Anna Leigh Keaton & Madison Layle - Incognito 06 - Charming Carmen Read online

  Dare she try?

  Shaking her head, Carmen collapsed in the chair as Olivia’s words tumbled through her mind.

  * * * * *

  Carl didn’t bother to look up as Kat came into the office with a cell phone at her ear. The financial figures he was reading—or rather trying to—became fuzzy as he half-listened in on his boss’ conversation.

  “I’m looking for—? Well, yes, I guess I did mention that, but—Oh, I see. Yes, of course, I’ll be...happy...to take care of everything.”

  When Kat plopped into a chair opposite him, he glanced up to see her looking out the window, phone glued to her ear. He went back to his calculations and tried to concentrate, although he knew it was hopeless.

  “So, when are you and those sexy wine connoisseurs coming home? Ah. Excellent. Safe journey.”

  This time, Carl looked up and stared until she hung up. She flipped her phone shut, placed it on the desk, and began examining her red, press-on nails.

  “Well?”

  Her lengthy lashes rose as her gaze met his and one finely shaped eyebrow rose. “Well, what?”

  “Who was that?”

  She waved a hand, as if to brush away the question. “Oh, just Olivia.”

  He frowned. When she didn’t say anything more, he prompted her with, “And?”

  “And she just called to chit-chat. She’ll be home Monday.”

  Chit-chat about what? Not a word about Carmen? It was as if the woman had vanished. He gripped his pencil tighter, uncaring that it might snap.

  He’d gone to the Montgomery house in search of Carmen only to find no one home. He’d gone back again, thinking maybe he’d missed her the first time, but faced the same results. He’d stewed all week, a part of him believing she’d left for good, while another part wondered if she was just refusing to answer the door whenever he appeared.

  At the club, he’d kept an eye out for her to no avail, but after a few nights, he’d retreated to the office, unwilling to try and keep up appearances any longer.

  His gaze lowered to the papers before him as he let slip the question he’d wanted to ask all along. “Did she mention anything about Carmen?”

  “Yeah, she spoke to her today in fact.”

  Carl’s gaze snapped to Kat’s, her expression neutral, which he tried to mimic although he knew he failed miserably. He struggled to keep the interest or hope from his voice as he asked, “Where is she?”

  Kat shrugged. “She didn’t say. At the Montgomerys’ house, I would imagine, though. After all, she came to Florida to housesit for them.”

  So Carmen was avoiding him. If she hadn’t left town and was still at the Montgomerys’, there was no reason for her not to answer his knock when he stopped by, unless she didn’t want to see him. She knew where he worked; she hadn’t sought him out.

  Fuck, that thought hurt.

  Kat’s phone rang once more.

  “Hello?”

  Carl went back to work or attempted to. It was impossible, however, with Carmen on his mind and a cauldron of emotions churning in his stomach.

  “Yes, we do,” he heard Kat say to the caller. “We pride ourselves on...exceptional services...such as that. Why don’t you come by today?” She laughed. “Yes, today. Why not? Perfect. See you then.”

  Carl struggled with his curiosity and refused to look up as she hung up the phone once more. He busied himself by tapping his pencil on the desk and staring sightlessly at the financial figures before him.

  “Get up, Carl. I’ve something for you to do.”

  “Oh? And what might that be?” He didn’t care for the smirk that Kat gave him. He knew his boss well enough to know that expression spelled Trouble—with a capital T.

  “Time for you to get over your funk and get back into the swing of things.”

  He frowned. “Funk? Who says I’m in a funk?”

  “I do. Dalton, if he were here, would agree with me.”

  He snorted. “He would agree with damn near anything you said, but that doesn’t mean you’re right. I’m fine. Besides, I have a lot of work to do here.”

  She slapped her riding crop on the desk and rose slowly—almost cat-like—to her high-heeled feet. Her voice took on a very authoritative, decidedly angry pitch. “Don’t brush me off. We’ve known each other way too long, my friend. You’re slacking in your duties, and I’m here to tell you that it ends right now.”

