Page 11 of The Bodyguard and the Bombshell

“She’s not,” Carys corrected. “She’s lonely and wants to play tonight.”

“I wanted to play tonight,” Kenzie grumbled. “But no, I have to go to work. Have to save the world. Just once I wish I could save the world on, say, a Monday night. Yeah, Zach, he’s coming your way. Wow, that is a big knife. You should avoid getting stabbed today. Lou, can you cut the lights to the last room on the second floor in the east wing?”

“On it,” Lou said.

Yep, they were definitely working an op. Apparently Kenzie was excellent at multitasking. “I don’t have to play.”

She’d probably caused enough trouble for one day.

Carys shushed her. “Yeah, about that. Did you have what you were going to wear in your locker? Dais doesn’t have any fet wear here, and it’s not like after today she can go out on her own and grab some. Did Coop fill you in?”

“Yes,” Kenzie replied. “He almost missed the plane. Zach gave him hell until he found out why. You know everyone loves you, Dais. And yes, I totally have my costume. It should fit her. There’s a mask to go with it. I wish I was there. There are a couple of new guys I would love to introduce Daisy to. Oh, shit. Uh, we’ve got a big problem. Yes, that’s a bomb. Guys, I’m going to have to call back. No. Not you, Coop. I’m talking to Dais and Carys. Zach, that is rude, and yes, I’m hanging up. The mask is on the top shelf. Dais, have a blast. Kala, do not cut the blue wire…”

The line went dead.

“Do you think they’re okay?”

Carys stood up and went to Kenzie’s locker. She put the code in and opened it, pulling out an angelic-looking corset and a white feathered mask. “They’ll be fine. They always are. It’s just Kala thinks she knows how to defuse bombs better than she actually does. Or so I’ve heard. A long time ago.” Carys frowned. “Maybe pretend I didn’t say anything.”

She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she also knew better than to ask about Tristan. The threesome seemed to have split up over some vague reason they weren’t talking about, but she was almost certain Aidan still talked to Tris on a regular basis. Instead she stared at the corset in Carys’s hands.

Could she pretend to be someone else for a night? Someone who didn’t screw everything up. Someone who could tempt a Dom into play for a night.

“Do you think it’ll work?” Daisy stood up. Kenzie had excellent taste. The corset was gorgeous. The mask would cover most of her face and might look good against her dark hair.

“I think you’ll have the new guys panting after you,” Carys replied. “Let’s get you ready. Daisy, you’re gorgeous, and you should know you deserve to have a night of fun. I just want…”

Daisy groaned. “I’m on birth control. Haven’t needed it lately, but I’m on it. And I’ll use a condom. If it comes to it. Which it probably won’t. But maybe it would be better if my brother didn’t know. I worry he’ll try to vet anyone who wants to play with me.”

“They’ve already been vetted.” Carys started working the stays on the corset. “But you’re right. He will want to know who the guy is, and that’s not the point of tonight. So I’ll go out first, and then you can make your grand entrance after I’ve distracted him. Though if he asks me, I have to tell him.”

“He won’t.” Her brother would think she was staying far from the dungeon. And he would take Carys to a privacy room most likely. It would be a free-for-all in the dungeon. He wouldn’t risk some other Dom touching his precious sub.

But it might be exactly what Daisy needed.

Things were suddenly looking up.

She really hoped the twins dealt with that bomb though.

* * * *

Nate stood at the back of the lounge staring out over the dungeon floor. The Hideout was one of the smaller clubs he’d played at, and it was definitely the most stripped down. The Hideout, he’d been told, was a work in progress. It was open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, and on weekend days a bunch of the members worked on the renovations they were making.

“How’s it going?” a deep voice asked. “You must be Aidan’s friend from Australia.”

He glanced over, and there was a man in dark leathers, a black mask on his face. Nate was wearing one of those himself. The face mask felt weird, but he felt comfortable in leathers. Putting on a set of leathers helped him transition his mindset. It allowed him to let go of his everyday worries.

When he put on leathers and walked into a club, he felt like he belonged.

So why hadn’t he found the familiar peace here tonight?

Nate held a hand out. “Nate Carter.”

“Seth Taggart,” the other man said, shaking his hand.

“Ah, you must be one of Ian’s.” Nate stepped back, settling against the railing that demarked the lounge area from the dungeon. The lounge was on the second floor, so whoever was occupying the space could look out over the dungeon.

A bloke could stare out over the sea of gorgeous subs and wonder why none of them called to him.

---