Taming the Boss Lady [Masters of Submission 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) (15 page)

When the call connected, he moved from the sofa and walked across to the window. He leaned his palm against the oak frame and let his gaze fall on the garden outside. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, and the early-morning light glanced brilliantly off the leaves fluttering in the breeze. Even though it looked calm and serene, he knew there was a storm brewing. His brother answered on the third ring. “Ethan, we got a problem.”

“Shoot away, Matt.”

“You’re gonna have to shut Club Submission down, at least for this evening.”

“On a Saturday? It’s our biggest night. Takings go through the roof on a weekend. You know that. What the fuck’s going on?”

“Kelly found something unpleasant in her mailbox.”

“Meaning?”

“Some sick bastard has taken a bunch of compromising photos inside the club. They’ve used hidden cameras. There’s gotta be a half dozen, maybe more.”

“Cameras? No fucking way. You’re kidding me, right?”

“I wish I were. Look, I’m coming straight over. I’ll be with you in an hour. I’ll explain everything when I get there. But I can tell you this, little brother, we got real problems. The fucking things are even in the Dungeon.”

“Fucking hell.”

“Yeah, fucking hell is right. Membership has only just returned to normal after that fiasco with the cops last year. I do not want this getting out. We need to contain this, Ethan.”

“You bet. I’m on it, Matt.” The phone went dead, and Matthew guessed Ethan was quite literally on it. He knew his brother would soon be pulling the place apart, looking for the hidden surveillance equipment.

“Kelly, I have to go. Do you want to come with me or stay here? It’s entirely up to you.”

“Matt, I think I’ll stay here if you don’t mind.”

He returned the phone to the cradle and then sat beside her and pulled her into his arms. “Of course I don’t mind.” He kissed her worried brow. “Just relax and do nothing. Don’t even answer the phone. I’ll make sure the gates are locked so no one can get in.”

Her head lifted sharply. “Do you think they know where you live, too?”

Matthew shrugged. “Princess, I don’t have all the answers, yet, but I can tell you this. I would die before I let anyone harm a hair on that pretty little head of yours. So quit worrying. With the gates closed this place is like a fortress.” He stroked his fingers through her silky raven-black hair, enjoying the way it curled over the back of his hand. A sense of belonging pervaded every part of his being as Kelly desperately clung to him. He loved the way she needed her Master, and boy, did she need her Master right now. He felt the tremors racking through her beautiful body as she finally let go and allowed the tears to flow unchecked. They ran down her cheeks, and he barely had time to wipe them away, before they dripped from her quivering chin. “Shhh, I promise you everything will be fine, just fine. No one fucks with Matthew Strong or his woman.” He banged his fist on the coffee table. “No one.”

* * * *

When Matthew arrived at the club, there was a message pinned to the imposing oak door.

Due to events beyond our control, Club Submission will be closed tonight (Saturday). We unreservedly apologize to all our members and hope to reopen as soon as possible.

Signed, Matthew and Ethan Strong, proprietors.

He let himself in using his key and came face-to-face with Ethan’s efforts of camera detection. The place was in absolute chaos. Cupboards were open, drawers tipped out and their contents scattered everywhere. Erotic art that once graced the walls of Club Submission was now resting on the floor.

“Fuck.” This was going to take forever to clean up.

As he moved further into the club, things thankfully looked a little less chaotic. He eventually found his younger brother operating a small unfamiliar device in the Warm Zone.

“What you got there, Ethan?”

“I found fuck all in reception, so I called Hunter Black and asked his advice on detecting hidden cameras. He recommended this.” He handed the pocket-sized device to Matthew. “That little baby will pick up the digital signal of any wireless transmitter in the immediate area. Apparently, they have a limited range of about two hundred feet, so he also suggested we check out what the CCTV system has recorded outside the club. Most likely the creep that hid the cameras was sitting outside in the parking lot. According to Hunter, the guy would need to be real close to download the live footage from the cameras.”

“Good work, Ethan, we’ll catch this cunt, if it’s the last thing we do. I’ll check out the recordings as soon as we’ve disabled all the hidden cameras.”

Almost on cue, the detector beeped loudly as Ethan scanned a large mural that was part of the redecoration of the club.

He carefully lifted the expensive painting from the wall and checked out the back. “The cunning bastard.” Sure enough, taped to the frame was a tiny camera. It poked through a hole in the canvas no bigger than three millimeters across. “That’s the sixth one, Matt. How’s Kelly taking all this?”

“She’s real upset. Angry, too, and more than a little scared.” Matthew handed the brown envelope to his brother. “Take a look. It’ll make the location of the other cameras easier to find. While you’re doing that, I’ll go check out the Dungeon. I’ve a pretty good idea where the bastard has hidden them in there.” He walked away, leaving Ethan with the photographs.

Well aware she may be wearing a hole in the expensive Berber carpet, Kelly nervously paced the floor of Matthew’s house one final time. When she glanced out of the impressive picture window overlooking the front driveway, she knitted her hands tightly together, trying to quell the anxiety. Six hours and he still hadn’t returned home. Just what was he doing? Why wasn’t he back yet? Had he found the hidden cameras? She felt completely on her own, and the lack of information was tearing her apart. She couldn’t stop herself from resorting to the destructive what-if scenario. What if? What if? What if?

“Stop doing that, Kelly,” she berated herself. “Everything will be fine just like Matthew said.”

An overwhelming sense of paranoia was taking the place of rational thinking. What if there were hidden cameras here, at Matthew’s place, and the man responsible was actually watching her right this minute? She shivered uncontrollably and hugged her arms around herself as she repeatedly paced the length of the hallway. To actually know someone had deliberately recorded their most intimate moments together made her feel physically ill. Those times with Matthew were sacred to her. She felt violated, and exposed. Just whom could she trust? Matthew? Ethan? She would be extremely wary of baring her soul to anyone in the future.

