The Man from Sanctum (Masters & Mercenaries Reloaded 3)

“I thought I should see this view you always talk about,” she murmured, her eyes on the ocean. “Also, you should know that my handlers don’t know I’m here. They think I’m back at the hotel.”

“Handlers?”

“Eyes, really. They don’t send one to physically watch me all the time, but they do always have eyes out there waiting for me to trip up.” She took a long breath, her chest moving, and he could see the faintest edge of her bra and the creamy mounds it covered. “Did you contact your friend? Do you think she can get us into The Reef?”

At least he had good news on that front. A year and half into his very frustrating relationship with this woman and he finally had a way to get to her. He moved to the seat next to her, easing down. He wished she’d chosen the big sofa where they both could sit, but Jane often frustrated him. He rather thought that was her point. “Madeline is surprisingly good at doing what she says she’s going to do.”

“Why is that surprising? She’s a woman in a man’s world. I assure you she wouldn’t have lasted long if she didn’t deliver,” Jane replied. “We don’t tend to fail in an upward fashion the way you men do.”

He held back the need to correct her. He supposed some people would call one bankruptcy a failure, but he’d still managed to come up with the idea for the processor that revolutionized the video game industry and then turned smart cars into geniuses. “Well, she’s a good enough employee. I don’t have to worry about her taking credit.”

“You pay her well enough to forego it, and women don’t tend to have the egos men have,” Jane agreed. “I think you were smart to elevate her the way you have. If you’re loyal to her, I think she’ll be an excellent C-level one day.”

He gave her a noncommittal grunt because he would never promote little Maddie past where she was right now. In fact, he intended to fire her as soon as the project was done because she didn’t have the ruthlessness he needed for his closest advisors. Maddie was quick witted and pleasant to be around, but there was a core of morality in the woman. She would be perfectly horrified if she knew what he planned to use her AI for.

She would give him all kinds of lectures about democracy and fairness and all the other bullshit intellectuals tended to spit.

He knew what was coming. Democracy would inevitably fail because people were morons and needed to be ruled.

He was going to be the one who ruled them all. Or at least be a member of the cabal who secretly ran everything. He would do this one little thing for them and then he would be in. Once he was in, he would do what he always did. He would backstab his way to the throne, and the woman beside him would take her crown, too.

“Let me know when she’s back in town.” Jane turned his way. “Did you read some of the materials I left for you? I know it might seem odd but…”

“It doesn’t seem odd at all.” He leaned in, giving her his most sincere gaze. He didn’t want her to think for a moment that he found her proclivities disgusting. He didn’t. He had at first, but then the whole concept made sense. BDSM was a way for a woman like the one in front of him to accept her natural place—at a strong man’s feet. Jane was smart and gorgeous, and she’d bought into the idea that she was as good as any man. D/s allowed her to be the woman she truly was, the way she was always supposed to be. Submissive.

He didn’t buy the stories about her. There were rumors that she was dangerous. Oh, she had ties in the world that could certainly be dangerous to his future plans, but she wasn’t capable of real physical violence. He was sure she could shoot a gun and probably had some self-defense skills, but a woman like Jane was built to please a man.

A man like him.

He simply had to prove to her that he could handle what she needed, and that meant getting into that fucking club she wanted to see.

A shy smile came over her face and the sun hit her in just the right way that he would swear he could see the hint of a scar running up her neck. Then she moved and it was gone. “I’m glad to hear it. I like you a lot, Nolan. I fought to keep this assignment because I think we could have something good.”

But only if she got what she wanted. “She went on a spa trip with a friend of hers this weekend, but on Monday we’re supposed to talk about getting together with her Dom.” He had to shake his head at the thought. “I was surprised to find out she had one. She’s so buttoned up. I’m a little worried about who this man is going to end up being.”