  He leaned back in his chair and eyed her, his own temper rising. “I most certainly have not—”

  “You mean to tell me you haven’t been hiding away in this office the past week, moping over that Domme? What’s her name? Olivia’s friend...?”

  “Carmen.”

  “That’s it.” She gave him her best I-know-and-see-all look of arrogance.

  “I—”

  “On the few occasions you have come out of your hidey-hole, you roam the club like you’re looking for someone. You can’t tell me you haven’t sat watching the front door on more than one occasion. And you aren’t even in costume tonight!”

  “Drop it, Kat. It’s still early yet. Besides, she’s gone, moved on. Hell, we only spent a few days together. Don’t make this bigger than it is.” He stared at her, wondering if she bought anything he said. A tough sell, since he didn’t believe a word of it himself. “I’m not gonna sit here wasting away pining over her.”

  Kat grinned like a...well, like a cat that just caught dinner.

  “Good, ’cause I have a prospective member, a Domme, that is on her way over here to check out the club, and I want to set her up with you for the night. You up for it?”

  He was shaking his head before she even finished. “Kat, I don’t know... I’ve got a mess-load of paperwork to finish, and the payroll to—”

  She threw up her hands. “Here come the excuses.”

  “I’m not making excuses.” He sounded defensive even to his own ears.

  “Prove it.” There was definitely a challenge in those words and her raised eyebrow.

  He sighed. Maybe it was for the best if he just moved on. Apparently Carmen already had. Although the idea left an acidic taste in his mouth, he said, “Fine. Where do you want me?”

  Chapter Twelve

  Carmen’s fist hovered before the front door of Incognito.

  This is ludicrous. She was crazy to consider working at the same club where Carl was. She’d have to watch him bow down to Kat on a nightly basis. Even if that was just an act, which she didn’t doubt for a minute, it still bothered her. How could she put herself through that every day and night?

  Her hand began to lower when the door opened to reveal the mistress of the club in full latex regalia.

  “Ah, you’re here,” she said with a bold, red-lipped smile.

  “Uh, yes. Hi.” Carmen squeezed the handle of the satchel she held.

  Kat swung the door open wide to reveal Dalton standing behind her, slightly off to one side, with one hand at the small of her back and the other holding a full-face motorcycle helmet.

  “Hello,” he said with a pleasant smile and a distinguished crinkle to his green eyes.

  “Hello,” she replied, holding out her hand.

  His smile broadened into a grin as he reached around Kat to shake her hand. “A pleasure to see you here again.”

  She tugged her hand free and murmured a brief, “Thank you.”

  He turned Kat in his arms and gave her a kiss. For two masters of domination, the display of affection was surprisingly tender and chaste. Carmen almost felt naughty for having stared so brazenly and not giving the obvious lovebirds some privacy.

  “I’ll return shortly, kitten,” he said to Kat as he released her from his embrace.

  “Okay. Be careful.”

  He sent Kat a wink. “Always. Behave while I’m gone.”

  The look on Kat’s face was decidedly mischievous, but Carmen figured it was best not to comment. Instead, she waited patiently as Kat watched Dalton head off to his motorcycle.

  “Come on in,”
Kat said after the bike’s engine roared to life. She stepped back and motioned with one hand. “The office is this way.”

  Carmen followed the dominatrix into a pristine office with heavy wooden furniture and walls of bookshelves. On the way, she glanced around, wondering where Carl was, then chastised herself for doing so.

  “Here we are. Would you care for a drink while we discuss the position?”

  Carmen took the proffered seat and shook her head at the offer for refreshment. She doubted her tummy could handle anything at the moment.

  “Very well. Let’s get down to business then. I understand you have experience in housekeeping?” Kat chose the seat beside her instead of behind the desk and crossed her long legs.

  “Yes, I brought my résumé.” She opened her satchel, hoping Kat didn’t notice the tremor in her fingers, and retrieved the paperwork. After handing it over to Kat, she sat silently as the woman looked over her credentials.

