Page 235 of Double Daddies
Smile—ample wattage.
Not a cheating asshole—yet to be determined.
When she hesitated, he seemed to catch on. “Hell, where are my manners? Of course you won’t feel comfortable hitching a ride with a stranger. Clay Fielding. I’m one of the Masters here at Serenity. Passed my security clearance and everything,” he said with a wink, then held out his hand. “I can call Evander if that reassures you.”
Evander Ledston was the founder and co-owner of Serenity, she remembered. The interview email she’d received yesterday came from his office.
She looked down at the offered hand—tanned, wide-palmed, long-fingered. Strong lines across the palm, not that she could read them. Calluses at the base of his fingers, suggesting he worked with his hands.
Was she supposed to shake it or take it?
Warily, she placed hers in his, shivering as a tiny jolt of electricity skittered frantically down her spine. She rather liked the slightly rough texture of his skin as they clasped hands. It made her wonder what they’d feel like running over more sensitive parts of her.
Adam’s had been pansy hands, soft and manicured, religiously moisturized until they rivalled a baby’s ass. He’d never missed his weekly manicure, pedicure, and waxing sessions the entire duration of their relationship; now she knew what he’d been up to, she highly doubted maintaining his physical appearance was the sole focus of those appointments.
Asshole.
“There, now we’re friends.” Clay grinned at her, but those eyes had sharpened as though he’d felt the quick surge of connection as well. “Want to get in or would you prefer to walk? It’s scenic, but in this heat, we’ll probably melt before we get halfway.”
She was being ridiculous. Sure, this place was a million miles from nowhere, but this was the address given to her in the email.Clay obviously knew the owner—or this whole thing was a ruse, set up to lure women into the forest.
What else was she going to do?
Her ride was long gone, she didn’t even know if she had cell service all the way out here, and if she called another Uber, she’d still have to wait for it to come pick her up, which gave Clay ample time to just haul her over his shoulder and kidnap her anyway.
“I… Would you mind if I take a picture of you?” When his eyebrows flicked up, she realized how that sounded. Hurriedly, she added, “To send to my friend. As a precaution.”
Approval lit his face. “I think that’s a smart idea. Sure, go ahead.”
Avery whipped out her cell and snapped off a picture before he could change his mind, but he just pouted and shook his head.
“Sweetling, slow it down, take your time. Make damn sure you get my best side.” He turned his head, dragging two fingertips down his stubbled cheek. “Personally, I like my right side. My profile really pops on the right.”
Okay, this was so far out of the realm, she wasn’t sure whether she was dreaming. Everything she’d researched about BDSM warned her that there was an etiquette, protocols, and a deep vein of underlying strictness. When a lifestyle spun on an axis of punishment and reward, dominance and submission… well, Clay’s blatant sense of humor was a shock to her already nervous system.
She took a second photo, a lot clearer than the first, and sent it to her friend, Stacey. Not that Stacey was talking to her right now, not after Avery told her she was heading to a job interview, but the owner of Wakey Bakey was her best friend. She’d understand, eventually, even if this interview was just a missed step in Avery’s tumble into post-breakup insanity.
She added Clay’s full name to the message, then Evander’s. As an afterthought, she took a couple pictures of the parking lot and forest, sending them with the club name and address.
There, all bases covered.
Returning her phone to her pocket, she slid onto the seat beside Clay. She really wished she’d brought one of her Mallows along for moral support, but she’d tried that once and been ridiculed. It probably wasn’t appropriate to bring a stuffie to a job interview, even at a BDSM resort.
“Done?”
She nodded.
“Let’s go then. Welcome to Serenity, Avery.”
Chapter Two
Clay
Well, well, well.
Being summoned for chauffeur duty on his day off hadn’t pleased him, especially when he was in the middle of his workout, but he’d agreed as a favor to Evander. Now, it seemed that favor was paying off to his advantage.
Avery Morello was a pretty ray of sunshine on an already glorious day.
