My Obsession by Cassie Ryan Page A

room waiting area tomorrow evening at seven?”
    She thought about the day she had planned—laundry and cleaning house—her payment to Michelle for letting her stay there until she found a job. She had also promised to make lasagna. She could do all of that and be here by seven p.m. to meet Master Brent. She nodded up at him with anticipation churning through her. “Yes, sir.”
    Master Brent nodded, reached into his desk drawer, and pulled out a combination lock and a small slip of paper before laying it in her palm and closing her fingers over it.
    “Stand up and come here.”
    Sandra pushed up from the floor and straightened in front of him.
    He pulled her against him and threaded his fingers through the hair at her nape, holding her in place while he brought his lips down roughly on hers and kissed her senseless for several long moments before breaking the kiss and stepping away.
    —
    At the brisk knocks against the front door of his suite, Brent smiled and glanced up from where he’d been making himself some late-night hot decaf tea. He needed to calm his mind and body if he ever hoped to get any sleep, so coffee or any type of caffeine definitely wasn’t on the menu.
    He’d been expecting this visit ever since he’d given Sandra the tour. He just wasn’t sure which of the Doms had come with Dex, or if the big man had come alone. “Come on in,” he called loud enough for whoever was at the door to hear.
    When only Dex entered a minute later, Brent nodded in greeting as he finished pouring cream into his tea. “I figured I’d see you soon. Would you like some tea?”
    Dex grimaced, as Brent knew he would.
    “You don’t have any coffee? You know I can’t stand that stuff you love to drink.”
    Brent gestured to the small coffeemaker that sat on the counter a few feet away. “Be my guest. You know where everything is. That way we can both have our drink of choice while you grill me.”
    Brent left Dex to make his coffee and sat in his recliner in the lavish living area.
    When Dex returned with a steaming cup in his hand, he cleared his throat as he sat on the love seat directly across from Brent. “So who is she?” He pinned Brent with an intense gaze. “And don’t give me any bullshit. I heard about the scene in the elevator, and when the two of you came down to the dungeon floor it was plain to see both the sparks and the history that flowed between you. So let’s hear it.”
    Brent took a drink of tea and then blew out a long breath. “Sandra and I went to the same high school.” He fell silent in the vain hope that Dex would accept that as a full explanation, but he knew better.
    “And?” Dex pressed, a hint of impatience creeping into his tone.
    Brent tensed at the tone and then forced himself to relax. Dex was a good friend. He was concerned, and he had an interest in Club Desire and its inner workings. “I told you how horrible high school and even early college were for me. I was a totally different person then. And Sandra…” He let his words trail off, not sure how much he wanted to say. He didn’t plan to be up for several more hours dissecting the personal details of his life, and Dex was relentless when presented with what he considered interesting information.
    Dex studied him and Brent met his gaze squarely, knowing that anything else would only sharpen his friend’s curiosity.
    Finally Dex dropped his gaze and smiled. “All right. So I think I’ve got the picture. Just from looking at Sandra, let me guess. She was one of the popular kids? If she looked anything like she does now back in high school, I can’t imagine her being in the outcast nerd population like you were. She’s freaking gorgeous.” He cocked his head to the side in question, and Brent remained silent. He should have known Dex would assess the situation correctly. The man worked for the FBI as a very high-level analyst. Not much got past him, which was both a great asset to Club Desire and a major pain in