She rolled her bag out of her office and into the front lobby where a lanky, young man waited in one of the chairs. When he saw her, he rose to his feet and straightened his pinstripe suit. “Ms. LeBreck?”

She nodded.

“I’m Adam, I’ll be driving you this evening. Here, let me take your bags.”

She passed the handle of her suitcase to him. “Thanks.”

She followed him outside and shivered. The air had turned cooler, and she wished she’d chosen to wear something besides a sleeveless blouse and linen pants. She rubbed her arms as she rounded the building and turned toward the parking lot. A sleek limo waited for her at the curb and her stomach tightened. She was really going to do this.

Adam pressed a button on his keypad and popped open the trunk, loading her things inside, then turned to her. “You ready, Ms. LeBreck?”

“Guess so,” she said, her voice wavering a bit.

His lips tilted up, the gesture softening his dark looks. “It’s normal to be nervous. But just go with it. The anticipation can enhance the experience.”

Or kill her. One or the other. She gave him a wan smile, and he yanked open the door for her. With one last steadying breath, she stepped forward and climbed in. To her surprise, Adam slid in right behind her. She cocked her head. “Did you need something?”

“I have to prepare you,” he said, grabbing a small bag from the floorboard.

She inadvertently scooted backward. “What do you mean?”

He dug through the bag and pulled out a pair of handcuffs and a blindfold. He held them in front of her. “Your submission starts now, Ms. LeBreck. The safe word at The Ranch is Texas. Now please put out your hands.”

“I’m not even going to get to see where the hell you’re taking me?”

“Hands, Ms. LeBreck. You asked to participate. These are the rules.”

Son of a fucking bitch. She gritted her teeth and held out her arms. With two quick clinks, he locked the cuffs around her wrists.

“Turn around.”

She parked her bound hands in her lap and moved to face away from him. The silk sash slid over her eyes, blocking out all remnants of light. She forced herself to take deep breaths as her nervous system threatened to go into red alert mode. Adam grabbed her shoulders, and she almost jumped out of her skin. “Relax. I’m just leaning you back, so I can get your seat belt on.”

She squeezed her eyes shut behind the sash and fought the frightened tears that brimmed her lids. This man wasn’t going to hurt her; he was doing his job. She had to calm down or she was going to blow it before she even got to the damn place. “I’m sorry.”

He finished strapping her in, and the seat dipped as he moved away. “Settle in. We have a bit of a ride in front of us.”

Jace sat on the edge of the couch in The Ranch’s staging room, his foot tapping. Where was she? Had she changed her mind? She should’ve arrived by now.

He knew the other members were already starting to fill up the common room in anticipation of the new subs coming in. There would be three tonight, but Jace only cared about one. He’d lied when he’d told Brynn he wasn’t going to be at The Ranch for this retreat. He couldn’t let her know he’d be available to be her dom because he knew she would’ve taken him up on the offer. Subs weren’t allowed to make many decisions, but the one they had complete control over was who to play with.

No, he couldn’t offer himself as a choice. He sank back against the sofa and groaned. Let no one ever accuse him of not keeping a fucking promise.

“I thought you said she was scheduled for pickup at six,” he said, glancing at the man sitting on the opposite couch.

Grant chuckled and propped his boot-clad feet on the coffee table, looking every bit the laid-back cowboy. “This one’s important to you, huh?”

“Just an old friend. I know she’s kind of nervous about all this.”

He nodded and took a sip of his soda. “She should be here any minute. I’ll go easy on her.”

Jace didn’t buy that for a second. Grant Waters hadn’t built this level of privacy by chance. He was a master at reading people and didn’t let anyone walk into the place without a thorough observation. Brynn would be no exception. He just hoped to hell Brynn could pull off the whole thing without Grant sensing she was hiding something.

A quick knock on the door made Jace sit up straight again. One of the staff girls poked her head in. “Mr. Austin, your girl just arrived. Are you ready for her?”

Jace rubbed his palms on the legs of his pants and nodded. “Sure, Annalise. Just make sure they don’t tell her my name. She’s a friend and I’d rather her not know who’s preparing her.”

The raven-haired girl arched a pierced eyebrow but kept her opinion to herself and nodded. “No problem.”

A few minutes later, Adam led a blindfolded Brynn into the small room. Even in the soft light, Jace could see the anxiety cloaking her body. Her hands clenched and unclenched in the cuffs and her bottom lip looked puffy, like she’d been gnawing on it.

Adam made sure Brynn was steady on her feet and released her elbow. “Ms. LeBreck, one of our masters is going to get you ready for the initiation while Mr. Waters, our owner, talks with you for a bit. Do you remember your safe word?”

Her throat muscles visibly flexed as she swallowed. “Texas.”

Adam squeezed her shoulder and nodded at Jace. “Enjoy yourself. We’ll make sure to take good care of you.”

Jace rose and crossed the room, the sound of his shoes echoing off the dark wood floors. He walked around Brynn slowly, knowing she’d be able to sense him there and feel the vulnerability of her position. He needed to make this experience as authentic as possible.

