The drive into the city wasn’t bad until he reached the outer belt. It was five thirty and everyone was trying to make their way home. He kept glancing at the clock as the traffic inched forward.

  Twenty minutes later, he reached the exit he needed to take and breathed a sigh of relief when traffic was moving at a normal pace. He turned into Ali’s apartment complex at six thirty on the dot. As long as they didn’t run into any more traffic, they should have no trouble arriving at the hotel before seven.

  He strolled up to her door and knocked. A minute later, it swung open to reveal a semi put together Ali. He’d expected her to be ready, but she seemed flustered. “What’s wrong?” he asked, stepping inside.

  “Nothing. I’m just running a little behind. I didn’t get out of work until five fifteen.” She rushed down the hall toward her room, leaving him standing in her small foyer. “I need another five minutes.”

  Seven minutes later, she reappeared, her hair pinned up with little curls framing her face and sparkly earrings dangling from her ears. She stopped in front of him and released a loud breath. “I think I’m ready.”

  Daniel looked down at her flushed cheeks and the way her chest was rising and falling against the fabric of her dress. “Breathe.”

  She did—her shoulders rising and falling with the exaggerated movements.

  “Good girl. Now, where’s your coat?” Her long red dress left her arms bare, meaning she would need a covering. The weather was warming, but the nights were still chilly.

  “The back of the couch.”

  He crossed to the couch and picked up the black dress coat draped over the back. When he returned to her, she turned her back to him and allowed him to help her put it on. He pulled her against him and kissed the top of her hair. “You look beautiful.”

  She gathered the coat in front of her, tying it at the waist. “Thank you.”

  Daniel weaved his way through traffic to the hotel. The place was hopping, but that was to be expected when there was a big event like this. He pulled up to the front and stepped out as the valet handed him a ticket. “Good evening, Sir. Are you here for the event?”

  “Yes.”

  The valet nodded and took his keys.

  Making his way to the other side of the SUV, Daniel opened Ali’s door and helped her out. She placed her hand in his and he wrapped his fingers around her palm. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her, but he controlled himself. “Ready?” he asked, tucking her arm in his.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  They made their way into the hotel and toward the elevator that would take them to the ballroom. There was a line, so they had to wait their turn. “Thank you for coming with me tonight.”

  “I would do anything for you. I hope you know that.”

  Ali met his gaze, but before she could respond, the doors opened, and it was their turn to step inside.

  They rode the elevator up with four other couples, all dressed in ball gowns and tuxes. The doors opened and everyone exited into the large open area full of people.

  Daniel scanned the room to see if there was anyone he recognized and was shocked to see a familiar face he wasn’t expecting. Or a somewhat familiar face. One he hadn’t expected to see in St. Louis.

  The other man didn’t notice him, so he refocused on the woman at his side. She was looking at him. “Everything all right?”

  He gave her arm a squeeze. “Of course.”

  Ali didn’t look overly convinced, but she let it go. “We should probably find a place to put our coats.”

  The coat check was easy enough to find. He slipped the ticket the man handed him into his jacket pocket, then guided Ali toward the ballroom.

  Ali removed the invitation from her purse and handed it to the man standing near the double doors. He scanned the paper and looked at the woman at his right. “Table fifteen.” Then he turned back to them and smiled. “Madeline will show you to your table.”

  Daniel rested his hand on Ali’s lower back as they were led to their table. It was smack dab in the middle of the room near the front.

  “Here you are.” The woman’s smile was polite and professional. “Enjoy your evening.”

  “Thank you,” Ali said, but the woman was already walking away.

  Each of the place settings included napkins folded in the shape of a dove. He’d done a little research on the fundraiser when he’d got to the office that morning. The organization behind it was out of Minneapolis. They raised money to help cover medical costs for those who couldn’t afford the expense. It was a worthy cause and he understood why the hospital would want to have a presence.

  Daniel pulled out one of the chairs, inviting Ali to sit. She lowered herself into the chair and he sat down next to her.

  She looked around, a slight frown on her face. “I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to do.”

  “These functions are usually more about networking and drumming up donations.” More people were filtering into the room and taking seats at the various tables. “After dinner, we’ll mingle a little.”

  A man and a woman at least twenty years older than Daniel joined them at their table. The man helped his wife into her seat before easing into the chair beside her. Another couple approached the table and sat down, leaving only one set of seats empty.

  Everyone at the table introduced themselves and the older woman, Gladys, complimented Ali on her dress. As the conversation began to flow naturally, he felt Ali begin to relax.

  The servers came by to take drink orders when the final couple showed up. Daniel swiftly hid his reaction as the man held out the seat for the woman and the two sat down. The other man, however, wasn’t as good at covering shock at seeing Daniel.

  Another round robin of introductions began with everyone else at the table introducing themselves to the newcomers. When it came around to them, Daniel acted as if he didn’t know the other couple. “I’m Daniel Ross, and this is Ali Foster.”

