Appreciated (Club Indigo Book 3) Read online

  The beautiful redhead smiled at him. "Scoping out the room?"

  Jim smiled back. He hadn't really planned to scene tonight, but he realized something was off—no one seemed to be playing. He voiced his thoughts to Kate. She listened without interrupting him and agreed, "We have unattached tops and bottoms, but there don't seem to be any good fits. We need fresh blood and more single Doms."

  Jim thought for a moment. He wondered if Derek Kiriakis might be interested. Derek was a social worker who had moved to Kansas City about a year ago. They had met when Derek was called in to take custody of a child whose parents were involved in a narcotics operation. After that case, Jim had suspected Derek was aware of the lifestyle. "I know someone who might be interested. I'm fairly certain he's a Dominant and has lifestyle experience."

  Kate made an appreciative sound and leaned forward. "Sounds interesting. I hope he isn't a sadist. I don't think any of the subs we have right now are serious masochists. We have plenty of subs looking for dominants. Run it by Mitch or Bob." She smiled, but Jim noticed her eyes didn't sparkle like usual.

  "What's wrong, Kate?"

  Kate sighed. "Since nobody is playing, I guess we can sit down." They both went to the comfortable red couch that was often used for aftercare. Jim leaned back and watched Kate. She folded her legs, uncrossed them, and sighed again. "I went home with Chris after the weddings."

  "Okay."

  "We're both dominant."

  "Yes, you are."

  "It was the best night of my life," Kate confessed. Now, that was something Jim could relate to and he nodded. She continued. "He's a player, a womanizer."

  Jim understood—sometimes all the pieces of evidence in a case came together to solve the puzzle. "You're in love with him."

  Kate nodded sadly. "I've been in lust with that man, since the first time I laid eyes on him. First, we were just friends, but I've been falling for him more every time we speak or I watch him with a sub. Last night was the proverbial nail to my coffin. He was perfect in almost every way. It's more than lust now. It's love."

  "Almost?" It was a vague word in itself, but it became distinct in the way she'd used it.

  "Yes." For the first time this evening, Jim saw some of her fire returning. "He faked submitting to me."

  Jim's jaw dropped.

  "I. Did. Not. Fake. Anything!" a low voice growled from behind them.

  Kate pressed her lips together and her eyes turned dark. She slowly turned her head around. "You're a Dom," she practically spat at the looming figure behind them.

  "Not with you," Chris threw back, "apparently."

  "How is that even possible?" she snarled back. "You've never had a tendency to switch before!"

  "Guys." Jim held up his hands, but before he could continue, Bob stepped between Chris and Kate.

  "Jim, man the bar, will you?" Without waiting for an answer, Bob directed his focus onto Chris and Kate. "You two come with me. This is not something you discuss where everyone can hear." Bob marched away from the main room and Chris and Kate followed him like two lost puppies. Although Jim knew Bob was a good therapist, he'd never witnessed him in full Dom mode and it was a sight to behold.

  Chris followed Bob into the dining room of the club. There was no one around and Bob gestured for them to sit down at a table.

  "Want to share what that was about?" Bob inquired with a low voice.

  Chris closed his eyes. He'd never felt so tired in his life. The night after the wedding had been wonderful and exhilarating, but the cold shoulder he'd received the next morning had ruined it.

  Kate didn't have the same problem, it seemed. "We had a one night stand. It was nice."

  Fuck that ! "Nice, that's all you can say? Really, Kate?" Chris gritted his teeth and hoped he hadn't broken a molar. The best sex of his life and it had been 'nice' for her?

  She shrugged but didn't look him in the eye.

  Bob sighed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Great," he muttered, "couples' counseling on my day off. Give me a violent vet with PTSD any day."

  "There's nothing to counsel, Bob, we're not a couple." Kate sounded as tired as Chris felt.

  "Hush, Kate," Bob answered, "you'll get your chance to speak, but for now, the two of you are going to listen."

