by Lexi Blake
“You’re in a seat belt, darlin’.” Trev seemed to be in a much happier mood now that he’d had some caffeine and gotten his morning bondage session in.
Bo felt good, too. “Two in fact.”
“And whoever pulls us over isn’t going to care that I’m naked?”
He had an answer for that, too. “If we get pulled over, I’ll throw this blanket over you. It’s okay. I use it on horses.”
“Nice, Bo,” Beth replied, sarcasm dripping.
Trev chuckled. “Maybe we should try pony play. I think she would look good with a tail.”
“I know what that is, Trevor McNamara. I am not letting you shove a horsetail in my backside. Consider that a hard limit.”
Bo couldn’t help but laugh. She sounded so prim and proper for a woman wearing a rope dress. The whole time Trev had been tying her up, he’d explained Shibari to Bo. It was Japanese rope bondage. Naturally, Leo taught a class.
Trev slapped lightly at the steering wheel. “I blame Lexi for that. Imagine. I find that most elusive of prey, the natural submissive. I manage to take her down, to make her mine, and Lexi writes a book that explains all the ways for a sub to manipulate her Dom.”
“A contract isn’t manipulation,” Beth retorted. “And shouldn’t we talk about this? Shouldn’t we talk about whether or not I want my vajayjay on display?”
Trev turned to him. “Bo, there’s a ball gag in my bag.”
“I’ll be quiet,” Beth said quickly.
“I think I have something I could gag her with,” Bo offered. His dick had been hard as a rock ever since she’d taken her clothes off.
“We’ll get to that.” Trev turned up the long driveway.
The house came into view. Bo stared at it. Sometimes he hated that house. There was a reason he’d moved into one of the smaller houses on the ranch the minute he’d been able to. That house held a lot of bad memories.
“We’re going to talk about it, you know.” Trev was looking at him, his face set in a serious expression.
Bo didn’t say a word, merely watched as his brother stepped out on the porch, Lucas at his side. Trev had to park behind a Volvo. Ike, Aidan’s big mutt, was trotting across the yard. “Hey, isn’t that your sister’s car?”
Trev nodded. “Yes, I want to talk to her. I thought it best we did it away from her husband.”
Aidan waved as he stepped down from the porch. Bo took a minute. His brother loved him. He knew that, but he’d never shared what had happened that night with anyone but Beth. Was he ready to open up to Trev? Hell, was he ready to trust Trev? He was happy with where they were, just starting to wrap his mind around it, but to tell him what had happened was to show Trev a piece of his soul he wasn’t sure he wanted to share.
Lucas looked into the back of the truck. “Ah, it’s going to be one of those days. I look forward to them.”
“Oh, my god. I’ll take the blanket now. I don’t care if it smells like a horse.” Beth’s whole body had turned a bright shade of pink the minute she’d realized Aidan and Lucas could see her.
Trev got out and quickly moved to open the back door. “No, you won’t. And think carefully before you use your safe word. This is the lifestyle, darlin’. You’re not going to shock anyone here. What do Doms do with their pretty subs in Lexi’s books?”
Bo was going to have to read Lexi’s books. Apparently they were a how-to manual of some kind. BDSM for Dummies. He hopped out of the cab and went to stand by Trev.
“They show them off,” Beth replied.
Trev turned his eyes to Bo. “Is this not the prettiest sub you’ve ever seen?”
Bo watched Beth relax a little. She was getting turned on, and more than that, she was gaining confidence. She never would have handled Clarissa the way she had this morning without Trev. Bo had wanted to save her, but Trev had explained that part of her training was to learn to stick up for herself. She wasn’t a fragile flower. She was an amazing woman, and hell, yeah, he wanted to show her off.
He smiled down at her. “You’re gorgeous, baby. And I really do want to watch that football game. Seriously, if you had wanted to stay home, you would have fixed the satellite dish first, but no, you had to make the bedroom all pretty.”
Trev hauled her out of the cab like a piece of luggage. “Come on, sweet thing. Aidan and Lucas aren’t going to blush.”
“No, I’m already thinking about how to get Lexi to turn her bratty mouth on me so I can truss her up, too.” If Aidan was shocked by the fact that Bo had come over for Sunday dinner with a woman dressed only in some rope, he didn’t show it.
“She’s being punished for far more than a bratty mouth.” Trev had her over his shoulder, her gorgeous ass in the air. The rope split her cheeks like a thong.
“She lied and didn’t let us protect her,” Bo explained. Just thinking about it made him angry all over again.
“I tried to explain that.” Beth wiggled on Trev’s shoulder.
Without really thinking about it, Bo reached out and smacked her ass. “There’s no explanation for letting some asshole shoot at you and not even calling out my name.”
Aidan’s eyes got wide. He turned to Trev. “I thought you were going to take him as a sub.”
Trev shook his head. “He’s not really a sub. He’s Bo. He’s different. And I’ll train him the way I think he needs to be trained. I do not expect, nor welcome, your interference. This is between me and Bo.”