Kelly grimaced and shook her head. In frustration she’d lashed out at Matthew.
How crazy was that? Why blame the man I love?
Unfortunately, all her anger had been directed at the wrong person. There were other, far more treacherous individuals she could think of. People who would be more than willing to disrupt and ultimately destroy her life. These people would love to see her position compromised. They would love to see her on her knees. For Christ’s sake, she could be describing half the executive board members of McCloud Energy.

Still feeling that her body was coiled tight with tension, she returned to the window. In the distance, through a break in the trees, she just caught a glimpse of the imposing wrought iron gates finally starting to swing open. A sense of relief flooded her mind, and she exhaled a large deep sigh as Matthew’s sleek Jaguar swept onto the driveway.

Feeling so much better for knowing he was home again, Kelly hurried to greet him at the front door. “Thank God you’re back. I’ve been so worried.”

He smiled into her eyes, letting her know that everything was going to be just fine. Matthew wouldn’t let any harm come to her. He held out his arms, and she melted straight into his embrace.

“Matthew, please forgive me. I acted abysmally. I should never have accused you of such a terrible thing.”

He tenderly kissed her forehead, and stroked a stray hair from the corner of her mouth. Then, placing both hands on her shoulders, he set her back from him so he could look into her eyes. “Feeling better, princess?”

“Much.” She hoped he’d forget about the discipline he’d promised. From the look on his face he already had. “Let me get you a drink to make up for my unacceptable behavior.”

“Thanks. I’ll have an ice-cold Bud. There’s plenty in the cooler. I’m gonna check out something in the living room. Bring my beer there.”

“Coming right up, Sir.” Damn, she liked using that word.

Kelly slipped from his protective embrace and walked to the kitchen. She felt far happier and more at ease, now he’d returned home. She took a couple of cold beers from the cooler. She’d have one herself—it might help her to relax a little. Realizing she hadn’t eaten lunch, she scooped up a packet of chips on her way to join Matthew in the living room.

He lounged on the sofa, the remote control pointed at the TV, as he scanned a black-and-white recording of the parking lot at Club Submission. She figured it was taken from the CCTV system that he’d recently installed. As she placed the ice-cold beer in front of him, she noticed a number of small devices scattered on the coffee table.

Curious, she picked one up and studied it. Several wires sprouted from a tiny square object. “I’m guessing this is one of the hidden cameras?”

“You guess right.” Matthew sighed as he continued to fast-forward the images on the television. “Club Submission was riddled with them. No amateur did this. This was a job of professionals. Somebody has paid big bucks to hide those little fuckers in my club.”

A shiver ran down her spine as the reality of the situation hit home. “How many did you find?”

“Fourteen so far.”

“Fourteen? Dear God, who could be so interested in me, and why?”

“Fourteen could be just the tip of the iceberg, Kelly. Ethan’s still at the club, weeding them out. They made sure they had every angle covered. They didn’t want to miss a single opportunity of seeing us fucking. Now who would do such a thing? Any ideas yet?”

Kelly slid onto the sofa next to him, and snuggled in close. “One or two, but I’m really not sure.”

With his attention still focused on the CCTV footage, he inquired, “Care to share them?”

“There’s a couple of board members at McCloud Energy who’d love to see the back of me.”

“Why?” Matthew grabbed his beer from the coffee table, wiped the condensation from the bottle and then took a long slug.

“For starters I’m a woman doing a man’s job. At least that’s how these guys see it.”

He paused for a moment, holding the Bud from his lips. “Go on.”

“I have control of the largest oil and gas company on the East Coast. These guys think they can do a better job than a mere woman ever could. They think McCloud Energy would be far more profitable and more efficiently run if a man held the reins.”

“This has to be more than mere corporate jealousy, Kelly.”

Suddenly enthralled by something on the TV screen, he sat bolt upright on the sofa. “Now what have we here?”

Kelly leaned forward for a better view. A utility vehicle stood all alone in the parking lot.

“That’s been there two days now. I’m sure that’s our man.” Matthew made the image larger. She figured he wanted a closer look. “Shit, the clever bastard has deliberately parked so I can’t make out the plates.”

Kelly lightly touched his hand. This was exciting as well as frightening. “Have you got footage of him driving into the lot, Matt? Surely he won’t be able to hide the plates then?”

Matthew turned to her and smiled, before taking her head in both hands and planting a kiss to her lips. “You are a clever, clever girl, Ms. McCloud. Now go grab a pad and pen, and I’ll read out the plates. I’ll get Hunter to run a check on them.”

“Who’s Hunter?”

“One of the regulars at Club Submission, and a good friend of mine and Ethan. He’s an Air Marshall, and has access to all the law enforcement databases including the licensing records. He’ll find our man for sure.”

At just past eight in the evening, Matthew took a call from Ethan letting him know that every hidden camera had been found and destroyed. He’d searched the club a further three times with that handy electronic device of his, and had discovered one more. It had been cunningly disguised as a smoke alarm. So, fifteen devices had finally been unearthed. At roughly fifty dollars each, the cameras would have cost a total of seven hundred and fifty bucks. Not a huge amount of money to shell out in order to destroy an innocent woman’s life. But the cameras were just part of the equation. Who had secreted them at Club Submission? Was that person working alone, or had someone else paid them? There were more questions than answers. Shit.

With a little gentle persuasion, and fine-tuning of the CCTV footage, he’d finally managed to get the license plate of the utility vehicle in the car lot. He’d called Hunter with the details, and like the great guy that he was he’d promised to get him the relevant information in double quick time. He put his arms above his head and stretched luxuriously, easing the tension in his body. The rest of Saturday evening would be spent relaxing and winding down with his lady.