Chapter Three
Daisy sat in the locker room at The Hideout. It was one of
her favorite places on the planet, but tonight she felt antsy.
It had been a genuinely terrible day, and Aidan being
willing to take her in for the night was the only reason she wasn’t locked in
her parents’ house.
Come tomorrow she would have a bodyguard on her twenty-four
seven. She’d done it again. She’d upturned everyone’s lives when all she’d
wanted to do was help.
Should she give in and go home? Was she causing more trouble
than she was worth?
It was kind of the question that plagued her life.
“Hey, you okay?”
She looked up and Carys Taggart was already dressed in an
emerald green corset and matching boy shorts. She had an elaborate mask in her
hand. It wouldn’t cover up the pile of glorious auburn hair on her head. Her
hair would give her away at a party like the one going on in the club this
evening. It wouldn’t matter. She only wanted to play with Aidan.
Well, Aidan and Tristan, but it looked like Carys was going
to be permanently down a Dom.
So naturally she was here checking on Daisy. “I’m fine. I
guess everyone heard.”
Carys sat down on the bench next to Daisy. “About you being
a badass and taking down a cartel? Yup.”
She should have known her future sister-in-law would have
her back. Carys was the best. “I don’t think that’s the way my da saw it. I
probably didn’t make things easier for myself by posting a selfie. My parents
do not understand the importance of social media.”
Carys chuckled. “I’m sure they don’t. You know if you hadn’t
posted the social media pic, no one would have known where you were. Think
about it. Now, the parental units are not here tonight, so you’re just talking
to me. Not your brother, either. Are you okay?”
“I guess I feel dumb.” She was feeling beyond dumb. She felt
useless. “I’ll be better tomorrow, I’m sure.”
Though maybe she was being overly optimistic since tomorrow
she would wake up at her brother’s place and start the new job her father had
basically forced her into. Forced her upon everyone else.
She’d overheard the deep discussion between Uncle Ian and
Uncle Alex about how much more insurance they would need and whether or not she
would find a way to burn down the building.
She wouldn’t. Not intentionally at least.
Carys was a gorgeous young woman who looked so much like her
mother, Grace Taggart. Carys was everything Daisy wished she could be. Smart.
Successful. A doctor. Carys knew what she wanted to do with her life, what she
was good at. She reached out and put her hand over Daisy’s. “You are anything
but dumb. You are a light in the world, Daisy O’Donnell, and don’t let anyone
tell you otherwise. What you did yesterday was brave.”
“That’s not what my da says. Or my brother.” She’d gotten a
hearty lecture from her brother and pleading from her da not to kill herself,
thereby destroying his soul or something.
“Your father has issues when it comes to you. He was raised
with a brother. His mother was significantly tougher than you or your mother. I
mean that in a physical sense,” Carys said. “You’re tough and so is your mom,
but what your da sees is his sweet girl getting eaten up by the world.”
“So I don’t ever get eaten up by anyone at all?” She
sniffled, feeling sorry for herself. It wasn’t her usual mood, which was
probably why it hit her so hard.
“Ah, I do see where the two are connected. You haven’t found
the right guy yet,” Carys said with a sigh. “I know it’s easy for me to say. I
found the right ones… I found your brother when I was very young. You have to
give it some time.”
Daisy turned so she could look Carys in the eyes. “I’m not
looking for the right one. I’m looking for anyone at this point. I want to ask
you a question, and I need you to be honest. Is there something wrong with me?”
A brow rose over Carys’s eyes. “Why would you say that?”
“Because this is literally a sex club, and I can’t get
laid.” It was the saddest part of her world. She had great friends, a wonderful
family, a wide-open world career wise. Mostly. But on the romantic front she
couldn’t seem to find a groove. She wasn’t looking for anything serious. Not
right now. She wanted to play, and no one would play with her here. It was hard
watching other subs get picked night after night while she sat in the lounge.
She’d taken all the classes, but even her training Dom had
treated her like a kid sister. While her classmates were indulging in
discovering the pleasures of D/s, she’d get lectures about how dangerous the
world could be.
She’d thought it would change when she graduated, but it was
more of the same. Even the new guys—the ones she hadn’t grown up with—avoided
her.
Carys seemed to think for a moment. “The problem might be
that you already know everyone here. We’re bringing in new members next month.
People you didn’t grow up with.”
