Page 55 of Winter’s Fire

He was right—Lucan Simpson probably wouldn’t fit the profile for a fan of Irish stout. After a day spent exploring most of the resort, to get a feel for the place before starting their investigation in earnest, they’d joined their fellow new arrivals in one of the hotel’s larger function rooms for the welcome cocktail party, and in the interests of blending in with the other attendees, they joined in with the applause that greeted the grand entrance of the man of the moment.

Dr. Jaeger von Brandt was a little older than the biography photo on the website, his hair a little greyer, but what the image hadn’t conveyed was the presence he projected through the room. A qualified psychologist with a keen interest in alternative lifestyles, he’d founded the resort more than a decade earlier as a retreat for those who struggled to find acceptance within societal so-called norms. The image accompanying the biography had suggested intelligence and culture, but something about the face, with its aloof, distant expression and one raised, slightly disdainful eyebrow, had left Lucy more than a little uneasy.

“Thank you, Mistress Petra, for that wonderful introduction. Honoured guests, may I welcome you all to our idyllic slice of paradise.”

As he continued to extol the virtues of this patch of heaven on earth, Lucy took the opportunity to examine her surroundings. On the other side of the room, Sasha and Jed stood close to their Master, and looked as engrossed by the speech as she was. Jed caught her eye and gave her a quick wink.

“Before I let you go, there is one matter we must address. When people are thrown together without the distractions of normal daily life, they sometimes find out things about themselves and their partners that lead to difficult situations. As well as being the director of the resort, I’m also here as Dr. J, should you find yourself in need of a counselling session in a neutral, non-judgmental environment. Please don’t hesitate to contact my office, and we will do our best to find a mutually agreeable resolution for your issues.

“I think that covers everything. Please feel free to mix and mingle and make new friends, and if you have any questions, I and my team will be only too happy to answer them for you. Enjoy your stay.”

More polite applause, then guests began to circulate through the room. As a precaution, Lucy turned her back to the pair of subs she’d befriended earlier. They probably couldn’t lip-read, but it didn’t do to assume. “Master Lucan, if you look over my shoulder, you see the tall, blond, male sub and the shorter brunette? I met them at the briefing this morning. They’ve been here before. I know you said I wasn’t to, er, investigate, but I thought it might be useful to get their perspective on this place, see if they think there’s anything odd going on, or if anything’s changed.”

Firm fingers under her chin tilted her head so that Logan could fix her with that serious, deadly stare of his. His head lowered, and his lips brushed over hers, camouflaging his whisper. “Need I remind you we didn’t have time to cover subtle interrogation techniques? They may not look like arch-criminals, but you can never tell by appearances.”

Before she could respond, they were interrupted by a deep, English-accented male voice.

“Excuse me.” The voice belonged to Sasha and Jed’s Master. They stood close behind him, heads bowed in submissive respect. “My pets tell me they had the pleasure of meeting your delightful submissive at the introduction session this morning. I’m Dante.”

“Lucan.” Logan shook the offered hand. “My girl was just telling me about it. You’ve been here before?”

“Several times. If there’s anything you’d like to know, you have only to ask.”

“I’d appreciate the chance to talk. Lisa and I have plans for this evening, but I’m hoping to introduce her to some more… exotic activities while we’re here.”

Lucy’s eyebrows nearly launched from the top of her head. She hoped Logan was just making conversation, because some of the scenes she’d found on the website took “exotic” to whole new levels.

“Please tell me you didn’t mean that!”

Lucy’s hoarse whisper came a few minutes later, as she and Logan left the cocktail party to head for the restaurant and their dinner reservation.

“What?”

“Exotic activities. Did you look at the website?”

“Of course I did. Don’t worry—I’m not about to order you to get your clit pierced, although I’d hardly class that as ‘exotic’.”

She snorted. “Exotic? I’d class it as bloody painful! No one’s putting a needle anywhere near my lady bits!”

Logan gave a burst of laughter. “Lady bits? That’s what you’re calling your pussy now?”

“I don’t actually call it anything, I was merely using that as a frame of reference.”

“In that case, babe, we’d better do some work on enlarging your vocabulary.” Logan took hold of her hand. “Come with me.”

“What? Where are we going?”

They made their way through the hotel gardens, to one of the recesses off the main walkway.

“Sit.”

Lucy glanced around at the stone bench, and sat. Logan followed suit, and draped an arm around her shoulders. A gentle breeze wafted the scent of the island’s night-blooming flowers around them, and a million stars twinkled in the clear night sky. It would be so easy to lose sight of the reason for their presence on the island.

“Now repeat after me. Pussy.”

Lucy all but rolled her eyes. “Is this really necessary?”

“Repeat it, please. Pussy.”