Tickle His Fancy: Trident Security Book 6 (Trident Security Series) (4 page)

Sipping his beer, Brody scanned the bar and sitting areas.
Sometimes, he and his former ménage partner, Marco, tag teamed Harper, but that
was only when his friend approached him about it. Brody would never ask to join
them since it came off as him sounding like a desperate third-wheel, which he
was definitely not. There were plenty of available submissives in the club who
he’d played with before, and he honestly had no preference over a duo or trio
scene.

When the subject changed among the group once again, he
turned back toward Kayla. Between her and another sub, Parker’s wife, Shelby
Christiansen, they kept up-to-date on the status of the submissives—who was
currently collared or in a contract. They were kind of the mother-hens of the
club, along with Mistress China, a Domme and one of the Whip Masters. “Hey,
Kayla. Have you been down to the sub area yet tonight?”

“Yes, Sir, about fifteen minutes ago while my Mistress was
busy.”

“Who’s available this evening?” he asked.

“Sasha is working in the store, Sir, and Georgia was
negotiating with Master Cain earlier. Oh, and Cassandra signed a temporary
contract with Master Stefan last night.”

His eyes narrowed, but Mistress Roxanne beat him to it. Her
voice was deep in reprimand. “My little subbie, I don’t think that helps Master
Brody at all. Instead of telling him who’s
not
available, skip the
gossip and tell him who
is
. Then we will have another discussion about
your chattiness when you’re asked a direct question.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” An apology was evident in her eyes, but Brody
wasn’t concerned about Roxy disciplining her sub. Kayla was a bit of a brat and
masochist at times. “I apologize, Master Brody. Several new submissives passed
their final training class last night, so they’re available. A few of them are
downstairs already.” She paused. “Is there anything else I can help you with,
Sir?”

He shook his head, not needing any further help from her
since he’d overseen several of the training classes and done the initial
background checks on all of them before their memberships had been approved. He
analyzed every aspect of a potential member’s life before forwarding all the
information to Ian, Devon, and Mitch for the final approval. “No, thanks. I’ll
wander down there and do my own negotiations.”

Excusing himself from the group and leaving his half-empty
beer on the bar, he ambled over to the stairs, nodding hello to several people
on the way. When he reached the security guard dressed in black dress pants, a
red, button-down shirt with a black bowtie, he handed the man his membership
card. The only people in the entire club who didn’t have to have their cards
swiped before entering the pit were the three owners since they had written the
rules.

After getting his card back, he descended the stairs to find
out what fun there was to be had for the evening. He was sure no matter what he
found, it was bound to be entertaining.

Whistling loudly, Brody drove toward his destination with the
anticipation of seeing
her
again strumming through his veins.
Her
being Fancy. She would have arrived at the shop ten minutes ago at 5:00 a.m. on
the dot. Through her talkative employee Jamie—the cute blonde—he’d learned a
few things about the bakery owner, but not enough to satisfy his curiosity.
While he could easily find out anything he wanted via the internet, for some
reason he’d held off doing a background check on her past. He wanted to hear it
from her instead.

He wasn’t sure what it was about the sexy baker, but she
hadn’t been far from his thoughts since he’d met her two weeks ago. Although
seeing her practically every morning when he stopped in to get pastries for the
office probably had something to do with it. Add in the fact his usual flair
for seducing a woman was falling flat at her feet, he was craving Ms. Fancy
Maguire like mad. But she seemed immune to his flirting and charm, so he was
trying to think of a new way to get past her barriers.

It wasn’t that she didn’t appear to be interested in him, it
just seemed she was a little more standoffish than the women he was generally
attracted to, and for some reason that made her more appealing. Sometimes
things were better the more one had to work for them, and he had a feeling
Fancy was worth the effort—at least, he hoped so. Each time he saw her, she
seemed a little more at ease with him, but when it came to his subtle, probing
questions, she would clam up or suddenly need to do something in the kitchen.

Usually, his seduction of a woman lasted only a day or two,
if that, before she fell into bed with him, or, as in the past, with him
and
Marco, who had been his best friend since boot camp. His buddy had introduced
him to the pleasures of sharing a woman when they’d visited an underground BDSM
club in Paris while on a joint training mission there between the U.S. and
French militaries. From then on, they’d participated in many ménages together.
The only thing which had taken some getting used to was the occasional,
unintentional contact between them while pleasuring a woman, since they were
both straight as arrows. Now, he didn’t even notice it most of the time.

Since Marco and Harper had permanently hooked up, Brody had
been an occasional third with them, once every four to six weeks or so. The
only other ménages he’d been involved with in the past seven months had been
with Carter, when the U.S. government spy had been in town, and once with Mitch
and Cassandra for the cute waitress’s birthday.

While he enjoyed ménages—it was a great way to please a
woman—he didn’t necessarily need them like some people did. He could take them
or leave them. As long as the woman he was with was completely sated by the end
of the night, along with himself, then all was good.