  Chris remembered being called to the principal's office in high school when he and James had changed the timers on the garden sprinklers at school. They'd noticed their English teacher used the shortcut through the grass instead of taking the extra steps over the sidewalk. The same teacher had reported multiple students for doing the exact same thing. He and James felt it was appropriate retribution, but the principal had given them detention anyway.

  "Chris, are you listening?" Bob's question reached through his memory and pulled him back to the present.

  "Yes, Bob. Sorry. You reminded me of somebody." Chris couldn't contain his smirk.

  "As I was saying, you both have been circling around each other for months, if not years. Apparently, you did something about it last week." Bob shot a stern look at Kate as she opened her mouth and continued before she could interrupt. "Some of us have been talking about starting a pool on when you would act on the crazy attraction that's going on between you."

  Kate looked over to Bob with an open mouth.

  "Come on, Kate. You're not the only Domme/Dom couple in the world, you can work around it."

  Chris cocked his head as he considered Bob's words. They were true, of course, but he hadn't been dominant that night, hadn't wanted to be the top. He'd never enjoyed bottoming during his training, but he liked submitting to Kate. He needed to talk about this, but now was not the time or the place. He narrowed his eyes on the bearded figure who stood over them. Chris realized what he had to do.

  "Holy hell, that was impressive," Ruby whispered to Julie, who gaped at Bob. Normally, Bob was easy going and he kept most of his play in the theme rooms.

  Julie had never seen him like this and she agreed with Ruby; he had been impressive.

  Two warm hands grabbed her waist from behind and firm lips pressed a kiss on the sensitive spot just below her left ear. Julie sighed and cocked her head to give Mitch more access. "Ready to play, princess?"

  She turned in his arms and beamed up at him. "Yes, Sir."

  Mitch nodded to Ruby and led Julie to the center of the room. He had prepared the scene and Julie could see piles of rope in her favorite spot on the floor. Her smile widened and she bounced on the soles of her feet. Suspension bondage, she loved it!

  Mitch stepped behind Julie with rope in his hands. He tied her wrists together and looped the end of the rope through the ring on the ceiling. With quick and efficient movement, he tied the end of the rope around her wrist. Julie was still dressed, wearing her cute 'schoolgirl' costume. With her petite build and her bright smile, she really did look like a teenager, and she knew it turned Mitch on. He wound a new rope around her torso, twice over and twice under her breasts and again. He stroked her hair and whispered, "You're beautiful," in her ear.

  Julie smiled up at him. Mitch picked up another piece of rope. He knotted it at her back and worked the end through a hoop hanging from the ceiling and repeated the procedure before tying off the end of the rope. Julie became more and more relaxed as Mitch took away her ability to move, knot by knot.

  Mitch picked up the next rope and squatted next to her left leg. He pushed up her pleated skirt and trailed kisses from her knee to her thigh. After a playful nip at her buttock, he looped the rope twice around her upper leg about three inches above the knee. The end of the rope went through the hoop as well. He pulled her leg high in the air.

  "Color?"

  "Green, Sir," Julie answered. She knew he would check with her regularly. Mitch was very conscientious about his duty and would always place her needs above his own. She loved him for that. He was a great guy. Her leg was pulled higher and her attention was back on the scene. Mitch knotted the rope at her knee and went over to the assortment of ropes on the
ground. She looked at him. Although he was kneeling on one knee, there wasn't an ounce of submission in him. Mitch commanded the space, the ropes, and her. He was beautiful in his focus. Julie felt her throat become dry and she swallowed hard. God, look at him!

  Mitch secured her right leg the same way he had her left, and with the support of one hand under her right leg, he had her up in the air. He sent her for a small teasing spin before tying the next rope around her belly and looping the end of the rope between her legs. Julie couldn't contain her groan as the rope teased her labia through her pink cotton panties. Mitch used his knee to push her butt up as he secured that rope to the hoop as well. He walked a circle around her, admiring his handy work, and made sure she still was 'green'. When he was at her back again, he untied her wrists and placed her hands on her inner thighs.

  "Time to fly, princess."

