Page 22 of What About Love

“There’s no time. Besides, Dano teaches the beginners’ class.” His expression was apologetic as he disclosed this unknown fact.

Shit!

She spun and walked away. This wasn’t shaping up as she’d expected.

“I don’t know what’s going on between you and T”—Cap had moved when she did and now stood close behind her—“but you can trust him. He’ll honor your limits, whatever you set. You filled out paperwork for Dex, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“With a limit list and a safeword, you’ll be in good hands with him. Always.”

She glanced at T. With bulging arms still crossed over his chest and his face dark like a thundercloud, it was painfully obvious he wasn’t happy with her and being discussed as though he wasn’t in the room.

Way to go, Hixson.She’d pissed off the man she’d be sparring with by day and molding her into a convincing submissive by night. Why not hand him a paddle now and get it over with?

Seeing no other choice, she reluctantly nodded her head.

“Good. Since that’s settled, there’s one other thing. We need you in LA by the end of the week, so I’m afraid this is going to have to be a crash course.”

“And T goes with me?”

“Yes.” His response came without hesitation. “He’s your handler for this mission, as well as your protection.” Frowning again, he glanced at T.

“Go on,” her angry new partner urged, while planting both hands on his hips, “you might as well tell her the rest of it.”

“Foremost,” Cap stated emphatically, “I want to clarify that sex is not and never will be a requirement of your job. You and T can work around it during your training here, but in LA, if the two of you interact at all, it’s going to be more challenging to maintain your cover. T has worked cases in our LA office. Like here, a lot of the Rossi men are doms at the club. Since he has played there often, the club members know him well.”

She gazed up at him, unsure what he was getting at. “Isn’t that a good thing? He’ll know the layout of the facility and, known to them, won’t the membership be comfortable talking around him?”

“This is true, but they also know how he plays and will expect him to be the same way with you, or they’ll be suspicious. If that happens, we could scare our perp away.”

It all clicked. Everything she’d heard about him and his reputation, the threesome she’d witnessed, and Mara calling him a try-sexual. Dan had confirmed it. Not suspecting anything personal, he thought the scene itself had upset her. During their recap, he’d explained T’s proclivity not only for threesomes and groups but for public play and more adventurous pursuits, which he didn’t go into detail about.

Overloaded by the stress of the last few days, her mind wasn’t processing as well as it should, neither did it filter her tongue. “They’ll expect me to be a try-anything, group sex aficionado with all and sundry, and do it smack dab in the middle of the main floor because I’m with him. Is that what you’re saying?”

Cap gave her a wide-eyed look of disbelief. His attention shifted to her would-be trainer for answers when she didn’t say more.

“She saw me in a scene with Ed and Emily last night, and freaked, running out of there like the ass of her PVC skirt was on fire.” He explained this to Cap while watching her closely, a black brow raised as though daring her to deny it.

“I did not run,” she snapped. She couldn’t refute the mild freak-out or the PVC skirt, however. Although she willed it not to, her face flamed with heat. “What are you suggesting? Instead of going in as a couple, we act like we don’t know each other?”

“No,” T stated, immediately vetoing this idea. “I can’t protect you that way and as a newbie, you could get yourself into some awkward situations. The LA crowd is younger, less reserved. If you think San Antonio is shocking, wait until you see what LA has to offer.” He shifted, once again crossing his massive arms over his broad chest, obviously readying himself for a showdown. “If you’re shouting the club safeword every other second, that would raise brows, too.”

Cap stroked his bearded chin, appearing contemplative for a moment. “I agree with T. Your safety is our priority. What if we change your cover story? Instead of being a new couple with you in training as we’d planned with Dano, what if you and T are engaged? His exclusivity wouldn’t be in question if you’re committed. Make up a reason you’re not having sex. Punishment, something; I’m sure you two can figure it out.” He stared them both up and down. “The only problem is you’ll have to act like you’re in love, which I see now is gonna be a stretch.”

Act like she was in love with Antonio Minelli? That wouldn’t require much skill. When he touched her intimately, her real challenge would be convincing him she wasn’t.

An awkward silence settled like a dense cloud in the room. Neither of them had anything to say about Cap’s new plan, Angie refusing to look at T. That’s when the big boss’s patience reached its end.

“Whatever this is, you two need to clear the air, pronto.”

The authority in his tone incited an urge in her to stand at attention and salute. T, who was evidently used to it, didn’t move a muscle, staring at her without so much as a blink. Cap moved in and got in his face.

“You’re in charge, Minelli. I expect you to figure out a way to work together. Another girl went missing last night. That’s three in as many months and we don’t have time to dick around. Got it?”

“Loud and clear, Cap.”

“Angie?” It was all she could do not to jump when he bellowed her way.

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