Making a left into the parking lot of the bakery, he was
surprised to see a police car and the Tampa PD Bomb Unit’s truck. The sun
wasn’t up yet, but it was light enough to see one uniformed officer was
standing on the sidewalk with Fancy and Sal, staring at the store’s shattered
front display window.
Fuck! What the hell had happened?

He didn’t see the bomb guys, but since the cop, Fancy, and
her employee were standing so close to the shop, he assumed there wasn’t any
chance of an explosion. Throwing his truck into park, he jumped out and hurried
toward the trio. Unable to keep his concern from showing, he headed straight
for Fancy and gently took her elbow until her troubled gaze met his. There was
no mistaking the tears which were threatening to fall, but she was managing to
keep them at bay—barely. “What happened?”

Shaking her head, she was about to answer him, when the cop
interrupted. “Who are you?”

Annoyed, but knowing not to step on any local law enforcement
toes unless it was necessary, he turned toward the uniformed man. “Brody Evans.
I’m with Trident Security.” The recognition of the company name flashed in the
officer’s eyes, so Brody knew no further explanation was needed. “What’s going
on and why’s the bomb squad here?”

“Hey, Egghead. What are you doing here?”

He sighed in relief when Sgt. Barry Templeton and Officer
Freddie Mendoza appeared in the doorway of the shop, sans their bomb gear.
Mendoza was talking to someone on his cell and stepped to the side as his
supervisor approached the group. “I was going to ask you the same thing, Sarge.
I was stopping in for my morning sugar rush to bring to work with me. We’ve got
some early training today since it’s supposed to be over 100 degrees later. Can
someone please tell me what the hell is going on?”

Templeton offered his hand, which Brody shook. “No
explosives. Just a shattered window from a brick thrown through it.” He tilted
his head in Sal’s direction. “Sal is Freddie’s cousin. He was in the kitchen
when he heard the window shatter about twenty minutes ago.”

Brody switched his attention to the shorter man, who held up
his hands in frustration. “But I didn’t see anyone. I wish the fuck I did. I
would’ve kicked the bastard’s ass.” He grimaced when he realized his employer
was still standing next to him. “Excuse the language, Fancy.”

Giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, Fancy remained
silent, biting her lip. Brody wanted to rescue the abused flesh and nibble on
it himself, along with a few other places on her body. Damn, he had it bad for
this woman.

“Anyway,” Templeton said, interrupting Brody’s wayward and
inappropriate thoughts. “We were only a few blocks away when the call was dispatched,
and recognized the address. Unfortunately, whoever it was, did a good job of
making himself unrecognizable. We just took a look at the security camera feed.
Black sweats, black hoodie, dark shoes or sneakers—hard to tell because the
recording is so grainy. Hell, I can’t even figure out if the guy is white,
black, or green with purple polka dots.”

Letting out a deep breath, Brody chuckled. That was one thing
he loved about men and women in the military and law enforcement—their wry
sense of humor. Addressing Fancy, he asked, “Were you here?”

She shook her head and spoke for the first time since he got
there. “No. It happened right before I got here. In fact, I pulled up at the
same time the officer, Freddie, and the sergeant did. Freaked me out until they
said there wasn’t a bomb.”

“Yeah, well, they have a tendency to do that, but I can’t
complain since they’ve helped my team out a few times.”

“And vice versa,” the sergeant added.

As Sal headed inside to start sweeping up the mess, and the
uniformed cop finished taking down notes for his report, a navy-blue truck came
flying into the parking lot. Brody stepped in front of Fancy to protect her
from any threat as a dark-haired man with a frown on his face jumped out and
ran toward them, leaving the driver’s door wide open. “Fancy, what happened?”

The worry on the man’s face and in his voice was evident.
When he reached the group, Fancy stepped around Brody and threw her arms around
the man’s neck as he embraced her. Disappointment filled Brody’s gut. It was evident
Fancy was close to this man, and he wondered if his shot at getting to know her
better was as shattered as the store window. He took a step backward as she
told the newcomer what had happened.

Someone bumped his shoulder and Brody turned his head to see
Freddie had closed the distance between them. Keeping his voice low so only
Brody could hear, the cop said, “Don’t worry. That’s her brother-in-law—he’s
with Tampa F.D. But be forewarned, Fancy’s like family to my cousin. If you’re
just looking for a little something on the side, then look somewhere else.
She’s had enough heartache in the past.”

His jaw tensed. It was a friendly warning, and he knew it
just meant Fancy had people who cared about her, whether they were close to her
or not. But it didn’t mean he had to like it. “Understood.”

He wanted to ask what “heartache” the cop was talking about,
but this wasn’t the time or place. Clearing his throat, he was about to say her
name to get her attention, but he overheard her brother-in-law say something
about this not being the first incident. He stepped forward. “What else
happened?”

The fireman’s eyes narrowed as he glared at Brody. “Who are
you?”

Stepping to the side, Fancy gestured back and forth between
the two men. “Corey, this is one of my new regular customers, Brody Evans.
Brody, this is my brother-in-law.”

