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  Chapter One

  Law offices of McGrath, Loveless, Scott, Jones, Balman & Temple, LLP on Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Tuesday morning, December 16, 2014

  Dan was sitting at his desk reviewing a closing schedule for the portfolio of commercial buildings and warehouses he had purchased in advance of the anticipated airport and port expansion projects. He had bought the distressed and mostly abandoned properties very inexpensively and anticipated making a huge profit when they were condemned for public use for the new public works projects.

  John James Temple, one of the firm’s junior partners, had been in charge of closing the purchases of the properties and the eminent domain proceedings. He stepped into Dan’s office and sat down across from him. “How did it go yesterday? Was it as bad as you expected?” J.J. was one of the few friends who had stood by him during this tumultuous time, and he appreciated his loyalty and staunch belief that he’d had no involvement in Antoinette Marie’s crimes.

  Dan knew that the only criminal experiences J.J. had were his brief excursions to BSO for his interrogation and to the county jail to help him deal with Anne Marie. “It was every bit as bad as I expected, and maybe worse. But it is done. She signed the papers including the divorce settlement agreement. So, I won’t have to see her again.”

  “I’m sorry, Dan. I know you were more generous than you needed to be, and I know this has been hell for you.”

  “It has been. But I want to get on with my life now. I owe it to myself and to my kids.” He looked sad for a minute and continued. “I’m sending both of them to boarding school. Michelle Marie will be starting college next year. It’s too soon for them to have to deal with everything here. I’ll miss them, of course, but it will give me the time to devote to starting the new firm and getting my own life back together—if that is even possible.”

  “Speaking of that, I talked to Nikki Sommers about sharing space with her while we get the new firm up and running. She said she has lots of extra space in that suite she leases in the JDB Building. She will actually be glad to have the space occupied.”

  “Excellent. Let’s plan to be moved in by the first of the year.

  * * * *

  Offices of Nicollette Sommers & Associates on the 10th floor of the JDB Building, Downtown Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Tuesday early afternoon, December 16, 2014

  Nikki was having a late lunch at her desk. She was going over her monthly billing income and her monthly expense outgo—always a little scary. Thank goodness Jack Brown had given her such a sweetheart deal on this office space.

  Jack Dalton Brown and The Black Iris Club had been her clients for several years. Jack did not need legal representation on criminal matters. However, he liked to keep himself and the club on the right side of the law, and they had conferred about legalities pertaining to The Black Iris Club a number of times. He always cheerfully paid her hourly fees. When she had decided to leave the large firm where she was a mere cog in the wheel as a lowly associate, he had made her a great deal on her current office space. One of his tenants had skipped out in the middle of the night, leaving everything behind, including an outstanding bill for several months of rent. She had been able to move right into the luxurious space as though it had been designed for her. Jack had been a big help in keeping her upfront expenses to the minimum. The office had been fully furnished right down to the staplers. Nonetheless, money was tight. She had salaries for her secretary-paralegal, Amy Banks, and an investigator, Mark Cohen, every week as well as other expenses. She currently had to take almost any case to make ends meet, but she still had her limits and drew the line at defending certain clients and certain crimes.

  Negotiating a plea deal for Antoinette Marie Beaudreau had cut close to that line. She might not have considered it if the request had not come from Chloe’s sometimes boyfriend, John James Temple. She had to admit that when she had seen how devastated Antoinette Marie’s husband, Dan McGrath, was, her heart had definitely been squeezed. The man was destroyed and couldn’t believe the wife he had loved for twenty years and the mother of his two children had been capable of such despicable acts. The kidnapping of vulnerable runaway girls off the streets of Fort Lauderdale, transporting them across state lines to Louisiana, and forcing them into prostitution for her own personal gain was about as low as a person could get. That a young girl had died while in their custody was definitely the icing on an ugly cake.

  Dan McGrath and J.J. Temple had decided to separate from their current high-dollar, high-profile firm in very prestigious and expensive offices on Las Olas Boulevard and start their own smaller operation. She knew that the publicity attending Antoinette Marie’s case had been very hard on him and his children. Their firm was big and costly to run, and the current economic downturn had severely impacted the firm’s income from big commercial real estate deals. Thankfully for her, people continued to get themselves in trouble on a regular basis and needed her help. Having Dan and J.J. move in and share her office space would certainly help crack her monthly nut even if they didn’t stay permanently. She had enough room, and the echoing space would benefit from a few more warm bodies to fill it.

  Dan had told her that he was planning to divorce Anne Marie or Antoinette Marie. Nikki thought that was for the best. He and his kids needed to cut all that old pain loose and move on. She had to admit she found the man to be formidable and extremely good-looking. Having that eye candy around the office might be distracting—either in a good or bad way. She had to laugh. She had not had a steady boyfriend since she had moved into her new offices. She had been too busy.