Aidan took a step back. “He’s my brother.”
“And he’s my partner. I don’t give you advice on how to deal with Lucas.”
“I’m fine, Aidan.” The last thing he wanted was for Trev and Aidan to throw down. He could smell dinner, and the game was about to start. And he really wanted to get to the part of Beth’s punishment where he got to shove his cock into her mouth. “I’m happy. Stay out of it.”
Lucas put a hand on Aidan’s shoulder. “Careful what you wish for. Your brother already seems different. Now, let’s head inside. Trev, your sister is waiting on you. She and Leo have been sniping at each other since she walked in the door. It’s funny.”
“Can I get into the barn?” Trev asked. “She’s got at least four hours of this.”
“Four hours?” Beth practically shouted.
Trev smacked her ass now. “I can make it more. It’s only fair. You shaved a good year off Bo’s life.”
“Yep.” He could still remember the terror he’d felt. It had only been matched by that night his father had asked him to come into his office. Bo shoved the memory aside. “I think four hours is fair.”
“Traitor.” Beth’s face was deliciously red, and her lips pouted.
Bo gave her a wink that had her huffing as Trev walked her toward the barn.
Leo stepped out of the house, his face red and his fists clenched. He looked like a man ready to hit something, but his expression eased quickly into the placid look he normally wore. “That is an excellent tortoiseshell design. You’ve been practicing. Ah, and you’re obviously an indulgent Master. You’ve tied that perfectly. She’s going to enjoy that.”
“I’m not enjoying it now,” Beth complained.
Bo smacked her ass again. It was actually kind of fun.
Leo reached out and patted Bo’s back. “Ah, Bo, exploring your inner Master. Very nice. You wanted to talk to me, Trev? You need to talk fast because I’m heading back to Dallas as soon as I can. It’s been pointed out to me that I’m only causing trouble here.”
Bo watched Trev’s face tighten. He shifted Beth off his shoulder and passed her to Bo. She was a sweet handful, and her breasts poked out of their bindings like flowers waiting to be plucked.
Trev passed him a small bag. Bo was pretty sure he knew what was in it. “You’ll know what to do with that. Settle her down in the barn. I believe Aidan has a place for her to rest while she thinks about what to do the next time someone shoots at her.”
Bo knew his way to the barn.
“Are you sure he’s treating you ri
ght?” Aidan asked, walking behind him.
“It’s fine. What, did you talk to him or something?” Bo didn’t like that thought.
“I asked him to consider taking you as his sub.”
Bo felt his eyes roll. “Thank god he didn’t listen. I’m not a sub. I’m really not. Trev offered to share Beth with me, not spank my ass when I’m bad. Though I suspect he would kick it. And he might kick yours if you keep putting your nose in our business. Seriously. I will help him.”
Aidan stopped and allowed Bo to walk into the barn on his own.
Bo placed her gently on the long cot Aidan affectionately referred to as the rack. He rolled her to her side. A deep sense of love rushed across him. He was getting used to the crazy lifestyle Beth wanted. “You comfortable?”
Her lips curled up. “As comfortable as I can be while tied up fifteen different ways. Kiss me and I’ll feel better.”
He could do that. He leaned over and kissed her, brushing his lips against hers, reveling in her softness. He let his hands find her breasts. “I think you’re beautiful like this. I’m beginning to understand why this lifestyle is so tempting. It’s the only time I get to be in charge of anything.”
He pulled the bag up and opened it, letting her see the anal plug and lube Trev had sent.
Beth groaned. “Seriously?”
“Maybe next time, you’ll mention someone’s trying to kill you.” He rolled her over and pushed her knees up. Trev knew what he was doing. She was perfectly placed for what he needed to do. He lubed up the plug and pushed the rope over so he could get to her asshole. “Damn, that is pretty.”
“I thought you didn’t like anal sex.”
Bo placed the plug’s tip to her asshole. “I changed my mind. I want to fuck you every way I can. I want to try everything. I think I was hesitant before because I didn’t love those other women. I want it all now. I want it because I can trust you. You won’t hold anything against me.”
“Never, Bo.” She groaned as he started to fuck her with the plug. “Oh, god. Oh. Oh. Oh.”
And Bo finally got what Leo had meant when he’d praised Trev for being a kind Master. The rope dress he’d made hit Beth’s clitoris any time he touched her backside. Plugging Beth was going to prove to be a pleasurable punishment. Maybe Trev hadn’t meant for that to happen, but he doubted it. Trev wasn’t some sadist who only got pleasure from another’s pain. Trev was a Dom because he needed it. Because he was out of control without it.
Maybe Bo needed it, too. Aidan was wrong. He didn’t want to be someone’s sub. He didn’t want to be taken care of. But he did want this.
He pressed the plug in as Beth cried out. Her legs twitched, but there was nowhere for her to go. She was caught.
He let the rope slide back into place. “Can you do that on your own?”
