Jillian’s lips flattened into a grim line as she picked up her cell phone from the table. “I’m calling Dean.”
“Wait.” Raina grabbed her friend’s arm before she could place the call. She knew Jillian’s husband owned a security firm, but she wasn’t sure what he could do about her having a possible stalker from the club. “Why are you calling Dean?”
“Because if some guy from The Players Club is harassing you, Dean will look into it and find out who the guy is. He’s a security specialist. It’s what he does,” Jillian said, her firm tone allowing no room for an argument. “And his partner, Mac, has been a member there for years, and he knows a lot of guys at the club, too. They’ll find out who this guy is and make sure he leaves you alone. They’ll also make sure the club knows that he’s a threat to their guests and let them deal with him accordingly.”
She sounded so certain of her husband’s abilities, and very determined to involve him. Clearly, Jillian was in mama-bear mode, something Raina hadn’t had much experience with even with her own mother, who’d always been too weak to stand up for herself, let alone her daughter. At thirty-nine, Jillian was a little over ten years older than the rest of them, had raised two sons who were grown and in college and the military, and now that she was a part of their group, she didn’t hesitate to use her personal resources to help her friends.
“I’ll be right back.” Cell phone in hand, Jillian left the table and went outside to call her husband.
Left alone with her four other friends, Raina gave them an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, I know this isn’t what you all were expecting to hear this morning.”
Stephanie clasped Raina’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Trust me, we’re way more concerned about you and making sure you’re safe. That’s the
only
thing that matters to us.”
“Thanks.” Raina was grateful to have such supportive friends. They were all like sisters to her, and the closest thing to family she had.
Jillian returned a few minutes later, her high heels tapping on the wooden floor of the restaurant as she approached the table. As soon as she arrived, she looked directly at Raina and said, “Dean wants you at his office immediately, so he can talk to you about what happened, get a description of the guy you were with, and assign one of his security agents to look after you until the threat has been taken care of.”
It all sounded extreme and like overkill to Raina, and she started to second-guess the entire situation, that maybe she was blowing everything out of proportion. “I’m sure I don’t need a bodyguard. Besides, it’s my morning to open up the shop, and I don’t want to be late.”
“This isn’t a polite request, Raina,” Jillian said, crossing her arms over her chest in an intimidating manner. “It’s an
order
. Get your ass over to Noble and Associates
now
, because if I have to call Dean back to tell him you’re making light of a serious situation, he’s going to be pissed off, and you do
not
want to deal with a pissed-off Dean.”
Resigned, Raina scooted out her chair and stood. “What is he going to do, turn me over his knee?” she said with sass.
“No, but he might make Mac or one of his other guys do it for him,” she said, her mouth twitching with a teasing smile. “They’re all overbearing alpha males and like to assert their dominance whenever the opportunity presents itself.”
At the mention of hot men, Paige popped up from her seat enthusiastically. “Can I go with Raina? I’m suddenly feeling very, very bad.”
Raina laughed, grateful for her friend’s bit of humor. “No. You need to open up the shop for me because I have no idea how long this is going to take.”
Paige feigned a pout. “Spoilsport.”
Raina rolled her eyes. “Aaron is scheduled to come in at noon,” she said of her store manager. “But hopefully I’ll be back before then.”
“That’s fine,” her friend said, serious now. “I can handle things until he gets there. Besides, I have a few new corsets I want to take to the shop and put on display, so I’ll do it this morning while I’m there.”
Jillian walked Raina out to her car, then handed her a business card with Dean’s office address and information on it. “Until Dean figures out what’s going on and who’s responsible for the handcuffs and note, please take this seriously. I don’t want anything happening to you, and I feel partially responsible since I’m the one who gave you the invitation to The Players Club.”
“None of this is your fault,” she assured the other woman.
“I know, but since my husband’s business is security, I’m going to make sure you’re safe and protected.” Jillian gave her a warm hug. “Now go.”
