By the time he pulled out and lay down beside her, she was spent. She was vaguely aware of Luke getting up from the bed to get a washcloth. Of his hands gently removing the plug and cleaning her. His strong arms as he pulled her close. Only then did she allow herself to drift off to sleep.
* * *
Meagan awoke slowly, surprised to see it was still dark. She propped up on one elbow and looked over Luke’s body to the clock on the nightstand. Three thirty. Way too early for her to be up. Her mind immediately went back hours before. Though she would not have thought it possible months ago, she could no longer picture life without Luke.
Which meant she would have to do something about The Taskmaster. Maybe she should get the picture for him. No. She couldn’t do that to Luke. The actress in the picture would have chosen Luke because of his discretion. To have that picture become public could be a career breaker for him. Did she even want to see if she could find the picture?
Yes. Yes, she did. For some reason, she had to know if the picture even existed. Maybe she wouldn’t be able to find it and that would be the end of it. And a small part of her thought if she did find the picture, maybe The Taskmaster wouldn’t ask her for anything else.
From her exploration of his office weeks before, she knew where the pictures would be. She slipped out of bed and into the bathroom first. That way nothing would seem suspicious to Luke if he woke while she was still in the bathroom. The thought ran through her mind that this was it. There would be no more getting anything for The Taskmaster. She’d have to meet with her brother and tell him the truth. Let him know that his actions had not gone unnoticed.
She dreaded that conversation, but the truth was, he was now an adult and being an adult meant having to accept your past and deal with it. As for her role in the matter several years ago? She was also an adult. It was time for her to put on her big-girl panties and deal with whatever ramifications followed.
She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. Yes, if she wanted a relationship with Luke it was time to grow up. She smiled at her reflection. Tomorrow was going to be a new day. She would not worry about The Taskmaster or her brother. She would focus on herself and Luke and what they could be together.
When she stepped back into the bedroom, she almost went straight to the bed. But at the last minute she decided to go down the hall, just to see if the picture was where she thought it would be. She wasted no time scurrying to Luke’s office. She didn’t even look behind her to see if he was awake. He wouldn’t be. He was snoring when she left the bedroom.
She knew which drawers held the club pictures and which one held the more private ones. This one, the one of the actress, would most definitely be with the private ones. It surprised her he didn’t keep this door locked, but then again, he probably wasn’t expecting anybody to dig through his office, especially at three thirty in the morning.
She found the folder she was looking for. The file was neatly dated and labeled with the actress’s name. She didn’t open it or in any way look at the pictures. After all, they weren’t hers to look at. She simply slid it back into its location in the drawer. Now she could honestly tell The Taskmaster she had looked for the pictures, but didn’t see them. Win, win for everyone.
Interestingly enough, she still wasn’t tired. Must have been the amazing sex hours before. So she didn’t go back to the bedroom; instead she headed to the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of water while looking out the window overlooking the gardens.
She really liked Luke’s house. It was so much more comfortable than her own apartment. Though she often joked with Luke about always going to his house, his place was the nicer of the two. For a few minutes, she allowed her mind to wander down paths she’d previously refused to go down.
What would it be like to live with Luke?
To live in this house with him day in and day out. And night after night. Her commute to work would be longer, but she thought she could deal with that. After the night they had spent together, anything seemed possible. She wanted to wake Luke up and discuss the future. She looked at the time. Probably not a good idea to wake him up at four a.m.
Besides, they had all the time in the world.
Chapter Eleven
Luke was wide-awake and seething when Meagan came back to bed at four fifteen. She had been in his office again. He’d brushed it off the first time; he could not do so this time. But at the moment, he was too angry to think straight.
Damn it, Meagan, he thought. What the hell are you thinking and what the fuck are you doing?
Meagan, of course, had no idea he was awake. He didn’t follow her, but she hadn’t been as quiet as she probably thought she was. What was she looking for? And why?
He stayed in bed, thinking until her deep, rhythmic breathing told him she had gone back to sleep. Suddenly, he couldn’t get out of the bed fast enough. No, he didn’t know what was going on with Meagan. And he needed to calm down before he decided what to do.
After freshening up in the bathroom, he wrote her a short note and placed it on the pillow.
Meagan,
Had an emergency pop up at the club. Not sure when I’ll be back. Don’t wait.
I’ll call you later,
Luke
He drove to the club. It would be deserted this early in the morning, making it a good place to sit and think. He’d gone through half a pot of coffee when a car pulled up to the front door.
He wasn’t expecting anybody, so he went outside to meet whoever it was. The tall, muscular man getting out of his car looked familiar and as he came closer Luke recognized him. Fritz, the gentleman he and Nathaniel had contracted for the new club.
“Fritz, hello.” He stood and waited for the other man to make his way up to him. “You’re out and about awfully early.”
Fritz smiled and shook his hand. “The same could be said for you.”
Fritz had been born and raised in Germany, and though he now traveled around the world, his heritage was evident in his accent.