in a baby book to come up with name.”

  He desperately wanted to hold her hand, but he wasn’t sure if that had been part of the reason she’d left them on Sunday. Not touching her at all was damn hard though.

  “My turn,” said Gavan.

  Nerida grinned and shook her head. “I can count. That would mean I have to answer twice as many questions as everyone else. You both have to answer a question for each one I answer. What drew you to The Dom’s Dungeon?”

  “A lot of things. I know and trust the co-owners. They’re good men, and I felt sure they would make a success of the business. I like the atmosphere there. The Dom’s Dungeon is very strict about following the safe, sane, and consensual rule, and that is important to me, too.”

  Their meals arrived then, and Taj was pleased she’d chosen more than just a salad this time. He also noticed her beverage was Cherikee Red, not Diet Coke. The cherry-flavored soda was seldom found outside their state, and it made him wonder if she was a native who’d grown up drinking it or a visitor who’d discovered it. But he wasn’t going to waste a question asking her just yet. Not when she wasn’t giving away much about herself.

  “You know I’m a barman and Taj works in construction. What do you do?” Gavan asked her.

  She blinked a bit. Taj wondered if she’d hoped they’d stay sidetracked with their meals a little longer. “I’m a researcher. I worked for some years for a petrochemical company. Why don’t you both tell me about a favorite place you’ve visited?”

  It was only a long time later, after they’d had more drinks and eaten dessert, that Taj realized that all the conversation from then had been general. They talked about places they’d traveled to, the weather on vacations they’d experienced, and even how the government and politics of a tourist destination could make or break a vacation, but they hadn’t really learned anything more about Nerida the person. He didn’t even know for sure if she’d visited the places they’d discussed or if she was simply speaking from what she’d read or what other people had told her. Well damn. She’d done that so neatly, managed the conversation so seamlessly, that he hadn’t even realized until right now.

  “Since this is technically our second date, does that mean I can kiss you?” he asked.

  “What? Where did that come from?”

  He put his hand on his chest and looked into her big, round hazel-green eyes. “My heart.”

  She seemed totally surprised. Surely she knew that was what they wanted. It’s not like they were sixteen years old anymore.

  “We could go back to my apartment, and there we could kiss in private. There’s rather a large audience here,” said Gavan.

  Yes, yes, yes. Say yes, Nerida.

  “Not your apartment. Absolutely not. And not yours either, Taj.”

  “What about The Dom’s Dungeon then? That’s neutral territory,” suggested Gavan, so fast that Taj knew he’d had it lined up as a backup plan.

  “I—”

  Say yes, say yes, say yes. Taj willed her to agree to Gavan’s idea.

  “You’re a Dom, aren’t you, Gavan?”

  “Correct.”

  “Then on your honor as a Dom, and your honor, too, Taj, if I say no, it means no. And when I decide to leave, you both let me go immediately and make no attempt to follow me.”

  “I promise. I’d never do anything you didn’t want me to do,” said Taj.

  “I agree as well. I don’t understand why you’re forbidding us from escorting you home, and avoiding questions, but that doesn’t change the fact that we both want to get to know you better. Much better.”

  “As much as you’ll allow us,” added Taj.

  “My life is a little complicated right now.” Nerida said it softly, so softly he almost missed it. Immediately his heart began thumping hard.

  “You’re not married, are you?”

  At the same time, Gavan asked, “You don’t have a significant other, do you? I don’t believe in coming between committed people.”

  “No. It’s nothing like that.”

  Taj’s heartbeat slowed down a little. He opened his mouth to ask another question, but her face was closed again. She wasn’t going to answer him. Well, he could deal with that. At least she’d agreed to spend more time with them, and the longer they were together, the more opportunities he’d have to learn about her. Besides, finally he was going to kiss her. She’d virtually promised they could kiss, and he hoped like hell they’d be able to do way more than that. The private rooms at the BDSM club were quite nice and came equipped with all sorts of toys.

  Chapter Four

  Nerida wondered if she’d been acting too much like a precious snowflake, or maybe a self-centered bitch. But it was so hard to suddenly let go of all the rules she’d made herself follow since she’d started freelance researching. Over and over she’d told herself that she was responsible for her own safety and she had to look out for herself. That being overprotective and way too cautious was much safer than being caught out by an angry client. And now there was the added concern of the people who’d framed Lacey for the theft at the company where she’d been working.

  It was terribly hard to suddenly say to herself, “Oh I like
these men. I think I’ll trust them and jump into bed with them.” That was as sure as hell what her hormones were saying, but her brain was doing its very best to keep control of her actions.

  Still everything they’d said and done all through the meal had only enhanced what she’d learned about them online. There’d been no triggers whatsoever to suggest to her that they were anything other than what they’d told her, normal men who lived ordinary lives, although possibly with a dose of kink. But then anyone who worked at The Dom’s Dungeon or was a regular there was unlikely to want their sex to be completely vanilla.

  There were hints that Gavan might be connected to a secretive group that seemed to have several members at The Dom’s Dungeon. Nerida had a feeling that Allegra might be linked into the group, too. Sierra Bond, one of the partners at Bailey and Bond, definitely was. Nerida had spent some time trying to track down the group, to find a name for it, without any success. She’d even wondered if it was like the Freemasons, but that idea was wrong. For a start there were women involved equally with the men, although admittedly there seemed to be fewer of them.

  It also didn’t seem to be a religious group or cult, and they never seemed to gather together anywhere either, which wiped out the idea of a Freemason-style organization or a cult. Cults kept their members secluded from the effects of the real world. So she’d given up that line of discovery. Likely it wasn’t relevant anyway. The men weren’t involved in crime, or gambling, or drugs. They weren’t in a relationship with any other woman or women. So why hadn’t she been more forthcoming and accepting of them?

  She wanted them. They wanted her. It was time to relax and enjoy herself, time to acknowledge she was saying yes to more than a kiss. And with two men, not just one. Just like Adelaide had done. She did her best to relax in the taxi from The Aardvark to the Dom’s Dungeon. It’d been much too long since she’d been out for an evening with an attractive man, and she’d never been out with two men at once. She was wasting time thinking instead of feeling and enjoying.