Power Desired (D.C. Power Games Book 1) Read online

  Bradley nodded and ran a hand through his hair. “I understand. Thanks for the heads up. I’ve been preparing for the eventuality of the media connecting me to this case so I’m not too concerned. My main priority is keeping Darci safe.”

  “Mine too,” Michael said. “She’s my best friend. Speaking of which, can we keep this conversation between us? She would kill me if she thought I was questioning you like a suspect and to be honest, I’m a little scared of her when she’s pissed at me.”

  Bradley laughed. “This is just between us then. Though I think you’re safe from her wrath for a while. She’s not saying anything, but she’s pretty damn pissed at me about the goon squad, as she calls them, following her around.”

  “Well I’m just glad you’re around to be the one to insist on it or I would have to.” Michael finished up his questions and promised to keep him and Darci informed as he continued his investigation. “One more question,” the detective said as he stood to leave. “Would it be OK with you if I wanted to take your assistant out for dinner sometime?”

  Bradley grinned. “What Adara does on her own time isn’t my business. You might want to ask soon though. I’m about to be working her to death on the campaign.”

  The detective stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Thanks. And uh, let’s keep that between us too. Darci won’t let me hear the end of it if she knows I’m interested in a woman. She’s always trying to set me up with her friends.”

  “Your secret is safe with me.”

  After he left, Bradley buried his face in his hands. It hadn’t occurred to him that he had crossed paths with Darci and both of the murder victims. Marlie was a submissive at the club, but she was a heavy masochist and not someone Bradley ever would have played with let alone dated. What were the chances this guy was someone he had met? Why would they be taunting Darci if it were someone connected to him? To his knowledge, the two didn’t run in the same circles that often.

  D.C. was a small world, so it was possible this was someone they both knew. Maybe he would study the list of names Michael got from Darci. That would need to wait though. Now he was late for a meeting. He stepped out of the office just as Adara was getting up from her desk.

  “You OK Boss? You look a little tired.”

  “I’m fine thanks, Adara.” He asked her to make the dinner reservations and again hoped Darci wouldn’t be too angry with him for springing it on her.

  “I might have a date this weekend, so I hope you don’t plan on calling me in,” she said with a wink.

  “It wouldn’t be with a certain police detective, would it?”

  She blushed, and he laughed. “You deserve to have some fun Adara. I promise to only call you if it’s an emergency.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  At four-thirty that afternoon, Darci was preparing to leave work and put her plan of bribing Bradley with dinner and sex into motion. She stepped out of her office to tell her detail she was ready. To her surprise, she found Bradley chatting with the guard stationed in reception.

  “Bradley! I thought you were working late.”

  He turned from his conversation and grinned. “I rearranged some things because I want to take you to dinner. I have a surprise for you at the restaurant, but you have to promise not to get pissed at me.”

  She frowned. That didn’t sound suspicious at all. “Well, I was going to surprise you with dinner at your place, but I suppose we can go out. I’m worried about a surprise you think I’ll get pissed at though.”

  He held out his hand. “Come on, it’s not bad I promise. We’re going to Old Ebbitt Grill.”

  Doing her best to ignore the security guard following them, she took his hand and walked out with him.

  In the car, she took a deep breath. Did she really need a bribe to ask for what she wanted? Her therapist had been encouraging her to learn how to speak up when she wanted something. This would be good practice she decided.

  “I was planning to soften you up with dinner and wine before I asked this. Can we please cut the security detail in half?”

  “What’s wrong with two?”

  “It’s smothering. Why can’t I just have one stand outside my office building?”

  “Two is better. I wanted twelve, but Michael said that was overkill.” When he winked, she shot him a withering glare. “Look,” he said picking up her hand, keeping one on the wheel. “I know it's hard on you, baby. I promise it won’t last long.”

  “I just want this to go away. It would be so much easier for me to sort out my feelings for you without all of this looming over my head.”

  He ran his thumb across her knuckles. “Me too, baby. But until it is over, I need to keep you safe.” She sighed and squeezed his hand. “I understand you hate the security but let’s try to forget about that for tonight. You’ll probably be too mad at me after dinner to think about the protection detail anyway.”

  She eyed him warily as he pulled into the parking structure next to the restaurant.

  “You’re starting to scare me. What kind of surprise is this?”

  “I’ve invited some guests to dinner is all. You’ll meet them soon enough,” he said before climbing out of the car. Out of habit, she waited for him to come around and open her door.

  When he held out his hand to help her from the vehicle, she smiled.

  “Shall we go eat, Miss Sanders? I picked an extra touristy place just for you.”

  Her smile turned into a grin as she linked arms with him.

  “I noticed that. I’m excited about dinner but nervous about your guests.”

  Inside the restaurant, Bradley led them past the hostess station as if he knew where he was going. Apparently, he did. Sitting at a table in the far corner was an older couple. Darci froze in the middle of the restaurant and pulled her arm from Bradley’s.

  “You didn’t,” she hissed.

  “Come on baby, I want you to meet my parents,” he said grasping her elbow and steering her closer to the table.