  He pushed her shoulders past the rope, and Julie allowed him to tip her forward, relying on the ropes to hold her. He tied her feet with more ropes near her butt and buried his face between her thighs and she went flying in a completely different way.

  Chapter 3

  Paula had started her undercover assignment with a pointless briefing by the State Police Division head honcho. The file told her more than he did. The only thing useful was the check-in schedule and her contact outside the Vinton police department.

  Vinton was a small town in Southeast Missouri. The department had five officers besides the chief, who had only been there about eight months. The crime rate was low with only the occasional break-in, shoplifting, and drunk and disorderly on the weekends. They'd had some problems with opioids, but the State Police had recently broken up a multi-county ring, and so far, no one had moved into the territory to replace them.

  After two months on the job, she couldn't fucking believe she'd gotten nowhere. Paula sighed in exasperation. Captain Wilson had warned her, the State Police had warned her, and Chief George Schultz of Vinton had warned her that this type of undercover work would take time. Chief Schultz had called in the State Police when two undocumented Honduran women had disappeared from police custody after being arrested for shoplifting. The local officers had been taking them to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) for deportation. Both were in their late teens and spoke little English. When he found out that ICE had no record of them, he knew something was wrong. He didn't know if it was his department or ICE, so he'd gone to the State Police. The FBI would deal with ICE, but he wanted to handle his department himself.

  Paula was posing as a patrol officer and had dropped hints about money problems and how little the job paid. The chief had helped her start rumors that she had left her last job under a cloud and was forced to take the entry-level position in Vinton. All she had proof of thus far was that half the force was operating a protection racket on the local businesses. Although illegal and despicable, it wasn't what Paula had come for. She expected it was probably the same crew and the extortion scheme would be rolled up with the trafficking operation if it was happening at the Vinton end.

  "Hey, Jameson. Jameson! Fuck, woman, are you asleep?"

  Damn it, she'd almost missed that. She had to be on top of the game if she didn't want to blow her cover. "Sorry, Reilly, dreaming of someplace better to be. Want some coffee?" Paula held up the coffee pot in an inviting gesture to the police sergeant.

  "No, thanks, I'm good." Reilly pulled up his department-issued trousers. Between his belly and the heavy-duty belt, gravity won, and he would be repeating the gesture in about five seconds. "You want to make some extra cash?" Sure enough, he hiked up his pants again and looked at her expectantly.

  A rush of adrenaline flooded her system and it took an effort to stay calm. "Sure! Protection job?"

  "Sort of." Reilly shrugged. "Hendricks and Kruger have come down with the flu or something, so I'm short of hands as it is. You make five grand if all goes to plan, but I have to be sure you can keep your mouth shut."

  "Five grand?" Paula's eyes sparkled, but not with the greed Reilly probably expected. She was fairly certain this was it! "What do I have to do to earn that kind of cash?"

  Reilly stepped closer and told Paula about the plan for the evening. She nodded and smiled as she leaned in toward him. Her mind was running a mile a minute thinking about what she needed to do to set up for the bust. She longed to be back in Kansas City. The image of a certain blond flashed before her mind's eye, but she forced it down.

  She left the room as soon as she could manage without looking suspicious and used her secure cell phone to call Chief Schultz and Captain Reynolds, her State Police contact. Four hours later, she was in the back of a dark-colored van with her shirt off, being fitted with a wire for the evening's activities. "Get him to repeat as many of the details as possible. We want as much evidence as possible to make the case," Reynolds reiterated.

  Paula forced herself to stay quiet as the captain told her things about the wire she had learned her first year on the force. Soon, they had everything arranged and Chief Schultz wished her luck. "Don't try to be a hero if things go south. We'll be listening and will move in as soon as we have everything in place."

  "Okay, so to be clear and I don't make mistakes, please tell me again what you expect me to do and where you'll be, Reilly."

  Reilly sighed. "I explained it this afternoon, didn't I?" He was silent for a moment. "Okay, your job is to watch over the girls until their ride gets here."

  "Where did the girls come from?"

