Beck and Call by Abby Gordon Read Free Book Online

in the city. And if Kevin found out the nature of their relationship and used it against her, just what the hell would Keith do to protect Serena?
    “This is why I called you,” he said slowly.
    “Should I take this slower?”
    “I’m not sure you can. It’s already public. You sent her the rose. You have no other course but to see this through,” Grant said quietly. “Keith, this isn’t about proving you’re a man to your father by creating your own company. Twelve years ago, it was all about you. Now it’s about Serena—the woman you have singled out as your submissive.
    Time to man up and face a few harsh realities. You make one wrong move and her life could be destroyed. No do-overs .”
    “Shit, Grant,” Keith scowled. His mentor couldn’t possibly be hinting at what he thought he was. “I’m not going to do something—”
    “Keith, pull your ego out of the equation. Hell, pull your cock out of it. You’re a helluva businessman and a responsible Dom at the club, but I swear to God, your cockiness drives me insane sometimes,” Grant fumed. “Think about Serena, dammit! You owe it to her to have thought 38

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    everything through. It sounds as if you made a good start in protecting both of you.” There was a pause as he let his protégée absorb the compliment. “Now, answer this one very important question. Are you willing to marry her to protect her?”
    “Marriage?” Keith whispered. “Grant, you know damn well I don’t want to get married. I can’t put a woman through what my father did to my mother!
    My brothers are just as bad. Kevin’s on his third divorce, and Karl’s on his second, plus there’s four broken engagements between the two of them.” He shook his head. “Men in my family don’t do marriage well. That’s why I like Dom/sub relationships.”
    “That’s different. You’ve kept all those at the club. And they were started at the club with women who understood what they’re getting into. Serena doesn’t have a clue as to what you are.” There was a noise of frustration over the phone. “Keith, listen to me. Really listen to me. You are no more like your father than I am like mine. Something about Serena resonates with you, otherwise you wouldn’t be risking everything you’ve spent twelve years building. Do you really think your father would do that? Hell, no!”
    Slowly, Keith nodded. Okay, this was why he had called Grant. Grant was more a brother to him than Kevin or Karl had ever been.
    “I don’t want her hurt the way my mother was.”
    “You just answered the question,” Grant approved in a satisfied tone. “You’ll do anything and everything to make sure Serena is safe, protected, and yours.”
    Self-doubt wasn’t a familiar feeling for Keith. It made him feel vulnerable and he hated that. He trusted Grant though. Grant was nearly forty and had scoffed at the idea of marrying. Until Francine.
    If someone like Grant could marry, and be so damn content and obviously sexually satisfied in that 39

    Abby Gordon

    marriage, then maybe he could.
    “You really think I could do something like marriage?”
    “Absolutely. Oh, one thing, though.”
    “Yeah?”
    “I want the first invite to the wedding.”
    “If it gets to that point, you got it,” Keith smiled.
    No matter what Grant said, he couldn’t imagine proposing to a woman. Him? Married? The words in the same sentence boggled his mind. “You can even be best man.”
    “I’ll hold you to that. Just make sure the date isn’t in March. That’s Francine’s due date and she’ll be furious if she can’t be there.”
    “You got it,” Keith had to chuckle. Who would have thought that the macho Grant Franklin would be so undone by his wife’s pregnancy? God help him if he ever got to that point! “Thanks, Grant.”
    “Anytime.”
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    Beck And Call

Chapter Four
    A last-minute conference call came up and Serena quickly IM’d Claire and Debbie to delay their gathering. Claire