“I’ll come find you at midnight,” he said before disappearing into the crowd.
She watched him go, disappointment curling in her chest despite her reassurances.
“I know that look. You’re smitten with Master Alec,” a voice teased.
Emily turned, coming face-to-face with Gaby.
“You’re here! How is that even possible?” she blurted out. “I thought after your faux application and undercover stint—despite it being for a noble cause—Devil and his doms would give you the boot.”
“They probably would have, but D&A employees get membership. It’s a perk of the job.”
Her jaw dropped. “You went to work for Devil?”
“Yep. When I wouldn’t agree not to continue searching for Natalie alone, he figured hiring me was the best way to keep an eye on me. There’s a ninety-day probation period, and a permanent offer is pending my PI license, but seven years as a cop, three as a detective buys you something.”
Emily hesitated. “What does Rhys think?”
Gaby’s smile dimmed. Her grip tightened around her glass. For a moment, her bravado slipped, and she looked lost. “I don’t know. He left town on assignment. I haven’t heard from him since it all went down.”
“Surely Dev talked to him before hiring you.”
“If he did, he didn’t say.” She drained her glass then said with forced brightness. “Can we talk about something more uplifting? This is a party.”
“Sure,” Emily said, but worry lingered.
“Did you choose yet?” another voice chimed.
Deanna, radiant in silver mesh, grinned at her as if she knew every secret in the room.
“Choose what yet?” Emily asked.
“Which game to play. Word is, you’re still on the fence.”
“Alec sent you, didn’t he?” she guessed.
“He did. He’s so protective. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear he was a daddy dom.”
“You—wait… What?” she sputtered.
“Same question,” Gaby said, eyes huge.
“I’m mentoring two newbies, go figure,” Deanna laughed softly. “A daddy is nurturing, but dominant. It’s a caretaking style, which is just another power exchange dynamic,” she explained, as if reading straight from a rulebook Emily hadn’t known existed.
She flushed, never having thought of Alec that way—but now she couldn’t unsee it. “No wonder he looked at me funny when I called him that.”
“I’m telling you—he’s got that vibe,” Deanna warned. “But about the games. They end at 9:30 sharp for the auction. Playtime resumes at ten. If you don’t pick soon, your options will narrow.”
“I don’t have a ticket.”
“No?” Deanna pointed at her hand. “What’s that?”
She glanced down, only then remembering Alec had slipped something into her hand. A red paper ticket—the same as from childhood carnivals. As she turned it over, nostalgia hit hard. Nearly every good memory from back then had Alec in it.
This ticket gave her access to something entirely different. And, by giving it to her, he’d stepped back—leaving the choice to explore up to her. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Then, the ever-present question whispered through her.Would she enjoy being dominated if it was anyone else?
This might be the way to find out.But was she daring enough to try? And what if she didn’t like the answer? What if it changed everything?
“I haven’t used my ticket yet. The maze race doesn’t sound too bad,” Gaby suggested. “I’ll do it with you.”