Grant’s low drawl came from behind him. “Welcome to The Ranch, Ms. LeBreck. What name do you want to use while you’re here?”

She startled at the sound of his voice, but recovered quickly. “Um, Brynn is fine.”

“Very well, Brynn. Now I just want you to relax. Master J is going to help get you ready for our members. And I’m only here for the pleasure of seeing a new sub prepared for initiation.”

“Wh-What exactly is involved in preparation?” she asked, her words catching in her throat.

Jace frowned. He wanted Brynn to be keyed up. That was a normal sub response. But he hadn’t expected her to be this frightened. He touched her elbow and she flinched.

“Shh,” he soothed.

Grant interrupted, saving Jace from having to reveal who he was by speaking. “He’s just going to get you changed. He won’t step over any lines because you aren’t his, you understand?”

Her shoulders dipped and she nodded. “I’m sorry. I’m just a little freaked out.”

“How come?” Grant asked, putting his feet on the floor and sitting forward, his gaze no doubt taking in every nuance of Brynn’s demeanor. “Your file says that you’ve had a previous D/s relationship. Is it fear of not knowing who your partner is going to be?”

She gave a stiff shrug, and her lip began to tremble.

Oh, hell. Was she going to cry? Jace didn’t know if he’d be able to keep his cover if she crumbled in front of him. A crying chick was his kryptonite. He pitched his voice lower and risked speaking. “You okay?”

She sniffed and pulled her shoulders back, apparently fighting to keep her composure. “I’m fine. I just haven’t been able to give over control to anyone for a long time. You can start getting me ready. I won’t stop you.”

He nodded, even though he knew she couldn’t see him. His fingers trailed down her arm and then pressed the release on her cuffs. She rolled and stretched her wrists, while he moved his hands up to her neckline. He started unfastening her blouse, while Grant continued his questioning. “Why do you think you’ve resisted giving over control?”

Jace reached the end of the buttons and slid her shirt off her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. Goose bumps rose on her ivory skin and she shivered. He rubbed her bare arms with his palms, trying to chase the chill for her.

She wet her lips. “I don’t know.”

There was a long pause, and Jace could tell Grant was measuring her every word.

“That’s not true,” Grant said finally, his tone as smooth as silk. “You’re holding something back.”

Shit. Jace shot a warning glance over his shoulder. What had happened to going easy on her? But it was too late. Grant had that look in his eye—the one that said he’d switched into master mode.

“Tell us the real reason, Brynn.”

She began to quiver beneath Jace’s hold on her.

“I… I was raped.”

His hands stilled against her. “What?”

She shook her head. “It was a long time ago. I really don’t want to talk about it. But that’s why I’m here. I want to get past the fear.”

Jesus. That was the personal reason she’d alluded to in his office? So many questions rose in his throat—who, when, and did Reid know? He’d bet his left nut Reid had no idea. Otherwise, his friend would be in jail for killing the fucker who’d hurt her. Shit. No wonder she was shaking like a frightened puppy.

Grant rose from the couch and came to stand in front of Brynn, his normally unreadable face full of concern. “Do you want me to tell my members what you’re dealing with so they can take that into account?”

She wagged her head. “No, please don’t tell anyone. I can’t even believe I told you. I just want to blend in. No special treatment. And please,” she said, her voice edging on desperate, “Master J, keep going.”

Jace bent to slip off her heels, his mind still reeling, and Grant reached out and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. He leaned forward a bit as if he was making eye contact with her despite her blindfold. “Brynn, you’re extremely brave to come here and do this. But you need to be careful. I’m as concerned about the mental well-being of my customers as their physical safety. I don’t want you to push yourself too far. You understand?”

“Yes,” she said, her voice sounding tiny in comparison to Grant’s firm tone.

Grant continued, “If at any time you need out, a break, whatever, you use that safe word. There is no shame in exercising that right.”

She nodded, straightening under his touch. “Thank you. But I’ve given this a lot of thought. I want to do this. I need this.”

“Well, then I hope we can provide you with what you’re seeking. I’m going to let Master J finish getting you ready, but if you need anything while you’re here, don’t hesitate to ask me.”

“Thank you.”

Grant stepped away and slipped out of the room, nodding at Jace as he left.

Jace eased her pants down her legs, then ran a palm along her calf to indicate she should step out of them. Once he gathered all her things from the floor, he rose and took in the view.

God, she was a gorgeous girl. Even though years had passed, she looked as sexy as she had that first night he’d seen her strip for Reid in his driveway—all curves and soft femininity, her creamy skin standing out in contrast to her black satin bra and panties. But who knew under all that softness was a woman tough enough to suffer a rape, then come to a place like this to try to heal herself. He shook his head in awe.

Whomever she ultimately decided to give her submission to was one lucky bastard.

He just hoped to God she’d choose correctly and not hand herself over to someone who could exploit her fear.

Brynn could feel Master J’s eyes on her and wondered what was going through his mind. She couldn’t believe that she’d told him and Grant about the rape. But now she was glad she had. Despite her raging anxiety, telling them the truth about why she was here—or at least part of it—had somehow managed to ease her down from a panic attack.