  “I would have changed if I had known. I’m so embarrassed.”

  “Stop. You look beautiful,” he whispered in her ear as they approached the table.

  The couple stood and the woman threw her arms around Bradley.

  “It’s so good to see you son,” she said as they embraced.

  Stepping out of her arms, Bradley held his hand out to Darci to pull her closer.

  “Mom, Dad, this is my good friend, Darci Sanders. Darci, these are my parents, Ailene and Steve Givens.”

  Ailene immediately pushed her son aside and wrapped Darci in a hug.

  “Darci. That’s a lovely name. It’s so nice to meet one of Bradley’s friends.”

  When Ailene released her, Steve Givens stood and offered his hand.

  “A pleasure to meet you Darci. I’m familiar with your work with the ACSL. We should talk sometime.”

  Darci couldn’t help but notice Bradley roll his eyes. Serves him right, she decided. This wasn’t the sort of thing you surprised a girl with. She offered Steve her brightest smile and said, “I would love that. You know, we’re looking at which candidate for president we want to endorse in the primaries and your name comes up often.”

  It was mostly true. It would be weeks before the ACSL came out with an endorsement, but they would likely endorse someone from Governor Givens party. Bradley stiffened next to her and she fought the urge to smirk. This was going to go better than she had planned.

  Steve Givens didn’t miss a beat and immediately launched into a discussion about why the ACSL could be proud of endorsing him for president. Darci quizzed him on several subjects. By the time the waiter returned with wine, Bradley was obviously uncomfortable.

  Ailene took the interruption of the waiter to get the conversation away from politics. “So Darci, how did you meet our son?”

  Darci launched into a slightly edited version of the story, leaving out club Exposure, the murders, and anything else that would make less than pleasant dinner conversation. It was easy
to go along with Bradley’s lie about her apartment being renovated, but she embellished a bit further by saying that none of her other friends had room for her. She really didn’t want Steve and Ailene to know she was sleeping with their son. Especially since it wasn’t going anywhere.

  If he was inconsiderate enough to force her into meeting his parents, what else was he going to be inconsiderate about? It didn’t matter how charming he was, she had to start distancing herself from this man. An idea formed in her head and a few minutes later she excused herself from the table.

  As she made her way to the restroom, she pulled out her phone and found Jim’s name. Just as she opened the bathroom door, he answered her call.

  “Jim, hey. It’s Darci. I was wondering if you still needed someone to go to New York. I’d like to go if so.”

  “I would love that Darci. I was going to go myself, but you know how much I hate that city. If you’re offering, I can have you on a plane tonight.”

  That’s exactly what she was hoping to hear. If only she could figure out how to ditch her security. Maybe she didn’t have to.

  After washing her hands, she made her way back to the table. “I’m terribly sorry, I have an emergency at work. I’m going to ask security to take me to my office.”

  Bradley jumped to his feet, his expression a mix of concern and frustration. “What’s wrong? Can I come with you?”

  She flashed the smile she knew would calm him. “No need. Stay with your parents. I’ll see you back at your place.” It was misleading, she knew it, but she didn’t say when she would see him at his place, so it wasn’t a complete lie.

  His expression told her he wanted to object but she reassured him that security was accompanying her, and he relaxed somewhat.

  Turning to his parents she said, “Governor and Mrs. Givens, I’m so sorry I have to leave. I enjoyed our conversation, brief as it was.”

  Both parents stood and offered Darci a hug.

  “Come visit us in Arkansas sometime,” Ailene said before releasing her. Darci smiled and offered a noncommittal nod. No way that would be happening.

  Ten minutes later, she was on her way to her office to grab the overnight bag she kept there for last minute trips like this. Her flight was in less than two hours, so she was cutting it close.

  Security was unhappy about her going to New York without them but said she could go if she called Bradley. There was no way she was calling him before she got to the airport, so she countered. “I’ll call Bradley before I go through security. You can walk me to the check point.” And that’s how she found herself dialing Bradley’s number outside of the security checkpoint into the terminal while an unhappy bodyguard watched.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing Darci?” Bradley demanded when she told him she was getting on a plane.

  “I’m working.” She kept her tone even. There was no way she was going to have a fight with him in front of the stern looking TSA agent.

  “Damn it Darci it’s not safe.”

  “I have to go through security now. We’ll talk when I get back into town.”

  “Security will pick you up from the airport.”

  She took a deep breath. “I think I’m going to stay with Michael when I get back. You don’t have to pay for security anymore. He can keep an eye on me.”

  The growl of frustration that came through the line was nearly enough to break Darci. Yes, she cared for this man, but she had to do what was best for them both.

  “This is clearly about more than you having to work. We will talk Darci. I don’t care if I have to come to New York for us to do it.”

  Damn it. She hadn’t told him she was going to New York. Security must have already talked to him. She glowered at the guard standing next to her.

  When she ended the call, she stalked through security, not bothering to say goodbye to the men who had dropped her off. Twenty minutes later, she was sitting on a mostly empty plane for a late-night flight to New York City. Closing her eyes, she tried not to think about not being in Bradley’s bed tonight. It hadn’t been long, but she had gotten used to having him next to her.