  “It’s nice to meet all of you,” the woman said with an air of excitement. She hadn’t reacted the way the man had to seeing him, which made him wonder if she didn’t recognize him or if she was just better at concealing it than her partner. “It’s so much warmer here than it is back home. I was able to get away with a simple wrap tonight. Back home, I’d still be stuffed into a winter coat.” She paused. “I’m Lily, by the way. And this is my husband, Logan.”

  It had been five years since Daniel had seen Logan and Lily. He’d been visiting a friend in St. Paul and had been invited to a party. The two hadn’t been married then. In fact, if he recalled, Logan was very new to the lifestyle.

  “Where are you from, my dear?” Gladys asked.

  “Minneapolis,” Lily answered. “I work for The Coleman Foundation as their events coordinator.” That turned the conversation to the fundraiser itself and all the work the foundation was doing. The Coleman Foundation was growing, expanding to help more people, and Lily was more than happy to share.

  Dinner was served and he was impressed. The food was excellent.

  “You did well, baby,” he heard Logan whisper to his wife.

  She beamed. “Thank you.”

  Daniel cleared his throat. “How long are you two in town for?”

  Logan was the one to answer. “We leave Sunday.” He gazed lovingly at his wife. “Lily’s never been to St. Louis, so we thought we’d take in some of the sites.”

  “Let me know if you need some recommendations. I know of a few private venues you may be interested in checking out.”

  The other Dom didn’t miss the implication. “We’d defiantly be interested.”

  It was a quick exchange and everyone else was occupied with their meals. No one else at the table had any idea what they were talking about.

  Ali, however, wasn’t as oblivious. She leaned in, whispering low in his ear, “You know them.”

  “Yes.” He left it at that and allowed her to fill in the blanks. She was smart and it didn’t take long for her to put two and two together.

  By the end of the meal, everyone was ready to get up and move. Unfortunately, they had to sit through several speeches and a slide show. He didn’t miss how Lily’s lips moved with the timing of each slide. Based on that and Logan’s comment earlier, Daniel was guessing she’d had a hand in tonight’s event.

  Once the presentation part of the evening was over, a small band started playing in the corner of the room and people began to get up from their seats and mingle. He stayed put, waiting for the other couples to leave first. Then, he took out a business card and handed it to Logan. “Give me a call tomorrow and I’ll give you more information.”

  Logan tucked the business card in the pocket of his tux. “Sounds great.” Then he looked at Lily. “Did you want to chat with anyone?”

  She stood, not waiting for him to assist her. “I need to talk to Cheryl. Oh, and I should probably find Greg, too.”

  Logan chuckled. “Hopefully, we’ll see you both around.”

  Daniel watched as they disappeared in the crowd, shaking his head. He definitely remembered Logan and Lily.

  CHAPTER 12

  Ali didn’t know what to make of the couple who’d just left. He was quiet and reserved, while she was friendly and talkative. If Daniel was right, and she had no doubt he was, then they were in the lifestyle. While not all submissives were demure and quiet, Lily seemed the opposite of submissive. Then again, Ali would guess they weren’t playing tonight.

  “Is there anyone you wanted to talk to?” Daniel asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

  “Um. I should probably see if I can find some of the other executives from the hospital. At least so there’s proof I was here.”

  Daniel frowned. “Why would you need to prove you were here?”

  She hadn’t told Daniel much about her boss. He knew she was an executive assistant for one of the senior vice presidents at the hospital, but that was about it. The last thing she wanted to do when she wasn’t at work was talk about it. “In case my boss decides to check.”

  His frown deepened.

  She knew he was going to ask questions she didn’t want to answer, so she stood, hoping he would follow. It took a moment, but he did. Daniel took a step toward her. He ran his hand over her shoulder and down her arm in a light caress that had thoughts of her boss evaporating. “I’ll let it go for now.” The implication was that they would be talking about it later.

  He took hold of her hand and let her lead them through the throng of people until she saw someone she knew. Luckily, it was the hospital CEO. Mason Barrett was a handsome man in his early fifties. He noticed her approaching and smiled. “Ali. I didn’t realize you’d be here tonight.”

  “Mr. Jacobson and his wife couldn’t come, so he asked if I’d step in.” That was the nice way of putting it.

  She introduced Daniel to Mason and his wife.

  “You look vaguely familiar,” Mason said to Daniel. “Do you work for the hospital?”

  “No. I’m in real estate.”

  “Commercial? Residential?” Mason asked. “The hospital’s always growing and expanding.”

  “I dabble in a little of both.”

  The hospital’s CEO didn’t seem fazed by Daniel’s less than specific answer. “Do you have a card?”

  Daniel produced a business card out of what seemed like thin air. He handed it to Mason. “I’ll help if I can. And if I can’t, I have some other contacts who might be a better fit.”

  A man tapped on Mason’s shoulder and whispered something in his ear. Mason nodded, then turned back to them with a smile. “If you’ll both excuse us. Thanks again for the card.”

  Mason and his wife followed the other man through the crowd.

  “Is that enough proof, or do we need to seek out more people?”

  Even though his tone was pleasant, Ali knew him well enough to know he wasn’t happy. “I think I’m good.”

  She looked over his shoulder, not wanting to meet his gaze, and saw Logan and Lily gliding over the makeshift dance floor. Daniel turned his head to see what had drawn her attention. “Would you like to dance?” he asked.

