I nodded, processing my question and his answer one more time. It dawned on me how it sounded. I’d meant sharing me with Cav. His answer had not clarified that. A shiver of unease teased down my spine. I did not want him to share me with anyone else. I didn’t want to think of another Dom’s hands on me. It didn’t sit right.
“Do you have another question?”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to voice my concerns yet. Not until I knew they were even relevant. But I did wonder how often they did this with random submissives.
Realizing I didn’t really want to know the answer to that either, I shook my head. “No, Master Edge.”
As though he could sense my insecurity, Edge moved forward, closing the distance between us and effectively crowding me between them. I was vaguely aware of Cav moving until both men were brushing up against me. It was a tease, of course, but it worked. I inhaled a sharp breath, every cell in my body coming to life. They weren’t quite pressing against me, and if I tried to shift either direction, I would lose the warmth of the other. It was a power play, a test.
Since I didn’t want them to move away, I remained still between them.
Suddenly I was overwhelmed by a savage male energy. It made me breathless, had my skin prickling, my nipples puckering. My belly fluttered when the hard plane of Edge’s chest pressed against my breasts, Cav’s against my back.
I was light-headed, my breaths coming far too quickly.
Edge’s big, warm hands cupped my face gently, his thumbs gliding over my cheeks as he held my attention in his ice-blue stare. His voice was low, seductive when he spoke. “I want you to give serious thought to what we’ll want from you, Jamie. We take this very seriously.”
I nodded.
Cav’s hand hooked firmly on my hip as he turned me around to face him. Then he was crushed to my front, Edge at my back. I inhaled sharply, the blood rushing loudly in my ears.
Gone was all the mischief I’d witnessed in Cav’s expression since we were first introduced. In its place, a somberness I almost didn’t recognize.
“It’s not like in your romance books, cupcake. We’re not lookin’ to be tested or theorized. Or topped from the bottom. If you want to experience that, you can find someone else to help you out. With us, you’ll have to relinquish all control. And we’ll push your boundaries to the point you may break.”
Wow. When he put it that way, it did sound somewhat wicked. But this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I doubted I would find anyone who would give me the chance to experience it for myself. That would do so much for my theory, for proving it. Or disproving. Either way.
Now that they’d laid it all on the line, I knew what I wanted, and I knew I had to submit in order to get it.
“Do you understand what I’m tellin’ you?” he asked.
“Yes. I understand, Master Cav.”
His thumb brushed over my lower lip and his eyes followed the movement. “Then I look forward to seein’ you outside of this club.”
Cav stepped back and Edge came to stand beside him, both men staring down at me. Butterflies erupted in my belly and an ache started between my legs. I wanted them to kiss me. To touch me, hold me, claim me. I’d never wanted anything more than those two men. It didn’t matter that I had zero experience. I was ready to jump in with both feet.
And for a brief moment, I even considered the fact that this desire was even more potent than my academic goals. But it was fleeting.
Before Edge backed away, he leaned in, his lips close to my ear. “Just so you know, we’re going to take this slow, sweetness. Very, very slow. Before long, you’ll be begging for us to give you what you need.”
Sweetness? That wasn’t the first time he’d called me that. I wasn’t sure if he did so because he was making fun of me for our earlier conversation or simply to be cute. Either way, my entire body warmed as though it had needed to hear it, to be acknowledged with that morsel of intimacy. My breath hitched, my eyes darting over to Cav’s face.
He grinned. “Do you think you can handle that?”
I nodded again. “Probably not, but I’d certainly like to try.”
Edge chuckled. “I like your honesty.”
That was good because I didn’t know how to be anything else.
“Do you have any more questions?” Edge asked, his tone less rigid than before.
“No. Not yet, anyway.”
Cav held out his arm and I slipped mine through his. I was inherently aware that he was shirtless and that he smelled so damn good.
“Well, then how about we head back down to the bar, grab a drink, and chat?”
Chat.
Yes.
We should do that.
CAV
I WAS A MAN WHO GENERALLY GOT what he wanted.
In the club, that was doubly so.
Did that always mean sex with a submissive? No. There were plenty of times I didn’t want sex, so it wasn’t a hardship. For me, playing consisted of a lot of things, depending on my mood. Most of the time, it wasn’t about me at all. I could willingly find a submissive and focus solely on her needs, her desires.
Tonight was one of those nights. Only I was forced to ignore any sexual undertones and pretend I wasn’t seconds away from taking this woman in any way I could have her. Jamie Lautner was a temptation I didn’t expect.
“When you’re here, what do you usually do?” Jamie asked as she turned her glass around between her hands.
It had taken a little while, but she had finally calmed down after we returned to the main floor.
I shrugged. “Depends on my mood.”
“Did you have a plan for tonight?”
“No.” I took a sip of my water. “I didn’t have any expectations tonight.”
I’d come merely to hang out, to see Edge, to see where things went. And then this woman had stepped into my path and somehow managed to flip my world on its ear in a matter of hours.
