by Anya Summers
Shep met him at the docks with a pensive expression. “Are we good?” Shep asked.
“Just be prepared to grovel if necessary. You know that she’s the one for us and whatever we need to do to win her back, we will do. Understood?”
“I love how you take charge, you man you,” Shep said with a straight face before he almost bust a gut laughing.
“Cut it out, dickwad. This shit is serious,” Deke growled. Sometimes he wanted to strangle Shep.
“I know, I just thought you could use a laugh. You’re too serious most of the time, even when you’re balls deep in sweet Yvette’s cunt.”
“One of us needs to be,” Deke muttered. “Let’s go. Follow my lead and don’t do anything stupid.”
Shep saluted him before falling into step beside him as they headed to the hotel and the club. Deke wondered whether she would be there. They took the elevator up and entered the club. It was early yet, but Deke wanted to stake out a prime location so that they could spot Yvette the moment she came through the front door.
He selected one of the empty couches facing the elevator after completing a visual search of the rest of the club. Deke would recognize her anywhere but she was nowhere to be found.
“Want anything?” Shep asked.
“A beer would be nice. Limit the alcohol tonight. I need you in total control of your senses.” Deke never drank much. Not after everything he had experienced growing up. His drug of choice had been cocaine in those days, pot or mushrooms if he couldn’t get his hands on coke. And since he had gotten clean, he rarely—if ever—drank and when he did, he had a two drink limit he never went over. It was part of his control, where his need to dominate everything in his life, including a woman, had sprung from.
“Yes, Mum.” Shep rolled his eyes and walked away with a swagger in his step. Deke didn’t know how he could be so calm and so certain. He felt wound up tight, as though the other shoe would drop at any second. Deke returned his gaze to the front of the club, nodding at passing Doms while his attention was focused on the elevator doors. Then it hit him. Wait a bleeding second. He glanced back at Shep just as the elevator doors dinged.
Deke redirected his focus to the stream of submissives entering the club. No Yvette. But the cute redhead Miriam was part of the crowd, wearing a black catsuit that looked slicked on. Deke wondered who the lucky Dom would be.
“Miriam,” Deke said as she passed the couch.
“Yes, Master D?” she asked.
“Have you seen Yvette this evening?” Deke asked, hating to involve anyone outside their circle.
“Yeah, I have. She’s working registration this evening,” Miriam replied.
“Really? I thought she worked mornings.”
Miriam shrugged. “Usually she does, but she wasn’t feeling well this morning, apparently, something she ate, so she asked me to switch shifts with her.”
Deke knew precisely why Yvette had called off work that morning and guilt threatened to choke him. If Shep was using painkillers again and Deke had failed to notice what was going on with him, Deke was doubly to blame for this morning’s mishap. If Shep had been in his right mind, it never would have happened. There was a reason why he and Shep were inseparable. Deke had helped Shep get sober a decade ago. They were both former addicts who watched each other’s backs and made sure the other didn’t slip up.
“Thank you for telling me, Miriam. Have a nice evening,” Deke said, dismissing her.
“You too, Master D,” Miriam said. She turned to leave but then she hesitated. “Master D, I know it’s not my place, but when it comes to Yvette, you have to realize she will shy away from any drama or anything that makes her feel insecure. If you understood the microscope she lived under growing up, you’d realize that she tends to think she is not deserving of affection.”
“It’s not your place, but I thank you for it anyway,” Deke murmured. It was food for thought and the knowledge might help him—them—conquer her misgivings about them.
“And while I am pulling for you two, if ya’ll hurt her, I will cut your things off.” Miriam said her threat so sweetly, it almost sounded like she was planning to take them for ice cream instead of castration. His balls shriveled up at the thought. Before he could reprimand her, she swiveled on her heels, her bright red curls bouncing as she strode away with a spring in her step.
Shep chose that moment to come sit down and handed Deke a beer. “What was that all about?” He nodded in Miriam’s direction to where she was sitting with a group of subs on couches near the inner ring.