  It was also not known among her friends and colleagues that she was a member of The Black Iris Club located on the penthouse floor of the building. She was usually a sub, but occasionally she would switch and be a Domme. She found she liked the variety. She and Jack had played a few times, but it had never developed into anything lasting between them. She had never disclosed that piece of personal information to Kaylin Gallagher, Jack’s fiancé, and she knew that Jack had not either. It had happened long before he’d met Kaylin when she and Del Lord were investigating the Alan Baker serial killer case, and really had no bearing on their current relationship. Nikki wanted to keep that fact private. She valued Kaylin’s friendship and didn’t want anything to come between them or to cause a problem in Kaylin’s relationship with Jack. They made a great couple and really complimented each other.

  Nikki was glad that J.J. Temple and Chloe Carlton had worked out the problems that had arisen between them when Chloe had been instrumental in figuring out that Anne Marie McGrath was the leader of the kidnapping ring. J.J. couldn’t believe his senior partner’s wife was involved in something so evil. He had always admired Anne Marie and counted her and Dan as friends. Initially, J.J. had had reservations about dating a vice cop, and just when they had gotten it together again, the human trafficking investigation had led to Anne Marie and torn them apart.

  Nikki got up and walked out to Amy’s office. “Hey, we are going to have some company around here beginning the first of the year. Dan McGrath and J.J. Temple and their people are going to be sharing office space with us. It will certainly help our bottom line.”

  Amy did not look too thrilled. “Well, you know that where there are more people, there are more problems.”

  “We can handle it. Especially since it will help me pay you guys regularly.”

  “That’s true. I’m in favor of regular pay checks. I’ll let Mark know when I see him. He’s out investigating that vehicular manslaughter case you are considering.”

  “Good. I’m going up to nineteen. I want to talk to Jack about a few things and also make arrangements for the McGrath-Temple crew to move in.”

  “Do you think he’ll mind that you’re sub-letting some of the space?”

  “No. He told me he thought I should try to do that to cut down our expenses until we needed the space for our own firm.”

  “He’s a great guy. Too bad he’s taken no
w.”

  “Little Miss Amy, that is one man who would be too much for you to bite off and chew.”

  Amy laughed. “I bet you’re right. I’ll stick to junior associates—much more my speed!”

  * * * *

  When Nikki was shown into Jack’s inner sanctum, she sighed. She wasn’t into him, and she was glad for Kaylin, but the man was seriously just spectacular-looking. His dominant air shot his attractiveness quotient into the stratosphere. The man was absolutely gorgeous. His body was not overly muscled, but she could see the definition in his arms, his broad shoulders tapering down into lean hips, a gorgeous ass, and long legs. His face was sculpted with a straight, aristocratic nose and strong jaw. His wavy, dark hair was always a little too long. He stood up and came around the desk where he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

  “I just thought I’d stop by to let you know I’ve subleased some space in my suite to Dan McGrath and J.J. Temple. Their firm is splitting up, and they need a place to set up, at least temporarily.”

  “Good. I told you that would be okay with me. It will help you keep your little ship afloat. I haven’t seen you upstairs for a while, Nikki. Have you gotten involved with someone?”

  “No. Unfortunately, I’ve just been too busy to play.”

  “Well, make some time. All work and no play and all that stuff. I know neither of us has mentioned your membership to Kaylin.”

  “I’d as soon she didn’t find out about our previous relationship, not that there was anything wrong with it. It just might make things uncomfortable or strained between us, and I wouldn’t want that.”

  “I think you should tell her, Chloe, and Gabriella that you’ve been a member of the club and just go from there. When we’re all in the dungeon at the same time, we just ignore each other and do our own things. It works out fine.”

  “Okay. I’ll come up for a drink at the bar one of these nights and scope out the current crop of Doms and subs.” She laughed delightedly. “It certainly ups a person’s possibility of success when one can be either. I’ll let you get back to work. Thanks for all your help, Jack. It means a lot to me.”

  “My pleasure, Nikki. Having my own criminal defense attorney on retainer gives me a certain caché.”

  “Yeah, Jack. Like you need any additional caché or a criminal defense attorney.”

  Chapter Two

  At Timpano on Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Monday afternoon, January 5, 2015

  Dan and J.J. took Nikki and her people out to lunch to introduce the members of their team that were moving into the JDB Building as McGrath & Temple, LLP. Dan had brought his long-time secretary, Nola Rodriguez, and J.J. had brought his secretary-real estate paralegal, Linda Rice, to the new firm. They had chosen the brightest associate, Benjamin Nettleton, to join them.

  The atmosphere was strained for a few minutes as the two teams sized each other up, and then before they knew it, the three secretaries were comparing notes and Nikki’s investigator and their associate seemed to hit it off. Dan gave a sigh of relief. Melding two different teams with two totally separate areas of practice could be tough. While the firms would remain independent, there would be a certain amount of overlap as cases were referred back and forth.

  “I’m really glad you guys are bringing your team over to share my space. It’s so big that we have been rattling around in there since we moved in. I advised Jack Brown, and he will have the security firm issue building security and parking passes.”

  “Thanks,” J.J. said. “I haven’t seen him for a few weeks.” Dan thought Nikki and J.J. exchanged a surreptitious glance. What was that about?