  “Impressive,” she said after a moment. “I’ve a couple questions for you.”

  “All right?”

  “You’ve been to the club twice now, the last time ending abruptly after an altercation with one of our more...assertive...patrons. What makes you want to work for Incognito?”

  Carl. She wanted to squirm, but didn’t. She wanted to chew her bottom lip, but fought the urge. “I’ve spent most of my adult life working at a five-star hotel. It was stable employment for many years, but I’ve been looking for something different for a long time. When Olivia introduced me to the lifestyle, everything inside me... I don’t know how to describe it. It just struck a chord with me. I’d like to put my expertise to use, while experiencing something new and unique. I believe Incognito is the perfect place to do that.”

  Katriona nodded. “Next question...”

  Why did that sound so ominous?

  “What did you think of the punishment inflicted on Carl the other night?”

  Carmen’s attempt to swallow the lump in her throat failed miserably. If she answered truthfully, she risked angering the woman who inflicted the punishment, and there went her chance at the job. But to lie...

  She sucked in a slow, deep breath. “I didn’t like it.”

  One thin, black eyebrow arched. “Oh?”

  “The wrong person took a punishment for all the wrong reasons.”

  Kat’s nails tapped a light tattoo on the armrest of her chair. “Go on. Explain.”

  “That other Dom is a sadist who managed to twist the situation to serve his purposes. Carl believed that I would be punished for insulting Master Patrick, so he reacted prematurely. He didn’t give me the chance to clarify that the Dom had first insulted me. He took matters into his own hands rather than trust me to handle the situation and...dig myself out of the hole.”

  “You don’t think his lack of trust deserved such punishment?”

  “Trust is a gift to be given freely, not taken by force. And if anyone should have determined Carl’s fate, it should not have been that arrogant asshole that calls himself a Dom.”

  She hoped the slight curl to Katriona’s lips was a positive sign, but when the dominatrix suddenly rose to her feet, Carmen felt the bottom fall out of her stomach.

  “Let me take you on a tour of the club.”

  “Oh, the Montgomerys gave me one the night of the auction.” She winced slightly at the memory of the scene she’d caused in the club parking lot as a result of that auction and hoped like hell that Kat didn’t notice.

  “Yes, well, let’s take another one. I could use the chance to get up and stretch my legs.”

  Carmen stood and immediately felt lacking in stature compared to Kat who wore stilettos. She’d dressed conservatively for the job interview—a sleek pencil skirt, matching teal blouse, and modest flats—but now she wondered if she should’ve donned something more risqué. This was a fetish club after all.

  She followed her host, her potential boss, out of the office and through the double doors of the main room.

  “We’re closed on Mondays, but most employees arrive by three in the afternoon the rest of the week. As you can see, patrons can trickle in early.” She gestured to a far corner where a couple was engaged in fellatio.

  So Carl should be here already. Somewhere, but where?

  “Housekeeping mainly occurs in the early morning hours, but I have at least two people working during regular hours to clean, sanitize and prep the voyeur rooms after each use. Those rooms are available on a first come first serve basis.” Kat chuckled then added, “No pun intended.”

  After Kat reintroduced Tyrone, the bartender, he sent them a salute and went back to stocking the shelves with bottles and glassware. Carmen kept an eye out for Carl and became a bit concerned when he didn’t readily appear as she was introduced to other club staff.

  “Where’s Carl?” The question that had plagued her since her arrival slipped out before she could prevent it, and she tried not to groan.

  Kat paused and said, “Carl? Oh, he’s tied up at the moment.”

  Carmen couldn’t hide the frown but managed to hold off the shudder when she realized Kat continued to stare, to study her.

  “Do you need to speak to him about something?”

  Carmen shrugged, unwilling to discuss Carl or her needs with Kat.

  Finally, the latex-clad dominatrix resumed the tour. Kat kept up a steady string of conversation while pointing out the housekeeping facilities and member amenities. Carmen struggled with feelings of disappointment as she followed Kat up a flight of stairs.