“Just figuring out where Yvette was this evening.” Deke took a sip of his beer, studying Shep, knowing that if he leaned forward to check and see if his pupils were dilated, there would be a tussle. He wouldn’t do that to him here, mainly because he understood. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t box his ears in private and then get him to rehab if necessary.
“And where is she?” Shep asked.
“Working. She switched her shift with Miriam’s.”
“Did she say why?”
“Only that Yvette wasn’t feeling well. But we both know that was a lie.” Deke glared at him.
“Fuck, man, I didn’t mean to, you know that.”
“Well, it’s our job to make sure Yvette understands that. I have a question for you.”
“Shoot,” Shep said.
“You using again?” Deke prayed he was wrong. And, just as he suspected, Shep’s back went up.
He snarled defensively. “Just because I effed up this morning doesn’t mean I’m doping again.”
“You sure?” Deke asked, pushing, as it had been his job to do as Shep’s sponsor a million years ago.
“Ya know what? Call me when you want to top Yvette, otherwise stop acting like my goddamn parent.” Shep stood and strode over to the bar, leaving Deke alone.
Deke would rather have Shep pissed off and defensive but know the truth than to blithely move forward. If Shep was doping again, he could inadvertently harm their sub, and Deke would protect her, even from Shep if he must. And she was theirs, she just didn’t realize it yet.
Deke stayed long enough to drink his beer and converse with a few of the other Doms. Jeff, a big bulldog of a Dom, stopped by as he was about to depart.
They shook hands. “Jeff, what’s happening?” Deke asked.
“Besides the fact that I’m hoping I can entice the redhead into a scene? Jared and I were talking earlier and wanted to give all the captains a heads up.”
“What about?”
“There’s a low-pressure system in the Atlantic that’s a real bitch. Shaping up into a hurricane, and the national weather service says we have nothing to worry about, but—”
“Anything can happen at this point,” Deke concluded. He liked Jeff. The former Miami cop was a good Dom, and he manned the security room like a shark.
“Precisely. It’s a few days out, and with any luck the jet stream will keep that bitch in the middle of the Atlantic.”
“Thanks for the heads up. I’ll keep in touch if I notice the swells getting too violent.”
“Perfect. You’re leaving?” Jeff asked.
“I have an early start,” Deke explained. And a sub to track down, but he kept that thought to himself. He would approach her without Shep tonight and see how she responded. He might be able to soothe her ruffled feathers without Shep’s ego and interference. Shep would be all bluster and bruised ego.
“Good night then. And I see my opening.” Jeff walked away with Miriam in his sights. That one was a handful and more of a headache than Deke wanted. He far preferred his sweet Yvette—when she wasn’t throwing things and acting like a vengeful fury.
Deke left the club with a fleeting glance at Shep, who was laughing at something Derek had said to him and completely ignoring Deke. It was fine, Deke didn’t have it in him tonight to soothe Shep’s bruised ego. He was more concerned with their sub’s malcontent. One problem at a time.
CHAPTER 8
Y vette finish
ed her evening shift and headed home as soon as Gertrude arrived. She wasn’t any closer to an answer as to what she should do regarding Deke and Shep. It wouldn’t be so bad if she didn’t like them or want to have a relationship with them. Because she did. Each man was different, and a Dom in his own right.
With Deke, she just wanted to sink into his embrace and never let go. Whereas Shep made her burn with all manner of indecent thoughts. Between them, she wanted for nothing. So Shep had gotten caught up in the moment. It happened, didn’t it? Granted, it was the first time it had ever happened to Yvette, but she had to believe there had been no malice or ulterior motive involved. Otherwise her mother’s latest slight would haunt her.
