Dare to Submit (NY Dares 2)

“Get back to whatever you were going to say,” Gabe muttered.

Decklan glanced back at the laptop screen. “Bradley Ritter’s a software genius worth billions.” It was the first thing that came up other than the fact that he was Senator Ritter’s son.

“Could that be why she held on to him? Because he’s rich?” Lucy asked.

“No,” Decklan said immediately. No matter what, Amanda wasn’t a gold digger. “I don’t know what’s going on, but that doesn’t jibe with the woman I’ve come to know.”

To his relief, no one reminded him there was every chance he didn’t know her as well as he’d thought. He continued to read. The search turned up the basics on the senator’s son. Where he’d grown up, gone to college—the same college as Amanda, which confirmed what Amanda had already told him, that she’d met her friend Bradley in college.

And when Decklan had had his brief moment of jealousy over the man she’d spoken so fondly of, Amanda hadn’t reassured him. Instead, she’d panicked that Decklan was getting jealous when theirs was supposed to be a one-night stand, something fun and not serious. True, one thing they’d agreed upon from the start was that neither one of them did relationships, but Decklan had changed his mind. And he’d thought she was well on her way. Or maybe he’d just hoped he could bring her around to his way of thinking.

What a joke.

He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. He didn’t doubt that Amanda felt something for him. What he now distrusted was her integrity. No wonder the thought of something more intimate and permanent freaked her out. She was already committed to another man.

FIFTEEN

Amanda ran out of The Plaza the first chance she got and grabbed a cab to Decklan’s apartment. She was horrified and shocked by the senator’s speech. She’d been blindsided by his public announcement naming her as his soon-to-be daughter-in-law. Brad had been taken off guard as well. Now they both had potential damage control to do with the men in their lives.

For Amanda, it no longer mattered that she’d intended to tell Decklan everything tonight, not if he already knew. She’d left Brad to deal with the congratulations and the fallout, not caring how it looked to the men in the senator’s political party. Not caring about anything but getting to Decklan and hopefully revealing everything first.

The taxi dropped her off at his apartment building, and she hit the buzzer, relieved when he let her right in. By the time she reached his unit, she was out of breath and really scared in a way she couldn’t put into words. Because she suddenly realized how much she had to lose.

She raised her hand to knock when the door swung open and Decklan stood in front of her. He looked sexy in his gray sweats and white tee shirt, the muscles in his forearms bulging. His eyes lit on hers, and the dark blue didn’t glitter with anything but anger. Added to the serious look on his face, her hopes disintegrated.

“You saw the news,” she said.

He inclined his head, his expression bland.

She licked her lips. “I can explain.”

“This I’d like to hear,” he said in a cool tone. He swept a hand through the air, gesturing for her to come inside.

She swallowed and walked in ahead of him, her grip on her handbag so tight her knuckles hurt. “Decklan, it’s not what it looked like. Or even what it sounded like.”

He turned, his arms folded across his chest, completely withdrawn from her. “So the senator didn’t announce his candidacy for president of the United States on live television and thank his family, including his soon-to-be daughter-in-law, Amanda? And that wasn’t you standing behind him in the exact same outfit?”

She laid her bag down on the sofa. “He said that. He even believes that, but it isn’t true. You know it can’t be true. I’m not involved with anyone but you.”

She reached out to touch him, but he stepped away. “I didn’t notice you or his son correcting him.”

A chill rushed through her at the distance, both emotional and physical, that he put between them. It was as if the situation didn’t involve him personally at all. He didn’t even look at her with warmth.

Her insides trembled, and she was glad she hadn’t eaten anything earlier. “I couldn’t say anything. I—” She gathered her thoughts, caught her breath. “If it means anything, I planned on telling you everything tonight. I told Brad I didn’t want anything between us.”

“Yeah, because it bothered you so much all along?”

God, she really didn’t like this cold side of him, especially when directed at her. “It wasn’t my story to reveal. Decklan, Brad’s gay. He’s in the closet because of his father’s right wing leanings. And since I never wanted a relationship with anyone, I became his fake girlfriend. He’s got a man he loves and who he can’t be with. Not in public.”

Decklan shook his head. “Don’t ask me to feel sorry for him. He knew we were together, and he didn’t come clean or release his hold on you and let you do it either. I call that selfish.”

She shook her head in automatic denial. “He’s not. He’s been good to me. He was there for me.” She groaned. “Look, I met him as soon as I got to college. It was right after I was hurt by the guy who took my virginity and then blamed me because he was too quick on the draw. I went away to school at my lowest, and if not for Brad’s friendship, I might have spiraled back into a nasty cycle of depression and bingeing and purging. So don’t feel sorry for him, but understand, please? I felt like I owed him my loyalty.”

He stood up straighter, arms folded, anger clear. “And what did you owe the man you were sleeping with?”

Bulls-eye, she thought, his words stabbing her in the heart. “We were supposed to be just for fun,” she whispered.

Those gorgeous eyes flashed with angry sparks. “Well, it got serious pretty damned quickly,” he reminded her, shredding her with his words. “And even if it wasn’t, you belong to the club. You know the rules in a D/s relationship. Honesty is important. Hell, it’s important in any kind of relationship.”