“You want someone else to train you.” He peered at her with a penetrating stare, steepling his long fingers in front of his strong jaw. “Tell me why.”
So Logan had filled him in. “Mr. Edgington and I knew each other in high school. To be blunt, I don’t trust him. I never will.”
From her research, she knew that trust was big in the Dom/sub relationship. She’d start there. Tara sat back in the chair and waited.
As soon as she got settled, Thorpe stood, using his height advantage. He looked urbane enough, but under that expensive white dress shirt and impeccable chocolate slacks, she saw lots of muscle. He pinned her with a piercing stare, as if trying to read her mind. To hell with that.
“Because?”
“He’s a liar.” A ruthless one who didn’t blink as he tore out a young girl’s heart.
Thorpe stroked his close-cropped beard. “Have you changed at all since high school, Agent Jacobs?”
She knew where he was going, and she’d have to cut short that line of thinking. “One hopes we’ve all matured since high school, but fundamentally, some things about a person remain the same, no matter how ‘grown up’ they are.”
“Hmm.” He paced the room. “Distant past aside, do you have any current objections to Logan?”
What about the trust issue? “Are you listening? There’s no way I can put myself completely in his hands while I learn to say ‘Sir’ and ‘please’ every half second. I know Agent York needs quite a bit of training before he can assume the role, and I’m fully aware that time is of the essence. I’ll be happy to have anyone train me. Except Mr. Edgington.”
His mouth twitched, and he looked like he was suppressing a smile. She didn’t need this ass**le to be amused at her expense.
“Answer my question.” His quiet demand snapped in the air like a whip. “Do you have any current objections against Logan? He’s a highly decorated Navy SEAL with eight solid years in this club. I trained him myself, so I know very well who he is and what he’s like. Do you?”
God, Logan had gotten into this stuff a couple years after high school? Why? What need of his did it feed? Tara shook her head. It didn’t matter. He wasn’t her problem.
“His military service, while admirable, is of no comfort to me. His training, while I’m sure thorough, can’t make up for the fact that I distrust him. And I can’t change how I feel. Mr. Thorpe, you’re the best in the region, and the Bureau hired you to prepare me for this field mission—”
“They did,” he cut in. “And I am trying to live up to my end of the contract. It’s been frustrating to Axel that you’ve been resistant and bratty all week. Uncooperative.”
Determined to remain professional, Tara refused to betray her anger. “I disagree. I’ve been here, half dressed and on my knees, for ten hours a day, every day. I’ve spent my nights and weekends researching the lifestyle—reading, interviewing, whatever necessary to increase my knowledge.”
He acknowledged her with a nod. “Physically, you’ve done as asked. Intellectually, you’ve got the fundamentals. Mentally and emotionally, you’ve erected walls against participating in the power exchange. A shame, really, denying your submissive nature.”
There was that ridiculous assertion again. Just like Bocelli, Thorpe didn’t know her at all.
“Mr. Thorpe, my nature isn’t up for discussion. I’m here to learn whatever I need to fake it and rescue Agent Miles.”
“‘Faking it’ probably got Agent Miles captured. A Dom worth his salt can dig out a sub’s true desires quickly. If she’s not genuine about embracing her need to please her Master, he’ll know. If you truly want to help your fellow agent, focus on finding the true sub within you.”
His words wrapped around her neck like a vise grip and choked. Her stepfather had always called her a pleaser, which was why she’d allowed Logan to take advantage of her. Of course she liked the idea of a man who knew her, body and soul, and fulfilled every dark fantasy. Nor could she deny having a bondage fantasy or two. But that hardly made her submissive. The thought of giving up her free will entirely to another . . . Tara shuddered inwardly. Hell no.
Still, being here at Dominion was about the friend she’d gone to college with, first gotten drunk with, shared holidays, beauty tips, illness, and breakups with. It had nothing to do with Logan.
“I will do my best to embrace the role. I will work harder to internalize whatever I must before going undercover. But please, I’m asking you to find anyone else but Mr. Edgington.”
Thorpe sat on the edge of the desk, hovering. No doubt, he knew that the way he towered over her discomfited her. “A pretty plea . . . but no. First, I won’t let you top from the bottom.”
“I am not manipulating a Dom to get my way.”
At that, he sent her a sly, white grin. “You are—and if you were mine, I’d paddle you for that lie. In fact, your stubbornness is one reason Agent York isn’t progressing. He’s placating you instead of getting his act together. Second, Logan is the best at training subs who need, shall we say, an attitude adjustment. He’s patient, logical, and unyielding. You, Agent Jacobs, need a firm hand. He’ll give it to you, make no mistake.”
Bastard! “You’re dragging out this training unnecessarily. Instead of simply getting comfortable with the lifestyle, you’re forcing me to deal with a Dom I will never trust. How is that helpful?”
“Your employer paid me handsomely to prepare you for an urgent mission. Everything I have done is to prepare you, including taking away your choices. You have to get used to that since a submissive may only say yes or quit. That’s what you haven’t gotten through your head yet. The contract states that I’m able, within legal bounds, to use my discretion and do whatever necessary to ensure your readiness. That’s what I’m going to do. Or do you wish to quit before truly trying?”
Low blow. Tara refused to give up on Darcy, and Thorpe knew it. She fought to hold down an angry flush. “No.”
He raised a dark brow. He wanted a “Sir” out of her, damn him. But giving it would prove to him that she understood protocol—and could embrace it.