“I think you’ll find Ms. Hale has gone through a bit of a metamorphosis since she left Houston,” Julian allowed as they continued down the hall. “I believe she’s trying to reinvent herself.”
He decided to ask the question no one had asked yet. “Julian, if you don’t want her here, why hire her in the first place?”
Julian stopped and turned his way. His dark hair was slicked back, and there was a hint of gray at his temples. He was dressed in all black, from his three-piece suit to the loafers Michael recognized as Gucci and ridiculously expensive. In the low light, his dark eyes seemed obsidian. It was easy to see why some people referred to this man as the devil himself. “I didn’t hire her at all. Danielle did, and she did not ask for my input. I’m afraid over the years my wife figured out how intelligent and independent she could be, and she does not compromise when it comes to her own business any more than I would.”
“But you funded her business,” Michael pointed out.
“No, I invested in her, and it paid insane dividends. Investing in Danielle has paid off in ways that have nothing to do with money and everything to do with peace and joy and light in my world.” There was passion in the man’s voice, and Michael realized that even the devil could love someone. Or in Julian’s case, two someones.
“She also makes a lot of money,” a lighter voice said. “She started out with one spa in a tiny town in East Texas. It catered to kinksters. She’s moving into the big time now, and that’s what our husband is worried about.”
Finn Taylor was waiting in front of what was likely the conference room the guard had mentioned. He was shorter than Julian, light to the man’s dark. From what Michael understood, Finn had once been a small-town kid. He looked very much like the high-powered attorney he was today. He also had that smile on his face that Michael didn’t understand, the one his brother got when his sister-in-law walked in the room. The one his dad still had around his mom.
Julian moved in, crowding Finn and reaching around to cup the back of his neck. “You know why I worry.”
Finn’s face turned up, his smile slightly impish. “You’re worried our wife will find out you’re plotting behind her back, and then you’ll be in for it.”
Julian lowered his head to touch Finn’s and breathed the man in like he was pure oxygen. “Perhaps. But I also know there’s money missing from Danielle’s accounts, and that started when Ms. Hale showed up. She’s got a bad reputation.”
“So do you,” Finn whispered. “And she wants to be referred to as Vanessa Jones. It’s her legal name. Master, I know you’re worried, but don’t be less a man than you are because of fear.”
“Ms. Jones, then.” Julian kissed Finn’s forehead and then sighed and straightened up. “Is she ready?”
Finn shrugged. “I guess. I don’t know. She’s very nervous. I’ll be honest. I don’t know that she really wants to do this.”
Julian opened the door, and Michael was surprised when it didn’t open to the conference area but rather a small space with a window into the other. An observation room. Interesting.
“I would actually say the woman would be fairly submissive during sex.” Julian stepped inside and stood in front of what Michael suspected was a two-way mirror. “She’s rather hard to read, but she does tend to respond to what I would call benevolent dominance.”
“She responds to you?” Michael followed them.
“Oh, she doesn’t like to be around me at all,” Julian replied. “She tends to avoid me, but she likes to work with female tops. I doubt she would recognize them as such, but it’s what they are. Both Danielle and I employ several Dommes in our business, and I’ve found if I want to get Vanessa to talk, I send one of them.”
“She’s quite nice, though a little standoffish around me,” Finn murmured.
That was when Michael got his first real look at the target.
“Another thing that worries me since you are incredibly lovable,” Julian was saying.
Finn said something else, but it was lost because Michael couldn’t take his eyes off the woman in the room.
She bore little resemblance to the woman on the cover of tabloid magazines. Gone was the bleach-blonde hair and the overdone makeup. She wore none of the flashy clothes she’d donned before. She had on a plain green blouse and a black cardigan. The clothes were cheap. He could see that even from here. Dark hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and he noticed she wore no jewelry whatsoever. Not even earrings.
She was stunning. She’d gained weight, and it looked good on her. Some women could be very thin and it looked natural. For some women it was natural. Vanessa wasn’t naturally thin. She’d likely had to starve herself to get that small.