  Ali loved to dance, but none of her previous boyfriends had been interested. Especially not to the type of music currently being played. “Yes, please.”

  Daniel led her over to the edge of the dance floor and twirled her into his arms, causing her to giggle.

  He grinned and she felt some of the tension leave his body as he began moving them in time with the music. The bottom of her dress flared out as he turned them in a circle, weaving them around the other couples effortlessly. He was confident on the dance floor, which surprised her. Ali had never seen him dance at the club. “You’re good.” She paused. “Dancing like this, I mean.”

  “I took ballroom dancing lessons years ago.”

  “Really?” she asked.

  He chuckled, amused by the shock on her face. “Yes. I didn’t want to embarrass myself at my own wedding.”

  Oh. His wedding. That made sense.

  They hadn’t really talked about his marriage or his ex-wife beyond the basics. Ali stared at his bowtie as questions swirled in her mind. They were together now. It would be okay to ask questions about his previous relationships, right?

  Daniel brought their joined hands under her chin and tilted her head up so he could look into her eyes. “Ask me.”

  “How long were you with your wife?”

  He released her chin but kept their hands tucked between them. The back of his hand rested against her chest, and it made Ali wish they were alone instead of surrounded by all these people. “We were together for twenty-two years. Married for almost twenty.”

  She tried not to be jealous of this woman she didn’t know, but it was difficult. He’d obviously loved her. Why else would he have stayed with her for twenty years?

  Ali was trying to figure out what to ask him next without it sounding weird, but he seemed to know what was on her mind. “We were very much in love. Then, our lives were taken over by the kids. Over time, we lost each other, and we couldn’t get it back.”

  “Do you still love her?” Ali asked, even though she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer.

  “No. I haven’t felt that way about her in a long time.” He guided them toward the edge of the dance floor. “We’re friendly for the sake of our kids, but given they’re all adults now, we rarely have contact with each other. The last time I saw her in person was at James’s high school graduation.”

  So, Ali probably wouldn’t come face-to-face with the ex anytime soon. That was good news.

  Again, seeming to be able to read her mind, Daniel pressed a kiss to her temple and whispered in her ear, “There’s no need to be jealous, sweetheart. She and I haven’t been together for fifteen years.”

  She knew he was right, but it didn’t change the urge she had to tear off all his clothes and stake her claim on him. For two years she’d wanted him, and now that he was hers, she had every intention of keeping him.

  But one question plagued her—one he hadn’t answered yet. “How did it end?”

  Daniel dropped the pretense of dancing and took her by the hand. “Are you ready to go?”

  A little taken aback by his sudden desire to leave, it took her a little longer than it should to respond. She nodded and let him guide her out to the lobby.

  They retrieved their coats, then made their way downstairs. She stood beside him as they waited for the valet to bring their car around, curiosity eating at her.

  A young man drove Daniel’s SUV to a stop in front of them, climbed out of the vehicle, and jogged over to them. He handed the keys to Daniel, and in return Daniel handed him a tip.

  “Thanks,” the young man said.

  After helping her into the passenger seat, Daniel walked around the vehicle, opened his door, and slid into the driver's seat. He eased them into traffic, then picked up the conversation where they’d left off as if time hadn’t passed. “Jessica, my ex.” He glanced over at Ali before refocusing on the road. “She found someone else.”

  Ali’s eyes widened. “She cheated on you?”

  “No.” He paused. “At least, she says she didn’t. But we’d drifted apart, and she’d fallen in love with someone else.”

  Given how Ali felt about Daniel, it was hard for her to imagine a woman not loving him. He was extremely lovable. Polite. Charming. Protective. “So the divorce was her decision?”

  “It was.” He paused. “Looking back now, I can understand. We were just occupying the same space. We barely talked unless it was about one of the kids. That isn’t the way to have a lasting marriage.”

  There was one more thing Ali wanted to know about his past relationship. “Was she your submissive?”

  Daniel guided the vehicle onto the highway out of town. “We dabbled, but it wasn’t anything formal.”

  “So you embraced the lifestyle after your divorce.” It wasn’t really a question. He’d implied as much.

  “Yes. When I started dating again, I realized I needed to find women who liked the same things I did in the bedroom.”

  Ali was trying to process all the information she’d obtained in the last hour. For some reason, she’d pictured his ex as a horrible person who’d been a nightmare to live with. It was easier that way.

  She was still mulling things over when they arrived home. Ali waited for him to open her door, then took his offered hand as he helped her out of the vehicle.

  Her heels clicked on the concrete floor of the garage as they made their way inside. Daniel eased her coat from her shoulders and down her arms, hung it up for her, then removed his own. He loosened his tie as he strolled down the hall toward the kitchen. Removing two glasses from the cabinet, he filled one of them with water. “Water or something stronger?”

  “Water’s fine.”

  He nodded, handed her the already full glass, then filled the other one. After downing half of his water, he leaned against the counter, facing her. The look in his eyes told her she wasn’t going to like what was coming and she was right. “Tell me about your boss.”