Raina got into her car and drove to the address, which was located in downtown San Diego. Dean’s offices were based in a modern glass and chrome building, and she took the elevator up to the twenty-eighth floor. When the double doors slid open, they led directly into Noble and Associates’ plush reception area. She stepped up to the desk, and the older, pretty woman sitting there offered her an amicable smile.
“You must be Raina,” she said and pushed away from her desk to stand up.
Raina nodded. “Yes, I am.”
“I’m Gail,” she said by way of introduction. “Dean told me to expect you. He’s finishing up a call with a client, so I’m going to get you settled in the conference room. It’s right this way.”
Raina followed Gail down a short hallway and into a spacious room with a large boardroom-type table, leather chairs, and warm wood paneling on the walls. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city, showcasing the blue, cloudless spring sky, and provided a stunning panoramic view of the ocean. The office was a prime piece of real estate, speaking to the success of Dean and Mac’s company.
“Go ahead and make yourself comfortable,” Gail said as she opened the blinds on the windows that looked back into the reception area, then headed toward a refreshment bar off to the side. “Can I get you some coffee, tea, or water while you wait?”
Considering breakfast had been cut short, Raina missed her normal morning cup of caffeine and needed it badly. “I’ll take a coffee. Cream and sugar, please.”
She sat down facing the door that also gave her a view of the outer offices, and a moment later, Gail set a steaming mug of fragrant brew in front of her. “I’ll let Dean know you’re here. He shouldn’t be long.”
“Thank you.” She’d only taken a few sips of her coffee when Dean and another good-looking man walked into the room. She was friendly with Dean because of her relationship with Jillian and the man’s frequent trips into Sugar and Spice.
“Hey, Raina.” Dean took her hand in his and gave it a warm squeeze before turning to the other man who’d joined him. “This is my partner, Mac. He’s more familiar with The Players Club and a lot of the members there, so I’d like him to sit in on our conversation if that’s okay with you?”
“Yes, of course, that’s fine.” She shook Mac’s hand, his long, strong fingers engulfing hers. He was in an incredibly attractive man—former military like Dean, according to Jillian—and though his dark blue gaze was kind, there was no mistaking this man’s intensity and the power latent in his every movement. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Same here,” he replied with a polite nod.
Both men sat down at the table. Mac clasped his hands on the surface, and Dean opened the leather-bound portfolio he’d brought with him to jot down notes from their discussion, then met her gaze. “Why don’t you tell us what happened last night at The Players Club and we’ll go from there.”
She took another fortifying drink of her coffee. Both men were members of the club, and knowing that neither one of them would judge her for having a sexual encounter with a stranger made it much easier for Raina to share the details without any embarrassment. “I met a guy at the Rave party down on the dungeon level and we had sex. It wasn’t rough, like the note attached to the handcuffs indicated, but it was definitely…intense. The music was loud and we didn’t exchange names. Afterward, I decided to leave the club without telling him, and he found me just as I was getting into my car to go. He was definitely annoyed that I slipped out on him.”
Dean wrote something down on his note pad while Mac asked, “Did he hurt you or threaten you in any way, either physically or verbally?”
Out in the courtyard, he’d yelled at her to stop and wait. She’d heard the confusion in his voice, but nothing that could even remotely be construed as intimidating. “No, he didn’t. I think he was just genuinely upset that I bolted on him without giving him an explanation or my name.” She absently rubbed her fingers along her forehead, suddenly feeling a little silly about being here over a pair of handcuffs and a note attached to her doorknob. “This probably is nothing more than someone’s idea of a stupid joke. It could even be totally unrelated to anything that happened at the club with the guy I was with.”
Dean arched an uncompromising brow at her. “Don’t downplay something that could be
very
serious. Jillian made it clear that we’re to put a security detail on you until we know for absolute certain that this guy isn’t a threat of any kind, and I already put a call in to one of my men who has the next few weeks free before his next assignment.”
