Hero by Julia Sykes Page B

workplace. The fact that the entire team was into BDSM really was bizarre.
    “Always,” she smiled ruefully. “But they annoyed me before I found my place in the lifestyle. The testosterone in that place in stifling. It’s actually easier to handle now that everything’s out in the open. I give as good as I get. And none of the guys think less of me for being a sub. They respect me for it.”
    “But Smith just said he’d tell Derek that you were being rude. Is Derek your Dom?”
    Her smile widened. “Yep. But Smith was just joking. He gives everyone a hard time, Dom or sub. You saw how he teased Dex.”
    I took a moment to digest that as we left the elevator and crossed the parking garage to Sharon’s black sedan. I slid into the passenger seat and buckled up.
    “Dex doesn’t seem to respect subs,” I contemplated aloud. “He said Kennedy shouldn’t let me go out in the field because I’m a sub. He should respect my career.” The final declaration left a sour taste on my tongue as I was reminded of the last man in my life who hadn’t respected my career. Neil had never wanted me to have a life outside our household.
    “I’m sure Dex does respect your career,” Sharon said, placating. “He was more concerned about you being a civilian. You being a sub just added to his alpha-protective instincts. He wasn’t trying to be an ass.”
    “He was doing a damn good impression of it.”
    Sharon glanced over at me before looking back at the road. “I think you two got off on the wrong foot. Dex really is one of the sweetest guys I know. He’s a good man and a good Dom.”
    I thought about the soothing way he’d spoken to me when I was bound before him, the gentle praise that had washed over me when he’d held me in his arms.
    But that had been when I was submitting to him. Whenever I showed any backbone, he became irritable. I didn’t understand him at all.
    “I guess you know him better than I do,” I allowed.
    “Did something go wrong with your scene last night?”
    “What?” I asked, caught off guard. “What do mean?”
    She ducked her head, embarrassed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry, but I saw the two of you go back to the private rooms at Decadence last night.”
    “You were there?” Carina had said the team was having a party, but I’d only met Dex. I’d been too occupied with him to talk to anyone else.
    “Yeah. I’m always there if the club is open. Derek’s the owner.”
    “Wait. Your Derek is the Derek Carter?”
    She laughed. “Don’t let him hear you say it like that. His ego’s almost as big as Smith’s. It doesn’t need inflating.”
    “I’d love to meet him,” I said excitedly, forgetting about Dex for a moment. “Josh Dover, the owner of Dusk, only has the best things to say about Derek and Decadence. It’s why I wanted to come to the club while I’m in New York. It has a great reputation.”
    Sharon grinned. “You can definitely tell him that. He’s worked really hard to rebuild that rep over the last few years.”
    “Rebuild it? What happened?”
    “You must not have been in the lifestyle long,” she surmised. “You would have heard about it otherwise.”
    “I’m not in the lifestyle,” I corrected her. “But I’ve been going to clubs for two years. What is it that I haven’t heard about?”
    She sighed. “Decadence hasn’t always been a safe place. When I first met Derek, the Latin Kings were running drugs through the club. That’s actually how we became involved. I was undercover at Decadence to gather intel on him. I thought he was a bad guy.”
    “The Latin Kings were involved in dealing at Decadence?” I asked, eager to hear more. This was great information for my research. “What happened?”
    “It’s a long story, but we busted the Kings, and Derek and I ended up together.”
    “I want to hear it,” I insisted. “I came here to learn more about the Latin Kings. I didn’t know they were dealing at Decadence. You said you were