“The Council still does that, but Tatiana decided what was good for the gander was good for the goose. She traffics men and she holds these auctions three or four times a year. Invite-only and the list is exclusively powerful, sexually dominant women who participate in the D/s lifestyle.”
“The what?” Tinker asked.
“Dominant submissive—BDSM,” Connie said.
Tinker nodded once. His impassive face was hard to get a read on, but if he was thinking anything along the lines of Devon’s thoughts, it was, “What the hell are we walking into?”
“This auction is special. She’s never had American men before and for them to be military men…” Connie spread her fingers out. “I was lucky that I was able to get an invitation.”
“How did you?” Addison asked.
“I’ve been to one of her auctions before, and we’ve had dealings outside of them through the Council,” Connie said.
Devon had an idea she was understating her connections. Whatever organization she worked for, she was in deep.
Addison’s fists clenched on the arms of the lounge chair. “If you’ve known about these auctions, why haven’t you stopped them before now?”
“Addy,” Devon said quietly, wedging his hand into her fist.
She gripped his hand tight and looked at him, tears brimming in her eyes, but he could tell they were tears of anger.
“Because until now, the men participating in these auctions have volunteered,” Connie said.
“What?” Devon tore his gaze from Addison. Who the hell would volunteer to auction themselves off?
Connie moved back in her seat. “All the men volunteered as a way to work off some kind of debt—either theirs or a family member’s. As reprehensible as it may be, there was nothing we could legally do about it.”
“Even though they were essentially coerced into it?” he asked.
“Even though. Because we didn’t have any proof. No one talked. Not the men. Not the women who won them at auction. No one.” Connie looked Addison. “As much as it sucks that your brother is in this situation, it’s giving us the means to take them down. As soon as we get your brother out, the castle will be raided by the authorities.”
“Why not now?” Jane asked.
Connie exchanged a look with Paige and Graham. Devon could only assume they’d already had this conversation.
“Anytime the authorities have gotten close in the past, the victims were killed,” Connie said. “No matter which group we went after, no matter how tight the intel, their first protocol was to kill the victims—no witnesses.”
Her voice held a restrained edge of frustration and anger.
“We’re not taking that chance with Braedon and Michael,” Graham said. “Connie pulled some strings to let us go in first.”
“Addison, your cover is you’re my protégé. I’m training you to be a Domme,” Connie said.
Addison blinked and opened and closed her mouth twice. “I thought I was going as a rich heiress.”
“You’ll be that too, but it’s not enough to explain your presence at this particular auction. The only women taking part are deeply involved in the lifestyle and have been vetted by Tsarevna. This was the only way to explain why I needed an invite for you.”
“What does being your protégé entail…exactly?” Addison asked.
Connie glanced from Addison to Devon and back again, her gaze sharp and assessing. “A number of things. You may be expected to discipline Devon for a perceived infraction. You may be expected to engage in sexual activities with each other and possibly in front of others. I’ll be expected to guide you and make sure you’re following established rules and boundaries.”
Devon didn’t know which was pounding harder—the pulse in his neck or the one in his cock. When Connie said the wordsdisciplineandsexual, fuck, his mind went wild. Addison’s hand had twitched in his. He was afraid to look at her, not knowing if he’d find her as curious as him…or horrified at the idea.
She looked at Addison. “You’re my close friend. Shouldn’t be too hard to pull off.”
Paige arched an eyebrow and winked.
Connie stared at Graham. “It would be better if you were more than security.”
“We’ve already talked about that,” Paige said. “I won’t be able to pull off pretending Graham and I are a couple.”
“We’ll figure something out,” Graham said.
Connie looked skeptical, but she didn’t press the issue.
“What about you?” she asked Devon. “Do you think you can give one hundred percent of your attention to Addison? Treat her like she’s the only thing you care about? Do anything she asks without question?”
Addison glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then stared down at her lap.
Not disgust, then. “I think I can pull that off.”