I wanted her with a ferocity that confused the hell out of me. I assumed it was because I was restricting myself, opting to follow Edge’s plan. Technically, I guess it was my plan, but whatever. Truth was, I hadn’t intended for it to work quite like this. I had initially come up with the idea in an effort to settle Edge. Perhaps to placate Jamie as well.
Had I not thought Edge was holding back, I never would’ve intervened. No doubt he wanted Jamie, but he’d been more indecisive than I’d ever seen him. I figured a loyalty to Zeke was what kept him from taking everything she offered.
But this could work. Hell, it could go in a direction none of us expected. While Jamie might believe she could come at this from a logical perspective, I didn’t think that would be the case. Submission wasn’t something that could be learned. Either you were or you weren’t. No one could teach you how to do it. The training class Edge ran wasn’t to show a submissive how, but rather to show them what they would experience when they were with a respectful Dominant and to teach them safety was key. In order for Jamie to experience submission, she had to at least be interested on more than an academic level.
We’d proven that she was when we had trapped her between us in the Wild West room. She’d responded so perfectly, as though she was born to submit to the two of us.
Of course, I was doing my best to keep some distance here. Edge would make the ultimate decision. Sure, I would make a concerted effort to sway him in the direction I believed we should go. After all, the man did need to be redirected from time to time.
“Have you ever had a full-time submissive?” she asked.
I’d noticed her questions getting more intimate as time went by.
Seeing no reason not to be honest with her, I shook my head. “No.” I set my water bottle down, clasped my hands, and rested my forearms on the bar. “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had plenty of relationships. Most with women who weren’t into D/s. Once or twice, I thought I was serious enough to consider a future.”
“With a vanilla person?” she asked, a teasing note to her voic
e.
I glanced around the room. “This is…” I sighed, looking back at her. “This is only a portion of my life. It’s not everything. Some of these people live and breathe this stuff. I’m not one of them. Do I enjoy it? Absolutely. Would I give it up? No. Not completely, anyway.”
Jamie nodded, glanced around. Edge had wandered off to take care of some issue a short time ago.
As I watched her, I tried to envision what a relationship would be like with her and Edge. One who was strict in his desires to live this life full-time, another who could take it or leave it outside of this place, another who’d never experienced what it was like. A wild ride was what it would be, I decided.
“I’m still trying to wrap my head around why someone would come here and not want to play. Isn’t that the whole point?”
“Oh, I want to play,” I admitted.
Her eyes met mine, slipped away to scan the area. “Is there a submissive you’re interested in?”
“Yes.”
She glanced over her other shoulder as though some woman was waiting for me. “Who?”
“You.”
Her eyes swung back to mine. She swallowed hard, and for the first time, she was speechless.
I liked that I could do that to her.
“Sorry about that,” Edge said when he approached, stealing the moment. His eyes darted between us and he frowned. “Is something wrong?”
“Not at all,” Jamie said, a smile forming. “I was actually just thinking I should probably be getting home. I had class this morning, so it’s been a long day for me.”
I glanced at my watch, realized how late it was. I wasn’t quite ready for the night to end, but I could tell by the lines around her eyes that she was tired.
When she got to her feet, I followed suit, standing directly beside Edge.
“I’ll walk you to your car,” I told her.
She smiled at me. “Thank you.” Jamie turned to Edge. “And thank you for allowing me to come here tonight. For showing me around.”
He moved in closer, cupped her face, and stared down at her. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen that look on his face before. Like he was lost, and she was the only hope he had of being found. Certainly hadn’t seen him look at any other woman like that.
“You’re very welcome.”
Her eyes remained locked with his. “I look forward to … seeing you again.”
I waited for him to say something, to tell her he looked forward to seeing her later in the week, but he didn’t. In fact, he didn’t say a word even as he brushed his thumb over her cheek and held her trapped in his gaze for a solid minute. I could sense something passing between them, but I wasn’t sure what.
But then Edge walked away and didn’t look back.
I was dumbfounded, standing beside Jamie and staring after him. What the fuck just happened?
When Jamie turned to me, her smile was forced, and I swore I saw a slight tremble in her chin.
Shaking off the weirdness that had just transpired between her and Edge, I took her hand and led her to the dressing rooms. I waited while she changed. And when she returned, wearing jeans and a sweater, I felt a little better. She’d effectively removed some of the temptation, although she still looked ridiculously hot in those jeans.
Neither of us spoke as we walked to the main entrance. After retrieving her coat and helping her into it, I slipped my hand into hers one more time and walked with her to her car.
“Cav?”
“Yes?”
“Are you sure this is something Edge wants? To proceed? To give me this opportunity?”
After our conversation in Edge’s office, I would’ve said yes. However, after that strange interaction between Jamie and Edge a few minutes ago, I wasn’t sure Edge was on the same page anymore. I knew he was attracted to her, knew he wanted to dominate her, but I wasn’t sure Edge was looking for anything more than that. Hell, I wasn’t sure I was looking for more than that, and we both knew this could easily get out of hand if we weren’t careful. But until I satisfied whatever this craving was, I wasn’t going to explain it all away.
