Page 18 of Masked

He didn’t frequent Exposure as often as he used to. It might be good to go back.

What would Reva think of his membership at the secret BDSM club?

Jesus. Where had that thought come from? Elise had been his last submissive. And he hadn’t even considered anyone else since her death. He’d moved on as much as possible, but putting another collar on a woman wasn’t on his list of things to do again. At least not anytime soon.

Backing out of the apartment, he locked the door and headed for the elevator. What exactly did he know about Reva? She had a good heart. Her kindness five years ago proved that. He was also aware she’d suffered substantial loss of her own. But she seemed to be well adjusted for having lost her entire family in one instance.

And when he first met her, she’d recently enrolled in an accelerated Masters program intending to get a PhD. Was she still in school, or had dating Parker derailed that? Noah loved his son, but he could be selfish. If he wanted to marry Reva, he would expect her to not work. His political aspirations demanded a wife who stood by his side and raised money for charity. It’s what Melinda wanted for him when they were married. But he liked his job behind the scenes at the state department. Political office never appealed to Noah.

He’d intended to drive to his house but ended up in the parking garage for Reva’s hotel. Fuck.

Might as well see if she wanted to have lunch.

They didn’t talk much on the plane. Mostly because he couldn’t stop thinking about taking her to the private jet’s small bedroom. It was easier to lose himself in work while she slept.

He strode through the lobby and was greeted by several of the staff members. His name and his money guaranteed that they wanted to make a good impression. He was friendly, but didn’t stop to make small talk. On Reva’s floor, he hesitated before knocking.

“Who is it?” A feminine voice called.

“It’s Noah.”

She pulled the door open, and he fought the urge to pull her in for a hug. She’d clearly been crying.

“Sorry to drop in unannounced. I wanted to see if you were free to talk over lunch. Are you OK?”

She opened the door wider and ran a hand through her hair. “Lunch would be great. Just let me wash my face and fix my hair.”

He dropped onto the sofa and waited for her to freshen up. Her kindle lay on the couch still on, so he picked it up and read the first paragraph. A romance by the looks of it. The writing was good, so he kept reading.

“Most people don’t start a book in the middle, Noah.”

He jumped at the sound of her voice and she giggled. “You didn’t strike me as a man who startled easily. Enjoying my smut?”

He flashed her a wicked smile. “Indeed Ms. Calhoun. You’ve got exceptional taste. Have you ever reenacted a scene from one of your books?”

Her face turned red, and she bent to snatch the kindle from him, but he held it just out of reach.

“I… no. Your son is boring in bed if you must know.”

That got him to drop the kindle, and he stood, suddenly uncomfortable with the conversation. “Definitely not something I needed to hear. But I guess you can add that to the pro column for breaking up. You should never be stuck with someone who’s boring in bed, Reva. Now, we should go to lunch before this conversation gets awkward and neither of us can look the other in the eye.”

“I’ll grab my purse.”

Ten minutes later, they were downstairs in the hotel restaurant where the manager was fussing over them.

“We just need some quiet, Maria, thank you,” Noah said when she returned to the table for the third time to see if they needed anything.

“Of course, Dr. Jasper.”

“You seem to have caused quite the stir. Do you put women up in this hotel a lot?”

He laughed. “Not exactly. But I do bring important clients here a lot.”

“Clients? Parker always made it sound like you were retired and living off the interest of your investments.”

Noah grimaced. “My children aren’t aware of my work, and I’ve said too much. All you need to know is that I occasionally work for the government. When I’m not doing that, I work with a few investment firms around the country.”

Reva nodded. “Fair enough.”

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