“I didn’t grow up with the guys from The Club,” Daisy
pointed out. The Hideout had been started by the group of friends they were
supposed to pretend didn’t work for the Central Intelligence Agency, and Julian
Lodge’s kids. The Lodge gang had brought in a group of their friends, and Daisy
liked them all.
Not a one of them would play with her.
It made a girl think.
Carys frowned. “None of this seems right. I’m sorry. I’ve
been caught up in my own drama and I haven’t been checking in with the people
who are important to me. I know how my brother and cousins view you.”
Daisy did, too. “As a kid sister.”
Carys nodded. “Sorry, they can’t help it. But the others
shouldn’t. Are you telling me you haven’t had a single D/s encounter since you
became a member here?”
“I had a couple of scenes in the beginning, but I know Aidan
asked the Doms to run them with me. They didn’t have any interest in me
physically.” It bugged her and quite frankly brought down her body positivity.
“It’s weird because I ran through some dick in college, if you know what I
mean. I’m so not a virgin. Despite what my da thinks. But I suspect I would
like it even more if it was D/s sex.”
Carys’s head shook. “Seriously? You haven’t had sex in the
club? I thought everyone had sex in the club.”
“Brianna doesn’t because she never took the class. Devi
doesn’t because she’s pining after someone.” That wasn’t her story to tell. “Do
you think it’s because my best friends are all sexless and stuff? Does everyone
see me and think I don’t want sex? I mean, I’m not terrible to look at.”
“You’re freaking gorgeous, Dais,” Carys said and seemed
genuinely stumped at her predicament. “You are what the older generation would
call a bombshell. I need to think about this. It might be time to look for
another club for you. Sanctum runs a bit older, but they have new people coming
in. Some of the new staff at Top are taking the training class right now. And
one of the bodyguards at MT. I only know him because his dad has run Top Fort
Worth for years. I don’t think you’ve met Landon Vail yet. He’s cute. Is this
why you hide out in the locker room?”
“It feels better than sitting in the lounge knowing everyone
is looking at me and wondering why I bother.” It was better than sitting home
alone, and at least then she had her friends around her. Devi and Bri weren’t
here tonight, so it would be super lonely all the way around. Everyone would be
out partying and exploring, and she would be watching crap videos on her tablet
waiting for her brother to be done.
Only one thing about staying the night at Aidan’s place
sparked her interest.
Nate Carter was living there now. He’d been there for a
week, and she was finally going to get to see him.
“No one thinks that way. No one. I assure you, you belong
here, but if it’s not what you need, then we’ll find a new place. Or import
some tops who didn’t watch you grow up.” Carys had her “I’m plotting”
expression on her face. Carys was a good plotter. “You know we’ve got a couple
of visitors tonight and a new member.”
“I didn’t know anyone had taken the class recently.”
“He didn’t have to,” Carys explained. “He had a membership
to a club in Australia.”
Yes, there it was. Just the word Australia could
make her heart thump.
Nathan Carter. He was here? She’d thought she would meet him
tonight or maybe over breakfast in the morning. “Are you talking about Nate?”
Carys’s shoulders slumped. “Damn. I forgot. You know him.”
“I haven’t seen him in person in years. I used to follow him
around like a puppy. I had the biggest crush on him,” she admitted. “And I was
Aidan’s obnoxious kid sister to him.”
“But you wouldn’t be tonight,” Carys pointed out, her lips
tugging up in a kind of evil grin.
“I assure you I’m always his kid sister. Aidan’s the doctor
and Daisy’s the screw-up.” Her father was the only person in the world who
didn’t seem to see the truth.
“You’re not a screw-up,” Carys insisted. “You simply haven’t
found your place yet, but it doesn’t mean you’re a screw-up. You did great in
college.”
After she spent five years trying to figure out what she
wanted to do. She’d gone from majoring in theater to business to philosophy,
finally ending with a degree in psychology and then rapidly figuring out there
was nothing she wanted to do in psychology.
Carys had enough to worry about. “Maybe I will look into
another club,” Daisy said.
But she loved this one. She loved the fact The Hideout
wasn’t elegant like Gabriel’s father’s club, or sleek and modern like Sanctum.
It was a little run-down and needed some care, but it was theirs. They were
building it.
Well, her brother and his friends were. They got nervous
when she wanted to help with anything but bringing them beers. She hadn’t meant
to nearly bring down a whole wall.
“I have an interesting idea.” Carys had the biggest smile on
her face. It was a smile Daisy hadn’t seen on her friend in weeks. “Tonight you
don’t have to find a new club. It’s masquerade night and we have visitors. We