Sophie Oak - Siren Beloved

Im waiting. Julian Lodge leaned back in his chair. Though he was perfectly still, he gave off an air of irritation that Lexi Moore couldnt miss. And you know I dont like to wait.

Lexis head was pounding as Julian Lodge stared at her across his ridiculously expensive desk. He was giving her the stare. She was sure hed trademarked and maybe put a patent on it, because nothing in the world could be as intimidating as those silver eyes staring holes through her body. Julian Lodge knew exactly how to intimidate a person. The only person who was worse was her stepfather, Jack Barnes. Unfortunately, he was attending this little meeting, too.

Lexi, do you have something to say for yourself? Jack asked, disapproval dripping from every word.

She had lots of things to say for herself and to herself, but in the harsh light of day, she could only manage a weak, Im really sorry.

Julians fingers drummed along the surface of the mahogany desk where he kept a lovely picture of himself and his two lovers. Julian and Finn Taylor were resplendent in tuxedoes, and Danielle Lodge-Taylor was a vision in her white wedding dress. Lexi hadnt been there. Shed given a pitiful excuse to not go to her friends wedding. God, she was running out of excuses.

I dont know if an apology is going to work this time, Alexis. Julians words felt like a hammer coming down.

Lexis stomach dropped. Was he really going to kick her out of The Club? How was she going to explain it to Lucas? Would Lucas even listen to her? Tears pooled in her eyes even as her head pounded. I dont know what else to say, Julian. The truth is I dont remember much about last night.

She remembered starting in on the bottle of chardonnay and then switching to tequila. She didnt recall much after a couple of hours of that. Shed woken up in a suite above The Club to find her stepfather sitting in the living area waiting to give her the lecture of a lifetime.

Would you like to see the tapes? I have them. Your father has seen them.

Yep, she was going to throw up. She didnt argue with Julian about Jacks title in her life. He really had been her father the last couple of years. Her biological dad had died before shed been born. Her first stepfather had been great, but most of the time hed been in her life hed been sick. Jack Barnes was the first male in her life who had expended an enormous amount of his energy to protect her.

Lucas did, too. But she didnt have anything close to fatherly feelings for him, and she never had. Ill pass on the entertainment. Why dont you just tell me what happened?

Well, you showed up drunk at my club for starters.

Damn, she was in trouble when Julian used that voice. He had a strict policy of never allowing anyone more than two drinks in his bar. Julian Lodge ran the most infamous BDSM club in the south, and he ruled it with an iron fist. She remembered a story from her mother about a man who decided that uncollared subs were fair game. Julian had made sure the man never walked into his club again. Of course, her mother also spoke of the spanking shed gotten from the incident with great fondness, and now her mother was never without her wedding ring or her collar. Her mothers infraction had come from ignorance. Lexis had not. Consensual was Julians first rule, and consent couldnt happen in his brain if the participants were drunk.

How did I get past the bouncer? Lexi asked.

Jacks eyebrows rose over his stern face. You mean Martin?

Damn it. Martin was always nice to her. He was the front desk guy. Yes. Why did he let me in? Lucas wasnt with me.

Lucas acted as her Dom when they were in The Club. They had started coming in roughly a year and a half before, when Lexis curiosity overrode her heartache over the subject. Lucas had been the one to introduce her to the lifestyle. He was happy in The Club. Lucas was a true switch. He was happy playing the Dom and gained a great deal of satisfaction from submitting when the partner was right. Lucas hadnt bottomed in years, and that was her fault.

You talked him into it, Julian explained flatly. And you talked him out of a job. I fired him this morning.

Julian, you cant do that. Lexi leaned forward, pleading.

He simply frowned. Of course I can. Its already done. I gave him a nice severance package, but he proved he cant handle working here. He should have immediately informed me or Leo that you were causing trouble. As it was, you interrupted several scenes, and Leo was forced to pull you out of the Red Room.

Lexi gasped. The Red Room was an orgy room. What the hell had she done?

Jack shook his head. You didnt have sex, Lexi. You were just trying to talk the women in the room out of having sex. I believe they found you highly annoying.

Lexi let her head find her hands. She rarely drank, but shed been talked into Happy Hour the night before. Who was she kidding? Shed been drinking a bit too much lately. Lucas was out of town, and shed been at loose ends. It had been a year since shed been kidnapped, and she was having horrible dreams again. Shed just wanted to find a bit of oblivion, but shed found a ton of trouble. Tell me I didnt drive.

Lucas would kill her if shed gotten behind the wheel.

You took a cab. I tracked down your car and had it brought to The Club, Jack said.

Thank you. Her hands were shaking. Jack sighed and walked out of the room for a moment.

These people pay enormous amounts of money to belong to this club, Alexis. Julians dark hair was pulled back in a severe queue. He looked like a man who could deal with mobsters and win, which, according to her mothers stories, Julian had. Lexi felt like a small, fluffy bunny in the presence of a leopard. They do not expect to have to deal with my family issues.

Though he didnt say it, his meaning was plain to Lexi. She wasnt allowed into The Club because of who she was, but rather who she knew. Julian considered her family because she was Jack Barness daughter and Lucas Cameronswhatever the hell she was to Lucas. She hadnt bought a membership, and now he was regretting it. Julian carefully vetted the members of his club, but not so much the people he considered family. Well, shed shown him

Julian, Im sorry. I dont know what else to say. If Id been in my right mind, I would never have done anything like that.

Yes, Julian said with an air of finality, as though shed just sealed her own fate. I realize that, and Im glad you realize it, too.

Jack strode back in the room. He had a mug in hand. He set it in front of Lexi. Coffee. It will help with the headache.

She reached out for it. It was warm against her hands. Frustration poured over her. She was stuck, and she wasnt sure how to get out. Thanks.

It was right there on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to say, Thanks, Dad. She wanted to, but she couldnt. Just like she wanted to say, I love you, Lucas, and she couldnt force the words from her lips. All the men shed ever said it to died or walked away, because in the end, they didnt want her love. She was trouble. So much fucking trouble.

Youre welcome. Jack took up his prior position behind Julian. He loomed over her like a really big hawk staring down at something he wanted to protect. She always felt so damn safe with Jack Barnes. It was precisely the reason she felt bad about letting the man down. When would she get her shit straight? She was twenty-six. It was way past time to know what she was doing in life. Most of her old friends were getting married and settling down. Lexi was just adrift.