“He wouldn’t’ve considered it if he didn’t,” I answered, tacking on a smile. “Now let me have your phone, so I can program my number in.”
Jamie’s eyes lit up, some of the tension draining out of her beautiful features. She opened her car door, ducked inside, then stood tall, passing over her phone. I typed in Edge’s contact information, then mine. And just for good measure, I called myself, then disconnected.
Knowing we couldn’t stand out there all night, I pulled her door open wider and stepped back out of the way. Jamie moved as though she was going to get in, but then she paused and stared back at me. She was almost as tall as I was, but she was significantly smaller. So feminine, so soft. So perfect.
As we stood there, I debated on whether or not I should kiss her good-night. I wanted to. I wanted to meld my lips to hers, to feel her softness and warmth against me. It was all I could think about as I brushed my thumb over her bottom lip. I wanted to know if she tasted as sweet as she looked.
I knew I couldn’t explore her just yet. I wanted to build her anticipation, to make her think about me all damn week. But I wasn’t above teasing her, so I leaned in, allowed my mouth to hover directly over hers. When her breath hitched, I smiled. Damn, but she was going to be fun.
“Good night, cupcake,” I whispered, allowing my lips to barely ghost across hers.
“Good night, Cav.”
It took some doing, but I managed to pull back and smile. When she got into her car, I closed the door and stepped back, watching as she backed out of the parking spot and then left the garage.
Knowing Edge was going to immerse himself in work and effectively ignore me for the rest of the night, I decided to leave, too. If nothing else, it would have him questioning what had happened when I walked Jamie to her car.
And for the moment, I didn’t mind leaving Edge to wonder. I got the feeling this wasn’t going to be nearly as simple as the man thought it would be.
Nothing with him ever was.
FOUR
EDGE
Monday, October 22, 2018
“THE ENTIRE ROOM NEEDS TO BE REDONE,” I clarified, speaking directly to the three men and two women standing before me. “When you’re finished, it’ll look like this.”
I passed over the iPad, the screen reflecting the redesign of what was now a posh bedroom, transforming it into a living room you’d find in an elegant, upscale home.
Considering I spent Mondays at the club, taking advantage of the fact that it was closed, I generally handled any major changes at that point. Since I’d received the new plans from Sierra late yesterday, I figured today would be a good time to tackle the project. Sierra Ackerley-McCoy was Trent Ramsey’s trusted designer for his clubs. She was also the wife of Luke McCoy and Cole Ackerley-McCoy, the owners of a fetish club known as Devotion down in Texas and close friends with Trent. My boss utilized Sierra’s skills when it came to designing his varied theme rooms at his clubs.
And since he insisted on having frequent changes made, I’d hired a team who took care of that for me, led by Deirdre Sloane, a personal friend. She was also in design, and when she worked with Sierra, they tended to come up with some rather interesting selections, namely in conversion furniture, the term they’d given to items that could be converted from standard furniture into hedonistic bondage equipment.
“If you have any questions,” I explained to Deirdre, “just call Sierra.”
“Of course, Edge,” Deirdre said. “I heard a rumor Trent’ll be converting the Wild West room next.”
My thoughts drifted back to Friday night, to a scene that played out in that very room. This one innocent, aside from the wicked thoughts I’d had while talking to Jamie Lautner in that room.
“That’s the rumor,” I replied. “But until the plans come through, it stays the same.”
“Got it.”
While Deirdre and her te
am focused on clearing out the current furniture and equipment, I headed down to the main floor. I was expecting an electrician to arrive to make a few changes to the Doms’ lounge. Another of Trent’s requests. The man was constantly updating this space, coming up with new ideas he expected me to implement. And since he paid me a more than decent salary to manage this place, I did his bidding without question.
“Well, don’t you look spiffy?”
As I stepped off the last step and onto the main floor, I gave a distracted glance in the direction of the voice.
“Thanks for coming in, Cambria.” I made a beeline for the bar. “The electrician should be here momentarily. I have to run, but I’ll try to be back before he’s finished.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said in that always calm tone of hers.
Cambria Manning had been, for lack of a better term, my assistant for the past year. Although it wasn’t an official job title, she was the one person I could rely on to handle club issues when I was needed elsewhere. Had it not been for the fact she was a submissive, I figured she could run this place as well as, if not better than, I did. However, Master status at the club was required for my role, therefore she was relegated to simply assisting.
“Are you meeting with a client?” she asked, making her way toward me.
“Yeah.” I glanced up, caught a good look at her, and smiled. “Talk about spiffy.”
“This old thing?” She peered down at herself. “This is my Monday-morning, have-to-be-in-court-first-thing outfit.”
After making my way out from behind the bar, I headed toward the maintenance closet. “Sometimes I have a hard time believing you’re a judge.”
Cambria laughed, a sweet sound. “It’s only hard to imagine when I’m naked and laid out while some Dom beats on me.”
“True.” I’d played with Cambria on occasion, but never sexually. For whatever reason, the two of us had always kept that distance between us. Since we worked together, it made sense, although I don’t think either of us had planned it that way.
I returned with a set of keys, passed them over.
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