She changed into her pajamas; a pink chemise and shorts with the words Bite Me emblazoned over her butt. Her mother, while well-meaning, had never understood Yvette’s need for submission or desire to be part of the BDSM lifestyle. When she tried explaining it to her, her mother’s reaction had been all about the type of life she thought Yvette should lead, how she should be more like her sister, Jessamyn, or her brother, Frederick. But Yvette didn’t want their lives. It suited them, the staid nine to five, with no excitement, and boring partners who wouldn’t know a clitoris if it bit them. Was her life what she had envisioned as a child? No.
But whose life was? She needed to submit to be happy, and in taking this job she had finally decided to stop trying to conform her life and her being into something that was acceptable to her family. She had chosen herself.
It became difficult when it seemed as though the lifestyle didn’t want her in it. And while Yvette knew in her mind that that wasn’t true, her heart was another matter entirely. She had waited so long to have any Dom express interest, that when one finally had, she had leapt before looking to see if there was ground beneath her feet.
She poured herself a glass of chardonnay. She would watch a film with some wine, she might even break out the chocolate, then she would head to bed. Maybe she needed a night to herself, turning it all off, to make her decision.
At the knock, she set the bottle down on the counter and headed over to the front door. Sliding the bolt, she opened it and before she had a chance to process anything, Deke strode inside, shutting the door behind him. His hands cupped her cheeks and his mouth, his glorious, wonderful, seductive mouth battered at her defenses as he kissed her. This wasn’t his normal, languid seduction at play, but the demanding, dominant claiming of a Master. Her every submissive cell purred in delight at his commanding gesture.
He walked her backward until her back met with her fridge and she couldn’t escape his hold. Only then did he stop his delicious assault on her senses. All her objections, the fury that she’d built up throughout the day, fell away with every stroke of his tongue. It was only when he broke the kiss that she realized she had wrapped her arms around him and that one of her legs had hitched itself around his waist.
Hopeless, that was what she was.
Deke’s chocolate gaze was filled with lust and concern as he searched her features. “Are you all right, kitten? I’ve been worried about you today.”
There was no lie in his eyes, only concern and regret. It warmed her heart. Maybe she hadn’t been wrong about them. “Yes, Sir. I just needed some space.”
“I understand. Shep and I can be a handful, what with his hard head and mine.” He gave her a half grin and she laughed.
“That you are, Sir. Where is Shep?” This was the first time she’d been alone with Deke. They were normally together and it was unusual seeing one without the other.
“I grounded him tonight so that we might talk.”
“Really?”
“He doesn’t know I’m here.”
Unease filtered through her. “Okay, I know he made a mistake. I just needed time to freak out a bit. I’m not necessarily in a position where getting pregnant would be ideal. I’d work it out, but it would be difficult.”
“You know, Shep and I would take care of you if that were the case.”
She winced. She remembered what it was like to have someone say they would be there, only to have them disappear.
“You’re going to explain that look, kitten. Don’t make me pull it out of you.” Deke’s visage brooked no room for argument. If she kept this from him, she would be breaking a cardinal rule of a Dom/sub relationship. If she wanted a chance with him and Shep, it started with her being honest with them.
“Okay, but I need a drink first, Sir.”
He backed away, giving her the space she needed to collect her wine glass. “Can I get you anything? Would you like a glass?”
“Just that sweet ass of yours. Thank you for the suggestion, by the way, I plan on doing just that once we are done,” Deke mentioned, gesturing to the saying on her shorts, and then pulling her into the living room once she had her wine glass. He sat down on her couch and hoisted her onto his lap.
His hands were everywhere. “Sir, I’m not trying to top from the bottom or anything, but I can’t focus when you’re touching me like that. It’s not that I don’t want you to, but for me to be able to focus, can you stop for the time being? I promise you can put them wherever you want to once we are done.”
He gave her a crooked smile. “I’ll hold you to that. Now, what was that look about when I mentioned us taking care of you?”
She took a long sip of wine, to steady herself and to drum up her courage. “A few years ago, back home in Florida, I met a Dom. Kurt was wonderful. We clicked instantly. Maybe that should have tipped me off. I moved in with him right away. Little by little, he began correcting everything I did and said. Nothing I did was ever just right. And then I got pregnant.”