  "I picked them up this afternoon walking into town. Told them it was a random immigration check."

  "What happens to them from here?

  "I don't know, and I don't care. The money's the important part."

  "You know I'm grateful for the cash, but why don't you watch them yourself? You wouldn't have to split the profit."

  "Because I don't trust the fuckers and I want my attention on them and not the girls. It's bad enough I'm a man short."

  "So it's normally the three of you?"

  "Yes, I told you so before, woman! Don't make me regret giving the job to you." His patience seemed to be running thin so Paula backed off.

  "Okay, okay!"

  Reilly's phone chimed and he read the text message and grinned at her. "Let's go." They stepped out of the patrol car as a black SUV with tinted windows pulled up at the curb. Two men dressed in black with ski masks over their faces got out and rounded the car to the rear doors. "We have three this time as you ordered," Reilly said.

  The taller of the two figures glanced in the back of the patrol car and barked "Out!"

  Three young women, hands restrained with zip ties, struggled out of the vehicle and huddled together on the street.

  The leader of the pair pulled an envelope from his back pocket, but before he could hand it over, sirens blared and the distinctive red and blue lights from patrol cars lit up the sky.

  "Are they going to be okay?" Paula watched the three young women sitting together in the waiting room. They were mere teenagers, still girls.

  Schwartz shrugged. "You and I both know the government policy on illegal immigrants. We might be able to get them U Visas if they can provide enough help to the investigation, but that call is above my pay grade. If they don't get the visas, they'll be deported." He shook his head and he reminded Paula of Droopy Dog with his sad expression.

  "So we save them from a life of prostitution here and send them back to Honduras where they could easily meet the same fate." Paula kicked against an office chair in helpless rage and watch it roll away over the scratched and cracked linoleum floor.

  Schultz placed his hand on her shoulder. "We can't save them all. We need to focus on the good things. We've neutralized at least part of a ring of human trafficking and modern slavery and you've unmasked a group of dirty cops. With the State Police in on the bust and our short staff, I had to let them take custody. Last I heard, Reilly was spilling his guts but claimed not to know anything about who he was dealing with. One of the masked guys i
s ICE, the other seems to be muscle. The ICE agent is the one they have to break."

  Paula wasn't happy about the situation but knew that the police chief was right.

  "I don't suppose you'd like to stay and help me rebuild my department?" Schultz said hopefully. "You can have Reilly's job."

  "No, thank you, sir. It was a pleasure working with you, but I miss Kansas City and I can't wait to get home. You have my number if something comes up?" Paula looked the older man in the eye. She'd come to respect him. Vinton might have a low crime rate, but with the immigration issues, this was a tough assignment, and now he had to replace his team. "I'll be back for the depositions and anything else you need. Let's hope the ICE agent rolls and a trial can be avoided."

  Schultz nodded and shocked the hell out of her as he stood to attention and saluted her. "Take care, Paula. You're a good woman and an outstanding detective."

  Jim Cagney stared at nothing while he nursed a beer at Club Indigo. Paula had been gone for eight weeks, and all he'd been able to find out was that she'd gone undercover for the State Police. Who knew how long she would stay away? He'd been doing at least one DM shift every weekend to keep his mind off her absence.

  When he was still in the same position an hour later, Bob, sometime bartender and full-time psychologist, came over to check on him. "What's up, Jim? You've been sitting here for an hour; your beer is untouched, and you've been doing the same thing every weekend for over a month now. Spill."

  "I guess I am pretty obvious. Do you remember Laura's maid of honor? I danced with her at the reception and left with her?"

  "Good looking blonde?"

  "That's the one. She's a cop, too. A little older than I am and a Detective Sergeant. It also turns out that she's submissive. We had a fabulous night, but she snuck out before morning and went AWOL on me. No response to my texts or calls and then she left town on some kind of undercover operation. I want to talk and maybe more, but I can't do that if she's not here. So I'm marking time until she gets back. By then, I expect she'll have her protection as high and strong as the walls of Gondor and I'll never get through to her."