Page 78 of Masked in Deception
Chapter fifty-six
“When you used to tell us that you didsuper secret spy shitfor your dad’s company, I didn’t think for a second you were fucking serious, man. What the fuck!” I scream as the parachute finally deploys, Henry laughing brightly behind me. Luckily, he seems like an expert skydiver, so I’m basically a baby strapped to his chest, along for the ride.
When he asked me two days ago if I was available to help with a quick business trip, I was a little confused, but he’s my brother. To be honest, I was mostly just excited to be included, since he usually drags Ledger on “business trips.” Fuck, was this what they were doing all the time?
“Yes,” he replies, and I realize I must’ve said that out loud. “But now that he’s got Sloane, he’s retired, leaving me to fend for myself. But I like having a buddy to take on these trips, and your presence hasn’t been vexing to me lately. I also admit that I’ve enjoyed being your sexual mentor more than I would have thought.”
I must be having a fucking fever dream right now, because IknowI’m not gliding peacefully toward a field in the middle of nowhere, strapped to Henry Sinclair’s chest like his chubby little toddler, while he acts like he’s the one who taught me about sex.
“I’ll concede that you’ve been helpful during my exploration of a particularpieceof my sexuality, but I had sex well under control before youooomph!”We touch down sooner than I expected, and with more force than I really think was necessary. I wasn’t ready and didn’t have my feet set, so I’m face down in the grass while Henry uses me as a mattress, breaking his own fall.
“You really weren’t any help at all, Carter. Did you forget you have legs?” he asks, rolling us to our sides and beginning to unhook us each from the harness.
“Well, I didn’t really know we were about to land.”
“It doesn’t matter. Listen, we’re making a clandestine approach to a cabin on the other side of this tree line. I have it on good authority that what we’ll find will be excellent blackmail material for a client of ours. I have a body cam on, and I’ll be doing all the talking. You can watch my back and call for backup if things get hairy.” He says all this like it’s a foregone conclusion, and then he’s sprinting through the trees in his tactical gear. I don’t even know who he would want me to call. This doesn’t strike me as a 911 situation. Guess I’ll figure it out as I go along. This is fine. Normal stuff. Fine.
I realize as I finally catch up to Henry,fucking blow to my ego that this giant asshole is that much faster than me,that he’s barreling through the front door in a verynotclandestine manner, and there’s a big chance this is all about to go to shit. He’s in the house and gone by the time I clear the entryway, only to have a hand cover my mouth and pull me into a chokehold.
My fight or flight kicks in, and this cannot be how my life ends. I’m getting Margot back, the club is doing well, and my hair haslooked better than ever lately. Fuck all that. Getting Margot back is the only important part, and I am not about to let some prick derail my plans. I’m seconds away from spinning out of this and fighting for my life when I realize I can see just enough of the hand over my mouth to know thatI know that hand.
He realizes that I know a moment later, and once he knows that I know, he lets out a booming laugh and unleashes me. Henry peeks around the corner where he was hiding.
“Gotcha!” Ledger says, laughing his ass off and falling backward into a chair. I want to be mad, but seeing Henry actually laugh is contagious, and before I know it, I’m doubled over, abs hurting from the effort.
“What the fuck is wrong with you two? You couldn’t have just invited me to the cabin for a few days?” I ask, taking in my surroundings and realizing that it’s one of the Sinclair properties in a relatively remote part of New York. Blanche and Margot hate this cabin because the water pressure sucks. We usually spend a lot of time outside when we’re here, which is not their favorite pursuit.
“Nah, man. This was way too much fun. We’ve gotten soft on the pranks as we’ve gotten older. I had to get one more good one in before LJ gets here,” Ledger says, pulling me into a hug and slapping me on the back to hide his sniffles. I don’t think this man can even think about his son without tearing up.Lucky bastard.
“Come on, you two, you can hold hands and reminisce later. We’ve stocked the cabin with everything we need for a couple of nights, except…”
“Firewood,” Ledger and I groan, knowing that Henry’s favorite thing in the world is chopping firewood. I don’t know if it’s a meditation thing for him, or if it makes him feel like he’s everyone’s dad who has everything taken care of, but fuck. Ialready know this is about to be a few hours' worth of work before he’ll let us stop.
Threegoddamn hours later, we’ve all stripped off our shirts, and we’re steaming in the chilly evening air, but we have a big-ass pile of much-needed wood. I’ll admit my arms and shoulders should have a great pump tomorrow. Running a business is satisfying, but there’s something about chores and maintaining a home. Maybe Ledger’s onto something with his renovations and his garden.
After a dip in the cold tub Henry had ready for us,he’s such a dad, followed by a dinner left in the fridge by the caterer, we’re all in the hot tub with a beer in our hand. Well, all but Henry. He’s drinking a glass of Merlot because of the day of the week, or the moon phase, or whatever.
“So, Jack, how is your Master/pet relationship coming along with your new submissive?” Henry asks in an even tone, raising one eyebrow as Ledger spits his entire mouthful of beer out.
“Your what?” he exclaims, looking betrayed. And, yeah, I feel kinda bad about not telling himsomethingat least, but we’ve both been so busy. Him hoeing his garden, me hoeing his sister…not helpful, Jack.
I make my face as apologetic as possible. “Uh, yeah. Sorry man. It felt like more of an in-person discussion.”
I give him a basic rundown of my initial visit to the other club and the journey I’ve been on since. I’m able to keep it mostly cool until Henry asks a question that he likely thought was standard.
“How does she submit?”
Ledger’s brow furrows. “What do you mean? Sounds like he tells her to do something, and she does it. Pretty straightforward.”
Cracking his neck, Henry tops off his glass of wine. “It’s not at all straightforward. In fact, it’s a wide spectrum. I’m just curious if Jack’s found himself a brat to tame.”
I lean my head back on the edge of the hot tub. Ireallydon’t want to describe the nature of their sister’s submission to me, but I can’t stop the cheesy fucking grin that splits my face. Ledger lets out an “oooo, Jackie is in loooove” and I havegotto deflect. Henry is already eyeing me like he’s about to give me a lecture about the importance of not falling in love with your anonymous BDSM club partner.
“She submits beautifully,” I say, knowing thatif I get tears in my eyes, these fuckers will never let me live it down.“She’s powerful, magnificent, really. And there are flashes of her willfulness that shine through, but it’s rare. She mostly really wants to be my good girl. She’s a natural.”
I already sense the follow-up questions, but I’m saved by the bell, a.k.a. Ledger’s phone ringing with Sloane’s custom ringtone. He scampers out of the hot tub, yelling “my Angel!” to see whatever Sloane and Blanche are getting up to during their “girl time.”
Henry moves to exit as well, clapping me on the shoulder and telling me he’s happy for me.
