Red Handed by Shelly Bell Page B

through her body at the awareness that he’d sidestepped the question. He obviously didn’t want to talk about those records. “Not so silent. You came all the way from Michigan to meet with my father right before—”
    â€œI did.” He paused. “You watched me from the stairs.”
    Caught off guard, she froze. “You remember?”
    â€œThe first time, I felt your presence before I spotted you watching from the staircase. Your father had mentioned he had a young daughter, but the beauty I saw on the stairs was not the child I expected.”
    She swallowed. “I was seventeen.”
    â€œI looked forward to those moments I’d see you. Too much.” His gaze locked with hers. What did he mean by that? Had he experienced that same magnetic tug that she had whenever she’d seen him? “I was sorry to hear about your father’s passing.” Cole spoke softly, but the way the words sliced into her heart, he might as well have shouted.
    The moment broken, she tore her gaze away and grimaced. “Passing. That’s a nice way of phrasing it. Let’s not pretend his death was anything natural.”
    She’d never forget the phone call from the prison informing her of her father’s suicide. He’d paid another inmate to buy him peanuts from the commissary, and while alone in his cell, he had eaten the entire bag, knowing a severe allergic reaction to the nuts would kill him. And it had.
    â€œNo, I don’t suppose it was,” Cole said.
    â€œSince you were his partner, you probably received all the documents and business property that the FBI had confiscated in their investigation, right? I’d love to go through it, you know, to make some sense of why my father stole from his clients.”
    He shook his head. “I wish I had for your sake, but since they were of no use to me, I had the government dispose of everything.”
    She didn’t believe him. He must have kept something she could use. “But maybe—”
    â€œDanielle,” he said sharply, “you’re going to have a long day tomorrow. I think it’s time you return to your room and get some sleep.”
    â€œOf course.” His dismissal gave no room for argument. This conversation was over. She might not have gotten the answers she wanted, but at least he hadn’t suspected her real reason for coming to his office in the middle of the night. She rose from her chair. “Good night.”
    He stood and accompanied her to the door, his warm hand on the small of her back. “Don’t forget you’re going to pose for me tomorrow.”
    How could she possibly forget?

Chapter Ten
    F OR THE HUNDREDTH time, Danielle glanced at the digital clock up on the wall and wondered when Cole would come get her for their modeling session. She and the other trainees sat on folding chairs in a circle along with Master Michael and Mistress Casey, who were coteaching the classes this morning.
    Danielle had always regretted not going back to school and getting her degree, but she had to admit, classes had never been this much fun. No boring lectures for slave trainees. They got demonstrations and hands-on experience. So far this morning, she’d gotten to hold several floggers, feeling the difference between leather, nylon, and kangaroo. While she found it fascinating, she quickly determined she never wanted to be on the receiving side of a flogger.
    At the beginning of class, Master Michael had taken her aside from the rest of the trainees and went over what he called BDSM 101. He’d not only given her the lowdown on basic protocols and rules, he’d also explained Benediction’s logistics.
    Prior to membership approval, applicants required an endorsement from a current member and were thoroughly investigated, which involved submitting to medical tests and criminal background checks, as well as providing financial records. If they passed that stage,