  * * * *

  Nikki knew J.J. Temple from the club. They had never scened together, but had seen each other there and had drinks together from time to time. Now that Kaylin and Chloe were going to the club, and Gabriella and Miguel Gatto had hooked up, she knew she had to let the girls know that she was a member. She hoped she could handle it gracefully. It was just a private matter that she hadn’t shared with her best friends. Awkward.

  When she was back in the office, Nikki called Kaylin, Chloe, and Gabriella to arrange a girls’ night out. She suggested meeting the next night at one of their favorite spots, Fifteenth Street Fisheries, for drinks and nachos.

  On Tuesday evening, they were seated at their usual high-top table on the dock overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway, the Seventeenth Street Drawbridge, and the Port Everglades Inlet. Drinks and nachos had been delivered to the table. “Well, I think I have to come clean about something with you guys. I have never mentioned it before, but I have been a member of The Black Iris Club since I moved into the building.”

  “Nikki, why didn’t you tell us before?” Kaylin looked more than a little stunned. The detective in her was on high alert. She was one of those people who just had to know the entire scoop. Nikki hoped she could keep some of her history private for both their sakes.

  “It was private and a little awkward, not to mention the confidentiality issues. But now that you guys are dating members, I thought I should let you know. I haven’t been there lately, but I thought I might start going again.”

  “I understand the confidentiality thing, but we’re your best friends.” Chloe looked surprised to say the least. “It would have been nice to be able to discuss BDSM with you when I first started to date J.J.”

  “I know I probably should have disclosed this sooner.”

  “Probably?” Kaylin still looked a little miffed. “So do you have a Dom, or what?”

  “No. I’m not with anyone at the moment, and haven’t been for a long time. Actually, I’ve never been in a full-time BDSM relationship. I’m what they call a ‘switch’ since I can go Domme or sub. Most people are either one or the other.”

  “I’ve heard of switches. That’s interesting.” Chloe looked intrigued now.

  Only Gabby had not been heard from yet. “I can understand needing to keep that information on the down low. I’m sort of in that position now.”

  “Yes. I know that Miguel is an on-and-off member. He left the club while he was campaigning.” Nikki didn’t want to say too much.

  “We haven’t been to the club yet, but he said he would take me eventually. We’ve got a big case on the high burner right now.”

  “I’ve heard about the Los Mara Toros Rojas case. It will be interesting to see how that turns out. I wouldn’t want to be representing them, either from a legal or moral standpoint. Well, anyway, I’m glad that this is out in the open. It could have been awkward if we’d run into each other at the club and you didn’t know.”

  Kaylin shook her head. She was clearly still trying to digest this new information. “Okay. That’s cool. Now we all know, and no one will be surprised.”

  “By the way, J.J. and Dan McGrath moved their new firm into my office suite. I think it’s going to work out well for all of us. At least I hope so. There was a little territoriality evident between the girls when we were all out to lunch yesterday, but then they settled down, and I think it will be fine.”

  * * * *

  Offices of McGrath & Temple, LLP on the 10th floor of the JDB Building, Downtown Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Friday early afternoon, February 27, 2015

  Dan looked up from the file on his desk as J.J. dropped down in the chair across from him. It was almost the end of their second month in the new space. “How’s it going?”

  “Pretty good. I can’t believe Nola and Linda have finally gotten us organized. There are only a few more boxes of files to be put away, but that’s it. Thank goodness that we moved into space that was already set up.”

  “Great. What do you need?

  “Nothing. I’m going upstairs to the private club in the penthouse for a drink after work. Do you want to come? I’ve already cleared it with Jack Brown.”

  “I could use a drink.” He shook his head. “J.J., to be truthful, I don’t know how I am going to get past this depression I’ve been battling—how am I going to divorce Anne M
arie from my heart and soul since I divorced Antoinette Marie legally from my life?”

  “Dan, I know you have been struggling, and I have a suggestion. It has to do with the club in the penthouse.” He watched Dan’s face for any sign of understanding. When there was none, he continued. “The club is a little unusual. I guess I have to explain.”

  “What do you mean unusual?”

  Dan could see the hesitation in J.J.’s face. “The club upstairs is private, members only, and it’s a BDSM club.”

  “A what?”

  “BDSM stands for Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission, and Sadomasochism. The members of the club have rather exotic sexual tastes. It is also sometimes referred to as the ‘lifestyle.’”

  “What? Jack Dalton Brown has a sex club in the penthouse of his building?”

  “Yes. Exactly. But not just a club. There is a dungeon and private theme rooms, a bar, a kitchen for special events, locker rooms, and showers. It’s very luxurious. He also sometimes has private classes in different aspects of the lifestyle—like bondage, discussion groups regarding the ethics, theory and practice of dominance and submission, and safety rules, the use of various toys—different things like that.”

  “Classes? I’m starting to sound like a cartoon character. Are you telling me that you’re a member of this club?”

  “Yes, I’m a member and so are some other people you know, but I can’t disclose who they might be because everyone who goes in has to sign confidentiality agreements. You would have to sign before you could go past the reception area.”

  “You must have a reason for telling me this, J.J. What are you trying to say?”