Page 7 of Relentless Pursuit

“Get me her paperwork,” he demanded.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Maybe you should step away from this one.”

“Blake, I want her application and checklist.” He intended to find out what she wanted and just how experienced she was.

“Fine.” His cousin sighed. “It’s obvious you’re not going to back down, so why should I bother arguing with you?”

“Thank you.” That was the most sensible thing his cousin had said all night.

Blake retrieved a packet from his filing cabinet. “She’s so new, I haven’t had time to put her information in the system.”

“She has no business being here.”

“You’re taunting the wrong client,” Blake said. “A reporter?”

“I told you she’s bluffing.” Julian looked at the papers. “We have history. She’s not going to come at me.” He thumbed through the general information section. “She’s an assistant at the station.” Of course she had no weight there, but if she opened her mouth to the right people, that could become a problem. He’d have to make sure that didn’t happen.

“I may have been lax with allowing her access to the club, but Connie vouched for her. I thought I could start her out slow. Give her someone less intense. Someone who was seeking more of a long-term arrangement.”

“You won’t be placing her at all.” Julian read her checklist. “Christ! How does she even know about this stuff?” Bondage. Ball gags. Floggers. What were they teaching in college these days? Those were some of the mild requests.

“I told you her research came right off the internet.” Blake sat behind his desk. “Read her answers to the detailed questions. She has no experience. I’d be surprised if she’s had sex more than a dozen times.”

“Then why would you accept her?” Julian and Blake had been doing this long enough to know when a person was genuine. Kayla had stumbled into a world she couldn’t possibly understand.

“Who am I to judge? Inexperienced? So what? Stepping outside the comfort level with a willing partner is what this place is all about. That’s our freakin’ mission statement.”

“I know.” Julian sat on the sofa across from the desk. “Just not her.”

“When did you become a hypocrite?”

“I’m not.” To each his own. He had no right to judge anyone’s sexual preferences. Some of the women he’d encountered over the years had even taught him a few things in the bedroom. “It’s just I’ve known her for years. Since she was a kid. It doesn’t feel right for her to be here looking for those things.”

“Then distance yourself from her if it’s too personal. I’ll make sure she’s safe.”

“No.” Julian tossed the packet on the sofa. “I’ll handle her.”

“When will you find time for that?”

“I didn’t say I would place her.”

Julian glanced at the papers, realizing one sentence had stuck in his mind. When asked what she hoped to gain from this experience with Sapphire, she replied:I want to let go, relinquish all control, and put myself in the capable hands of a man who will not only dominant me, but respect my total submission to him.She had written those words as if they were for him. How could he ever trust any other man to honor her request? As inexperienced as she seemed, she’d nailed that part.

“What are you thinking?” Blake asked.

“Pull my application.” He couldn’t stop himself. “I won’t be active for the next few weeks.”

“You haven’t had a match in a couple of months.”

That was true, but work had been too hectic. He hadn’t had the proper time to commit to a woman who was willing to give him everything she had in the bedroom.

“Knowing what I know about you, well...” Blake continued. “You’re overdo.”

“My main focus is Kayla.” If she got hurt because she was in a place he helped to create, he would never forgive himself. “If I don’t intervene, I won’t be able to deal with the outcome.”

“You want her for yourself,” Blake said. “You know she’s in no danger here.”

“It’s too early to decide what I want.” What if they weren’t even compatible?

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