  “Up here are numerous bedrooms that club members can reserve for overnight occupancy,” Kat was saying. “Have you found a place to live yet?”

  “No, I haven’t. I intend to do so, though, after the Montgomerys return.”

  “I would like for the head of housekeeping to be close at hand, if possible. That’s why I renovated the caretaker’s cottage you stayed in; I want to provide it as one of the benefits of the position. Of course, most of our employees, including myself, live elsewhere, but Carl stays in another cottage similar to the caretaker’s.” Kat stopped at a closed door and looked at her. “That wouldn’t pose any problems for you, would it?”

  Carmen blinked. Yes, a damned serious problem of temptation. “Uh, no, not at all. Why should it?”

  Kat shrugged but grinned. “Good. As an employee, you’d also be eligible for a courtesy membership to the club, with certain guidelines for conduct during work hours, of course.”

  Carmen nodded. It was sounding more and more as if she’d landed herself a job. A possibility that sparked excitement at the same time it struck fear into her heart. How in the world was she going to handle being near Carl and avoid conflict?

  Where is he anyway?

  She hadn’t even spotted him today, and already the idea of seeing him again, despite the manner in which they’d parted ways, sent her emotions into a tornado-like vortex.

  Kat placed a hand on the doorknob. “Each of our rooms offers its own unique challenge as far as maintenance goes.”

  Carmen could certainly agree to that. Not many hotel rooms contained bondage equipment like cages or saddled sawhorses.

  “This is one of our most popular bedrooms.” Kat opened the door so Carmen could enter.

  A mere two steps inside, she froze. Her gaze centered on the shirtless man bound with ropes to a chair in the center of the room. Clad only in black jeans and boots, he sat with knees spread the width of the chair, each ankle tied to one of the front legs. His arms were pulled behind him and tied at elbow and wrist to the back of the chair, giving her a perfect view of his broad chest and sexy abs...and the thin trail of hair that vanished beneath his waistband.

  Mierda. She raised her gaze to a safer area above his shoulders. A snug, black leather hood covered his whole head with the only openings being two small air holes positioned at his nose, but she didn’t need to see his face to recognize him.

  Carl.

  “I believe there remains some unfinished
business between you two.”

  Although she heard Kat’s words, Carmen couldn’t look away from Carl who lifted his chin, a clear signal that he was aware of their presence.

  “I’ll leave you to settle the matter...at your leisure. He’s all yours.” With that cryptic comment, Kat retreated from the room and closed the door behind her.

  What the hell? Kat left him...with her? Was she handing him over for good? She eyed Carl. Did he know? Did he want this? Questions swirled without answers but, after one look back at the closed door, she decided she’d been given plenty of time to discover them.

  She took several seconds to inspect the room and could easily see why it was one of the favorites among patrons. It was very spacious, which hinted at it being the master bedroom in a former life. The bed hugged the far wall opposite the door and was crowned with a sheer curtain of pale ivory netting. The décor of soft, champagne‑colored silks offered a romantic air that she found pleasing to the eye and calming to her overactive nerves.

  As beautiful as it was, there was still evidence that this was a room in a fetish club. An open armoire held a variety of fetish tools and erotic toys, which she eyed with an excited grin. Having done quite a bit of research recently, she knew she could put a lot of them to use, but not yet. The collection also included candles. After a quick glance at Carl, she struck a match and lit several of the larger ones, setting them about the room and letting their fragrance fill the air with a touch of vanilla. The flickering flames further cast the room into a soft, sensuous light.

  She glanced at Carl again and noticed him lift his head as if scenting the aroma with mild curiosity. His chest rose and fell in a slow, smooth rhythm. He showed no signs of stress or any of the inner turmoil that affected her psyche. She felt...jittery with anticipation, nervous about fulfilling her responsibility toward him.

  Had he known she’d be the Domme to walk through the door when he submitted to the bondage? That question echoed in her mind as she, instinctively aware that delay could be a very effective aphrodisiac, took more time to check out the room.