“We’ll establish that once we speak to her,” Jaime asserted. This was becoming annoying. For all she knew, Ol’ Frank here was stalling so Lady A could make a run for it. “If you don’t want us flashing our badges and talking toevery singleperson in this place tonight, you’ll get this Lady A….”
“I’m Lady A.”
Jaime turned toward the seductive voice. She certainly wasn’t ready for what she saw. A woman with cascading auburn hair stood before her, hand on hip, clad in black leather from head to toe. The top half of her face was hidden behind a red and black laced mask. This woman didn’t fit withthisplace. Okay, perhaps she did, but Jaime hadn’t expected someone so…intriguing to step out of the shadows. As a detective, Jaime took her initial reaction to people seriously, but this was... different. Lady A? Oh, she was a whole lot of woman, and Jaime was not prepared for her body’s knee-jerk response to her.
Fuck that, Jaime thought, casting her gaze on the interior of the club again. And the people who strolled around. She had to rememberwhyshe was here.Whatthis place was. The glossy black walls, the chrome poles. Yeah, she remembered exactly where she was.
“A, I’m taking care of this. Get back to work.”
Lady A glanced at Frank before turning her attention back to the beautiful detective. She took a moment to appreciate the slim, athletic build. The basic black slacks, tight V-neck tee, and black blazer seemed to hug every curve of the detective’s body. The long, wavy black hair curled past her shoulders, causing her to appear softer than the scowl she wore.
“Come back to my chambers,” Lady A said, ignoring Frank. “If I can do anything to help, I will.” She turned, fully expecting the detectives to follow despite Frank’s objections.
This time, Jaime and Max were greeted with a fully covered yetincrediblysexy ass. Neither had any quips or comments. They just followed Lady A to wherever she was taking them.
Lady A walked through large,ornate double doors directly to one of the velvet couches. She gestured to the open seating. “Please. Tell me…what I can help with.”This isn’t a session, Lady A. These are the police, and they have questions about what happened in the parking lot. So, stop thinking about how gorgeous?—
Jaime sat on the edge of one of the couches opposite Lady A. No telling what the fuck goes on in this—what did Lady A call it? Her chambers?
“How well did you know the victim?” she asked, her voice harsher than she intended. This day needed to end. She shouldn’t be having such a visceral reaction to a… sex worker. It was disrespectful to Taylor’s memory. Besides, Jaime didn’t have time to question why her body reacted to this woman. There was a serial killer out there, and Jaime was determined to end the killings before another innocent life was lost. ThisLady Awas a person of interest. Nothing more, nothing less,unlessshe became a suspect. But the one thing this wasn’t was a social visit.
Lady A frowned. “I’m not sure I did. There are so many that come through here.”
Max gave Jaime a look and shrugged. “How many have you had?”
“Oh, I haven’t counted. Look, I’m not sureifI can help you, but if you have a picture, maybe I’ll have a better idea of who your victim is.”
Jaime took her phone out, opening it up to crime scene and autopsy photos. They were jarring, but it was an excellent way togauge a person’s reaction. She handed Lady A the phone. “Her name is Maisie Freeman. We were told she was your assistant.”
Lady A’s heart dropped. The phone slipped out of her hand as she stared at the detective. “No. No, Frank said it was a homeless man. H-he said Maisie called in sick.”
Max moved to assist Lady A, who began to breathe erratically. “I’m sorry, but Frank lied.”
Lady A reached up and untied her mask. Though it didn’t cover her nose, she felt suffocated behind it. “I don’t understand. What happened? Who did this?”
“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” Jaime answered, leaning down to get her phone off the floor. When she looked back up, she nearly fell off the couch. Lady A had already triggered something within Jaimewiththe mask on. Those feelings intensified after getting a good look at the stunning face hidden behind that mask. Andthatmade Jaime uncomfortable. Suddenly, the large room began closing in on her. She stood abruptly and began to pace.
Max eyed Jaime, seemingly waiting for her to continue her line of questioning. When she didn’t, he took over. “When was the last time you spoke to Miss Freeman?”
Lady A wiped a tear from her cheek. This couldn’t be happening. Not Maisie. She was so sweet, so naive. So young.
“I,” Lady A paused, trying to gather her thoughts. “Last night. We… she… I’m sorry, I’m just trying to wrap my head around this.”
“Take your time,” Max said gently.
Jaime’s eye twitched. Her body felt hot, and she wanted to get the hell out of this room. And here Max was, telling the dominatrix or whatever the fuck she was to take her time.
“Last night,” Jaime prompted.
Lady A looked up at Jaime with sad eyes. “Yes. She works when I do. She brought me a drink as she sometimes did aftera session. We had a conversation.” She didn’t want to tell the detectives what happened after that conversation. Lady A was well aware of what people—cops in particular—thought of those who traded sex for money. It didn’t matter what side of that money you were on; you were considered freaks. She didn’t want Maisie to be thought of in that way.
“Did you have a fight?” Jaime asked. She tried focusing on Lady A’s eyes. That was where the truth usually revealed itself. But looking into those expressive eyes was too much for Jaime’s already overworked nerves. There was nowhere else to look, though. The room and all the whips, binds, and… other things caused Jaime’s pulse to spike. Then again, Lady A in leather, with her cleavage ready to spill over the top of her corset, wasn’t any better.
“No.”
“Are you sure about that?”
Lady A closed her eyes. She could feel Maisie’s soft skin beneath her fingertips. She remembered how Maisie’s hands shook, but still confidently touched Lady A. They did many things to each other last night. But fighting wasn’t one of them.
