Wendi was glaring at Stephen, obviously insulted on her behalf.
Burke, meanwhile, was hiding a smirk behind his look of concern. “He has a point Miss Rivera. Politics is a fickle mistress. The Senator’s devotion to his duty is one we must nourish and endeavor to aid him with however we can. He has a big future, our man Finn. Surely we can make plans to go out in the world and celebrate together after he wins his third term. Would you like that, Miss Rivera? Senator?”
Stephen sent him a grateful glance. “That sounds good to me.”
Resisting the urge to shove her coconut shrimp appetizer down Burke’s pants, Tasha pushed her plate away and stood up. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m not very hungry anymore. I have to go get ready for Ken.”
Burke’s average face showed genuine surprise. “You’re doing the rope scene with Tanaka tonight?”
There was no reason to lie. “We know each other from the club. I’ve worked with him on suspension bondage demos before.”
Burke glanced at Stephen with interest and Tasha followed his gaze. Stephen’s hands were fists on the table, his whole body tense. “I’m so glad Stephen gave us permission last night—Ken can do magical things with his ropes.”
“So I’ve heard,” Burke murmured. “His reputation precedes him. We’re fortunate you both accepted my invitation this time so you can show us how well you work together.”
Was he insinuating she and Ken were more than friends? All the better for her, but the man needed to do his homework.
Tasha simply nodded and smiled in excitement, letting her gaze wander to Wendi. “I can’t wait for you to see this. For Stephen to see it. I think he might enjoy learning how to tie me down.”
“God knows you deserve it,” Stephen muttered, earning a boisterous laugh from Burke.
He waved her away. “Get ready, Miss Rivera. We’ll have dinner cleared away and adjourn to the living room for dessert and a show.”
Ken stood as she passed him at the long table and followed her out. When they reached the middle of the empty room, where the titanium steel ring was already attached to a hook in the ceiling by a well-knotted rope, Ken reached for her hand.
“Tasha? I adore you, but I’m very close to dragging you out of this pervert’s mansion and starting an intervention. Senator Finn is obviously not worth your time.”
She widened her eyes and pressed her finger over her mouth. “Don’t…don’t say things like that Ken. I’m in love.” She pointed to her ear, trying to mime “We’re being bugged” without much success. “I don’t want him to hear you talk that way.”
Ken bent his head until he could look directly into her eyes. “I disabled all Burke’s recording devices this morning. When he goes to look over his footage after we’ve gone, he’ll find several days of static and no sound.”
She gasped and covered his mouth with her hand. “You hacked Burke? Oh my God, don’t do anything else, please. You have no idea what’s going on here.”
“Not with you and the senator, no. But everything else?” Ken smiled. “I believe I’m more up to speed than you are. Now take off your dress and shoes and get ready so we don’t look suspicious.”
No longer sure of anything, Tasha stripped off her dress, folding it before setting it in a corner on the floor, and left her heels beside it. Ken handed her a hair band and she gathered her curls into a sleek bun.
He stepped behind her and started to stretch her limbs with her, ensuring she was limber enough for what came next. As he did, he kept an eye on the entrance and spoke softly in her ear.
“You know I freelance. I actually volunteered for this, though. Burke is a perverse bastard and he’s using our friends to gain political influence through blackmail. But that’s only the tip of his iceberg. He’s connected with truly dangerous people and I need to know who they are.”
“Volunteered for what?” she whispered, allowing him to bend her forward and sighing as she felt the tight areas in her back release.
“To help the feds and the senator set this trap. To see what’s on Burke’s laptop. Finn doesn’t know about me. He’s not supposed to. But then Brady found me in the office and I had a feeling you’d be suspicious since you know a little of my background.”
She turned to face him, letting him lift her leg until her ankle was on his shoulder, stretching out her hamstrings. “If you know why we’re here, why are you giving me grief about an intervention? I’m just playing my part as the secret mistress.”
Ken raised one slender eyebrow. “Don’t lie to me, Rivera. You have a history with him. What’s going on between you isn’t acting, it’s therapy. You have enough chemistry sparking between you to send this whole place up in smoke, but you’re not exactly happy about it. It seems like these roles you’ve been playing aren’t too far off the mark.”