Even now, thinking of the tiny bulge in her abdomen made her weepy and she couldn’t have stopped the single tear that escaped if she’d tried. Deke was there. He caught it with his thumb, his chocolate gaze steady and sure like a mountain. “What happened, kitten, after you got pregnant?”
“He got mean. His light jesting and comments turned ugly. He never hit me, but words can do damage, sometimes more so than fists. He left by the time I was little more than eight weeks along. He couldn’t handle the pressure of impending parenthood, but I was resolved to do it alone. This was my baby now, even without him. I had just entered my second trimester when I woke up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain and with blood staining my sheets. So much blood. I knew then and there that I had miscarried, which the doctors at the hospital later confirmed. It was there that the doctor let it slip in front of my mother, telling me that I should avoid the lifestyle for a bit until my body recovered—letting the cat out of the bag, as it were.”
“Baby, why didn’t you say something sooner? You know Shep and I would never do that.” Deke stroked her hair, his gaze so protective and warm it made her want to snuggle into his arms and never come out.
“I know, but the possibility of it, even remotely, spooked me. I’m sorry. I just needed to freak out for a bit.”
“And how does your mother feel about you being in the lifestyle?” Deke asked. His reassurance and strength were seeping past her defenses.
“That it’s just a rebellious phase that will end. Last week, she phoned and asked me when I was coming home to get a real job and grown-up life. Just like my perfect, holier-than-thou siblings.”
“She’s wrong, you know, your mom. You are precisely where you should be. And as for the bloody bastard, Kurt, I’d like to show him a thing or two, mainly my fists. Just because you had one bad Dom doesn’t mean the rest of us are like that.”
“I know, Sir. I do, but it does worry me. I’m not certain I will get over it.”
“Perhaps, given time, if you give us a chance to show you.” He removed her empty wineglass from her hand and placed it on the side table. “You will start to believe you deserve more.”
Deke cupped her chin and kissed her so tenderly it brought tears to her eyes. Then he carried her into her bedroom and laid her down. His big body followed hers. She o
ffered no resistance but welcomed him to her bed.
Deke enticed her, seducing her with his touch. Everywhere he touched with his hands, his lips followed. It was like he was learning her body, imprinting her on his brain. By the time he removed her chemise, she was trembling like a leaf in gale force winds. Except, this time, he didn’t restrain her hands, but left her free to do likewise with his body.
She marveled over the firmness of his tanned shoulders and scraped her nails through the whorls of inky black hair covering his pecs. She teased the flat disks of his nipples and he nipped at her shoulder. He moved until his head was hovering over her breasts, then shot her a look filled with lust. Heat blasted her system as he tongued one of her nipples with a series of flicks before drawing it inside.
She arched her back, feeding him her breast, and he siphoned the nipple into his mouth and bit down. Pleasure spiraled and spiked in her bloodstream. He played with her nipple, teasing it, nibbling around the turgid peak until it swelled and pointed toward the ceiling. Then he started the entire process over with its twin.
Yvette’s head fell back and she dug her fingers into his shoulders. He growled with her tit in his mouth as she undulated her hips against the rising bulge in his crotch. Deke released her breast and placed a series of open-mouthed kisses upon her belly. It was the gentle one over her abdomen that brought tears to her eyes once more. He was trying to kiss away her hurts.
And then his tongue swished under the waistband of her shorts and stole her breath. Deke drew them down her legs and off, spreading her thighs wide to accommodate the wide breadth of his shoulders.
Yvette watched his dark head descend between her thighs. He gazed at her as he swiped his tongue through her slit. She moaned unabashed as he tortured her in the most pleasurable way possible. He curled his tongue around her clit, stroking the swollen nub as he set about learning every facet of her pussy. There was not a place his tongue didn’t venture.