Page 6 of Entice

“Works for me. There’s an office next to mine; I’ve had a desk installed along with a phone, computer, and printer.”

“You’ve thought of everything.”

“Not everything.” The heat coming from his gaze caused Crystal’s breath to catch in her throat.

As if he knew how he was affecting her, the heat turned to amusement. “Soon,” he whispered. Regret tinged his voice. “First, I need to get you up to speed on this case.”

She sat back in her chair. “So a sub’s family is suing the Dominant, thinking there is abuse going on?”

“Yes. Sage is my client and the one being sued. Brady is her sub.”

“Wait a second. Female Dom.”

“Sage prefers Domme, pronounced dom-eh and spelled d-o-m-m-e with a capital D.”

“What about Dominatrix?”

“A Dominatrix is a paid female Dominant.” Jordan rested his chin on his fingers.

“Got it.” Crystal made a mental note. This was going to be very interesting.

“Brady’s family believes Sage is abusing him.”

“If he’s denied it, why is this going forward?” she asked.

“That’s why it’s civil and not criminal. His family has decided it’s a form of domestic violence and abuse. They’ve made a case, and because there’s no standing law in the state, it’s been allowed to go forward.”

“And Washington State doesn’t have a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation or SLAPP law. You mentioned depositions are next week?”

“Yes. We’ve completed initial interrogatories and discovery. The prelim in two weeks will determine if the case will move forward.”

Crystal pulled out her phone and opened her note application. “I’m jotting down some notes on what I’ll need to research.” She didn’t know much about Dominant/submissive relationships outside of the books she’d read, but she’d get up to speed.

“I have a list of kink-friendly professionals you can contact, especially other lawyers. I’ve reached out to a few; none have had any experience with this type of civil case.”

“You’re a kink-friendly professional.” She hadn’t heard the term before, but it made sense, especially since kink and abuse were often confused.

“I am.”

Was he also part of the kink community? He didn’t say, but Crystal thought he might be. He was friends with Max, after all. So what did that mean? She was friends with Sierra and wasn’t into kink except for reading about it. And she had asked Sierra if she could get her inside Max’s club, because she was curious. Was Jordan a member?

“Sorry, I missed what you said?” Her cheeks turned warm. She was so lost in her head she hadn’t been paying attention.

“I said this is a delicate case, and I’d like to protect the kink community and avoid perpetuating stereotypes as much as possible.”

“I understand. What people do in their private lives should be exactly that—private.”

“Exactly. Misconceptions run rampant when it comes to the kink community. Some people think its abuse or worse.”

Crystal tilted her head. “Sierra told me everything is consensual, and if it is, then why object to it? People should enjoy what they enjoy.”

“Even if they’re into pain?”

She frowned. “I guess. I don’t see the point in causing someone pain.”

“I can see you’ll need some education.” A knock sounded at the door. Valerie stuck her head in. “Mr. Frost, your eleven o’clock appointment is here.”

Crystal glanced at the time on her phone. She’d been here almost two hours.

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