A babysitter and a shadow. Ugh
. “Dean, I have a security system on my apartment, and I really hate to—”
Dean held up a hand, effectively cutting her off with that firm gesture. “Security system or not, I’m not giving you a choice in the matter, Raina. Not only do I insist that you’re protected while Mac and I talk to the manager of the club to see if they’ve had any reports of other guests being stalked or threatened, but I do
not
want Jillian busting my balls for not following
her
orders.”
Mac smirked at that, and Raina wanted to laugh, too. Dean possessed such a dominant personality, and it was amusing to think that Jillian had that much power over her husband. Then again, theirs was a rare marriage, one that was based on equality and respect and, ultimately, love. It was the kind of relationship that Raina secretly envied.
The phone in the conference room buzzed, and Gail’s voice came through the intercom. “Dean, Logan Cruz is here.”
“Great.” Dean shot Raina a pointed look informing her that her appointed bodyguard had just arrived. “Send him into the conference room.”
The line disconnected, and Mac sat forward in his seat. “You don’t have a name for this guy you were with, but could you recognize him if you saw him again?”
“Absolutely.” The man’s gorgeous features were seared into her memory, and would be for a very long time. Forgetting
anything
about him was impossible.
Through the open blinds covering the windows, Raina saw someone walking toward the conference room. Definitely male. Definitely tall and big with a body that was built out of lean muscle. A crisp pair of jeans hugged his narrow hips and long, lithe thighs, and his broad shoulders filled out a light blue shirt—the first few buttons at his throat undone, and the sleeves cuffed to reveal strong forearms.
Curious to know if his face was as attractive as the rest of him, she lifted her gaze, and her breath literally caught in her lungs, and her blood seemed to drain from her face. “Oh, my God,” she said, her voice a startled rasp of sound. “That’s him.”
Mac frowned in confusion. “That’s who?”
“
Him
,” she said, pointing to the man who came to an abrupt stop in the open doorway leading into the conference room, his own shock at seeing her there evident in his eyes and expression. “
That’s
the guy I was with at the club.”
And he obviously worked for Dean!
“You were with
Logan
last night?” Dean asked, seemingly a little thrown off by the huge coincidence, as well.
Logan’s surprise quickly evaporated. Every inch of his big body tensed, his demeanor turning guarded as he tried to assess the situation he’d just walked into. “Mind if I ask what’s going on and what
she’s
doing here?” His tone was deceptively calm.
Mac studied the other man intently. “So, you know her then?”
“Yes.” Logan gave a curt nod and braced his hands on his hips, his stance defensive. “I met her at The Players Club last night. She left before I could get her name, though I
did
try.”
She winced inwardly as he aimed that last part directly at her. Okay, so he was still a little miffed about her exit strategy. She supposed she’d wounded his male pride and he was still smarting over the sting of her rejection. But even annoyed at her, he still had the ability to make her pulse flutter and made her body remember every wicked thing they’d done together.
“Were you so pissed about her brushing you off that you followed her home and left a pair of handcuffs on her doorknob, along with a threatening note?” Mac asked, his sharp gaze leveled at Logan’s face.
Logan stared at his boss as if he’d lost his mind, his bewilderment over Mac’s question genuine, then he shook his head. “
What
are you talking about?”
Mac glanced at Dean. “It wasn’t him.”
“Agreed,” Dean said, looking equally certain.
The two men were former Navy SEALS and security experts. Whatever test they’d just issued Logan, he’d passed to their satisfaction, and Raina trusted their experience and judgment.
“What the hell is going on?” Logan said through clenched teeth, his gaze flashing with exasperation. “Is that what she
claimed
I did?”
“Nobody is claiming you did anything,” Dean said in a calm tone meant to diffuse the other man’s irritation. “It was a question we had to ask, not that I ever thought you were responsible for the cuffs or note. Come in and sit down, and we’ll explain everything.”
Reluctantly, Logan entered the room and sat down next to Mac, which put him directly across from Raina. He placed his clasped hands on the table, exhaled a deep breath, and she watched as his annoyance ebbed, thank goodness.
“Since names weren’t exchanged between the two of you last night, this is Raina Beck,” Mac said, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Raina, this is Logan Cruz.”