a lot. He sat through family events he didn’t truly feel a part of. He was drifting and completely unsure how to get back on track. “It’s probably better that way. Hutch can be surprisingly mean when it comes to revenge. Or pranks. Adam is still talking about the colonic his smart toilet gave him.”
That got Tag laughing. “Ah, good times, man. Good times.”
He took a sip of his punch and then put a hand on Michael’s shoulder.
Michael knew that shoulder pat. It was Tag’s I-need-a-favor shoulder pat. “What is it?”
“Am I that easy to read now? Well, it’s probably true. I’ve got a job for you when we get back to Dallas.”
That wasn’t anything new. “I figured you would. You keep us pretty busy.”
“It’s a job of a sensitive nature,” Tag allowed.
“Okay. What’s it involve? The Agency? Are we still looking for the woman who set Noelle up?” He’d like to find her. “Is it about Kyle?”
“I’m not worried about Kyle anymore,” Tag admitted. “He’s a good kid. He’s got some shit to work through, but who doesn’t? No. It’s more about the client than anything else. The job itself is pretty straightforward. I’ve got a client who’s worried about his business. He thinks he might have a corporate spy in his midst, and he needs someone to get close to the woman to find out what’s going on.”
Close to meant he might have to romance someone. The thought made him sigh. “Tag, I don’t know that I’m the right agent.”
“It’s Vanessa Hale.”
He turned to Tag. “The film star? She’s in Dallas?”
Tag nodded. “She’s left the industry entirely. She was raised here. Her mom died recently, and she moved home. She’s living in the house her mom left her.”
Vanessa Hale had made a splash a decade ago when she’d first shown up on-screen. She’d been declared a rising star, but somewhere along the way she’d gotten off track. He didn’t follow the Hollywood gossip, but even he had heard about the starlet’s scandals and her marriage that had everyone labeling her a gold digger.
“Isn’t she married to a billionaire?” She’d married some old man and become a trophy wife and sparked a million tabloid stories.
“Oh, he died last year and her husband’s son took her to court, and she got left with nothing. She was given a pittance, and that was sucked up by legal fees,” Tag explained. “She came home with very little.”
He had to admit, he was intrigued. And Vanessa Hale was a beautiful woman. At least she had been. “Are you saying she’s being accused of spying on someone?”
“She took a job a couple of months back, and now there are some problems with the firm,” Tag explained.
“Why me?” The truth hit him. “Damn it. You think she’ll get close to me because of who I am.”
His father and brother ran Malone Oil. Michael worked but had a trust fund that would always ensure a certain type of woman found him attractive. He was bait.
“I don’t think that will hurt. My client thinks you might be able to draw her in,” Tag said. “She’s described her perfect man, and you fit the bill physically. Dani’s gotten close to her. That’s another worry.”
Suspicion flared hard. Tag had buried the lead on this one. “Dani? Danielle Lodge-Taylor? Ian, is the client Julian Lodge?”
“Yes, and Vanessa Hale, as a new employee in Julian’s financial firm, gets club access. I need you to go into The Club and find out what’s going on with her.”
It would be a tightrope he would have to walk. Julian Lodge had been Big Tag’s first investor and now a friend. He wasn’t merely a client. Julian was part of Ian’s family.
And Vanessa was intriguing. “Is she a sub?”
“Yes, which is why you will be her Dom mentor at The Club. I know this is a big ask.”
Michael didn’t hesitate. “I’ll do it.”
“No shoptalk.” Charlotte Taggart wore a blue dress that clung to her every curve. She reached out a hand to her husband as bouncy vibrant zydeco began to play.
Ian let her start to lead him toward the dance floor. “We’ll talk more later. Apparently I dance now.”
He always danced with his wife. Ian gave Charlotte his everything because they were a pair.
He wasn’t going to be a part of a pair, but it might be fun to get close to a woman like Vanessa Hale. Shameless. Likely with a soul as hard as a rock. He could play some fun games with her