  Once in New York, she hailed a cab and directed it to the hotel near the New York ACSL field office. Zipping around the city that was still wide awake even after midnight calmed her. The travel bug had bitten Darci at a young age and never let go. Being in big cities made her happy.

  Not quite happy enough to forget Bradley but almost. Feeling a bit lighter in spirit, she tipped the driver and pulled her carry-on into the hotel. There was nobody in line at the counter, so she was able to pick up her keys right away. When she stepped out of the elevator onto her floor, she stopped dead in her tracks. How the fuck did he know where she was staying?

  “I told you we were going to talk even if I had to come to New York.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “I don’t have time for this right now,” she said hotly. The way he’d sprung dinner on her still pissed her off but deep down, she was glad to see him. There was no way she would admit that to him. Not yet anyway.

  “Talk to me, Darci. What happened? You told me Jim was going to New York. Why did you change your mind? What did I do? And why did you think you couldn’t talk to me about it?”

  She slipped the key card into the slot at her door.

  “Too many questions. How did you know what hotel I would be at and what floor I would be on?”

  “Your security is still getting calendar updates for you and the floor was just a guess. You live on the top floor of your building; you have a thing about cool views of big cities. I just guessed you would ask for the top floor.”

  He was good.

  “Look, I’m sorry I took off. I really did need to be here for Jim. He hates New York. I shouldn’t have told him no in the first place. I really don’t want to talk about this right now, but you can come in if you want. I don’t have to be into the office until eight-thirty in the morning. Maybe we can have breakfast.”

  His expression softened and he stepped into the room past her.

  When the door was shut, he moved quickly and wrapped her in a hug. The feel of his arms melted her a little more and she relaxed into his hold.

  “I’m going to say something, and I don’t want you reading too much into it because I’m still pissed at you.” Darci stepped out of his embrace as she spoke.

  “I’m listening.”

  “I’m glad you’re here. I’m furious at you. But I’m glad you’re here.”

  He chuckled. “Your anger is duly noted and warranted, Miss Sanders. I’m glad I’m here too. Let’s get you to bed. I want to take you somewhere for breakfast.”

  They quietly got ready for bed and to Bradley’s credit, he didn’t try to initiate sex with her. Turning him down would have been difficult and she wasn’t ready to be that intimate with him again.

  The next morning, Darci woke to the gentle nudging and soft voice of Bradley trying to get her out of bed. “Wake up, sleepyhead. We’ve got to get on the road.”

  She groaned and tried to roll away from his nudging. “What time is it?” she mumbled.

  “Early, now come on. Get up.” The commanding tone of his voice sent a little shiver of delight through her despite how sleepy she was.

  Cracking one eye open, she scowled at him. “Why are you only bossy in the mornings? You could have at least brought me breakfast.”

  He kissed her forehead. “I could be bossy other times, but that requires a longer conversation, and you’re not awake enough, so come on before I tickle you. I couldn’t bring you breakfast, because that’s where I’m taking you.”

  She frowned and threw back the covers.

  “This better be a damn good breakfast.”

  His chuckle at her morning grumpiness turned to a hum as his gaze swept her body.

  “The things I would do to you if we weren’t in a hurry.”

  “You aren’t doing anything to me until we talk,” she huffed.

  “Fair point M
iss Sanders. Let’s go eat, so we can do just that and get you to work.”

  A few minutes later, they were both dressed and in a cab.

  “It’s not far from here,” he said as he casually stroked her hand. “I think you’ll appreciate the view here, and the food is pretty good.”

  Bradley wasn’t wrong. The view from the rooftop restaurant was amazing, and Darci soon forgot her dislike of mornings as she enjoyed yet another sunrise with him. This conversation couldn’t be avoided forever though, so with one last glance at the gorgeous view, she turned to Bradley and said, “let’s talk.”

  “I’ll ask the same questions I asked last night. What happened? Why didn’t you talk to me?”

  She took a large drink of coffee and composed herself.

  “You forced your parents on me without even discussing it with me. It was a shit thing to do. It reminded me of the controlling, dick move things Damion use to do. There are some things you don’t know about me yet that I’m not ready to talk about, but things like this are why I took my collar off. I decided maybe I should walk away before things got worse. If you were inconsiderate enough to force something like a meeting with your parents on me, what else might you be inconsiderate about? Especially if we were to ever add kink and power exchange to our relationship.”

  The regret she saw in his expression lifted some of the weight from her shoulders. Damion never showed regret.

  “I hear you and I’m sorry. I fucked up. You’re absolutely right. I can assure you it won’t happen again. Not to stray from the subject too much, but my parents loved you.”

  A small smile spread across her face.

  “I liked them an awful lot too. I’m not angry about having met them, I’m angry that I didn’t get a say in it.” Her therapist would be proud of her. That thought reminded her she needed to schedule another session soon. Things had been so crazy lately that she’d missed her last one. Bradley reached across the table and gripped her hand.