Not letting it show, Brody was surprised she used his full
name. He had never heard it sound so lyrical before and wanted to hear it
again. Instead, he temporarily pushed aside the warm fuzzy feelings it brought
as neither man did anything more than nod while sizing each other up. As if she
noticed the tension between them, Fancy turned back toward him to intercede.
“Corey was referring to some vandalism I had last week. A bunch of nasty
comments were spray painted on the wall facing the parking lot. I filed a report,
and my landlord cleaned it with a power washer. It was really no big deal.”

Seriously?
“Well, one incident, might not be a big
deal to you, but this just upped the ante. How good are your cameras and
security system?”

When she looked a little confused, his gaze shot to Freddie.
“Tell me.”

The cop shrugged. “Not the best. Certainly not on the level I
know you’re referring to.”

“Well, that’ll change.”

The uniformed officer handed Fancy his card with the report
number on it so she could contact her insurance company, and gave her the
standard “what to do next.” It was to call a glass company, which wouldn’t be
available until at least 9:00 a.m., so Brody pulled out his cell and scrolled
through his contacts to find the number he wanted. Hitting send, he brought the
phone to his ear and waited for the call to connect.

“—ello. Oose this?”

“Parker, wake your ass up.”

The owner of New Horizons Construction had obviously been sound
asleep. “Brody? What the fuck, man? It’s. . .shit, it’s not even six
o’clock. What the fuck is wrong?”

“I need a favor.”

Within five minutes, arrangements were made for two of
Parker’s workers to head over with sheets of plywood to close up the window
until Fancy’s insurance company ordered the glass to be replaced. When he
disconnected the call, Templeton and Mendoza said their goodbyes, but it was
the stunned expression on Fancy’s face which caught his attention. “What?”

“You just called someone to cover my window at six o’clock in
the morning?”

“Yup. A friend of mine has a construction company. His
workers will be here in about twenty minutes. In the meantime, let me take a
look at your security setup.”

“Why?” This time, it was Corey who spoke—truthfully it was
more like a growl—and he clearly wasn’t happy that not only was Brody still there
but was taking over.
Well, too fucking bad
.

He shrugged. “Because it’s what I do best.”

Shaking her head, Fancy gaped at him. “That’s awfully sweet
of you, Brody, but I can’t afford a new security system right now.”

Ignoring the brother-in-law’s glare, Brody smiled at her.
“That’s not a problem. Just pay me in pastries.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re crazy.”

“Nope. I just have an enormous sweet tooth that loves your
baking.” And now he had the perfect excuse to be around her some more. It was a
win-win for both of them. She just didn’t know it yet.

* * *

Striding into the Trident Security building, with the company
dog, Beau, on his heels, Brody went straight to Ian’s office and rapped on the
open door. His friend glanced up before returning to his computer screen.
“Egghead, what carbs did you bring today to make my teams fat?”

He snorted while taking a seat in front of the boss’s desk.
Ian had been enjoying Fancy’s delicacies just as much as everyone else had.
“Some sticky pecan things. You’ll love them.” He paused until Ian shifted his
eyes back to him. “I need today off, Boomer’s help, and a new system, which
I’ll pay for.”

Ian’s eyes narrowed as he frowned. “You fucking serious? For
what, or should I say whom?”

“Fancy’s having some problems at the bakery. Vandalism. And she’s
got a shit system. I told her she can pay me by satisfying my sweet tooth.”

Rolling his eyes, Ian leaned back in his leather chair. He
knew exactly who Fancy was between Angie raving about their new wedding cake
baker and Brody bringing in the pastries every day. “Just your sweet tooth? I
have a feeling you want her satisfying more than that.”

Not bothering to deny the truth, Brody shrugged. “So can I
have Boomer and the training day off?”

“Yeah, okay. Marco can play drill sergeant today. Just don’t
fucking forget you’re on Princess duty later. She’s got that shindig tonight,
and you’re on with Omega. Be here in your monkey suit by 1600 for the briefing.
Amar will be here to run through everything.”

Shit, he’d almost forgotten all about the detail. Timasur’s
Princess Tahira was in town and had a charity function on her schedule which
meant more security than usual. Mousaf Amar was the head of the royal bodyguards,
and Trident worked well with him when members of the royal family were visiting
one of their vacation homes in Clearwater Beach. The man had been trained with
special ops teams from several countries and Brody was impressed with his eye
for detail in security. He rarely missed anything when it came to protecting
the royal family.

Brody stood and headed for the door. “I’ll be here, no worries.
And thanks, Boss-man. I owe you.”

“Just keep sharing the baked goods.”

A half hour later, he was pulling back into the parking lot
next to Fancy’s bakery with several boxes in the bed of his truck and Boomer
sitting in the passenger seat. Brody wasn’t surprised to see Fancy’s
brother-in-law leaning against his own vehicle with his arms crossed, trying to
look intimidating. While the fireman was physically fit and stood over six
feet, the former SEAL could take him with one hand tied behind his back.