She wiggled, and the glaze that came across her eyes told Bo yes. “Do you think Trev knows?”
“I think he knows. Now behave. I’ll see if I can’t get Trev to relax your punishment a little.” He’d like to have her on his lap while he watched the game. He and Trev could pass her back and forth.
The door to the barn came open, and Lexi O’Malley entered, her hands full of her laptop and a glass with a straw. Beth gasped.
“Aidan told me what was happening. Oh, he tied that well. Aidan’s not so good with rope. I bet that knot feels really good.”
Beth’s whole skin flushed.
“Do you want a blanket?” Trev hadn’t given him specific instructions.
Lexi looked between Bo and Beth. “Oh, she’s worried about being naked? Seriously? I could get naked, too. And I bet she got plugged. Yeah, I’m not going to join in on that one. I get that enough on my own, but I thought, while you’re all tied up and stuff, we could work. I need to brainstorm the end game of this book. I’ve been talking to Serena about it and she pointed out a few problems. Hang on. I’ll get her on the line.”
Serena Brooks was an author friend of Lexi’s. They’d bonded over having the same agent and the fact that they were both living the ménage lifestyles they wrote about. Serena had recently become Serena Dean-Miles when she’d married two of McKay-Taggart’s employees.
“Hey, Serena,” Lexi said into her phone. “I know you’re packing for London, but I’ve got Beth here. You know, Mouse. Well, she’s Beth now.”
“Thank god someone stopped calling her that silly nickname,” a feminine voice said over the line.
“Yeah, she’s found a superhot ex-football player Dom and my brother-in-law is topping her now, too,” Lexi explained. “They’ve got her tied up and plugged right in the middle of my barn. I thought it would give us some time to go over that last scene you critiqued for me.”
“She’s tied up in a barn,” Serena mused. “Beth, can you describe that to me. I’d like to take notes.”
Beth’s eyes swung up at Bo.
“Your punishment is complete, baby.” Bo couldn’t help but smile as he stepped away.
Lexi was already talking about external plots and wrapping up something with secondary characters as Bo stepped outside. He could still hear Lexi talking.
It wasn’t the same place. It wasn’t the home where his father had pulled a gun on him and let fate make the decision whether he lived or died. Everything had changed. His father was dead. Time had moved on. He’d survived, and his father hadn’t managed to force him and his brother to hate each other.
He was alive, and he was in love.
Bo stepped toward the house. For the first time in years, there was nothing in his heart but hope.
* * * *
“So you started asking around about Bryce?” Trev asked Liam O’Donnell the question, hating the look in Leo’s eyes as he watched. Despite the fact that Leo’s face was perfectly placid, there was no way to mistake the hollow look in Leo’s eyes. What had his sister said to put that look on his mentor’s face?
O’Donnell had joined them after Bo had taken Beth off to the barn. The Irishman had a beer in his hand and a packed duffel at his side. “I didn’t ask around. Certainly not here. I’m a stranger. I could put on my Midwestern accent and it wouldn’t make a difference. They know I’m staying out at the O’Malley Ranch. They won’t talk to me.”
He was no help. “What exactly do you plan to do then?”
“I called a friend of mine last night after our unfortunate incarceration. Usually I would call Adam, but he leaves for London tomorrow. You’ve met Julian’s in-house security, I assume?” Liam leaned against the front porch railing. He continued when Trev nodded. “Chase sent me a report this morning. I can give it to you. Bryce’s financials are interesting in that they show a very middle-income man. Yet he paid cash for his Escalade. That car was eighty thousand dollars. Now, Shelley’s financials are a bit different.”
“You ran my sister’s financials?” Trev hadn’t expected that, and from the way Leo’s jaw had tightened, he wasn’t happy about it either.
Leo’s eyes went cold. “Your sister has an account in the Caymans. Chase can’t crack into it. Do you know what kind of security Chase can’t crack?”
Liam grinned. “He’s wanted by several foreign governments for hacking. The only reason the US hasn’t arrested him is his work with the CIA. Big Tag likes the hell out of him but mostly that’s because Chase is OCD and Big Tag is an asshole who likes to play pranks.”
Chase Dawson, along with his twin brother Ben, was The Club’s resident private investigator. The two Doms were known for being able to ferret out information that no one else could find. They’d been selected and trained by McKay-Taggart. “Why would my sister have a Cayman account?”
“Because she’s laundering his money,” Leo said under his breath.
“That’s my assessment, too.” Li took a long swig from his beer can.
What the hell was going on? Trev simply couldn’t believe his sister would do anything illegal. “Bryce is a real estate agent. Why the hell does he have dirty money?”
Leo shrugged.
“No idea. It could come from any number of things. He could be embezzling. He could be evading taxes. I don’t know.”
“Here’s what I do know,” Leo began. “Bryce has spent a lot of time traveling. I just asked Shelley about his travel habits. She claims to only know about some trips to Austin for conferences and training seminars. Either she doesn’t know or she’s not willing to tell me the truth.”
Liam took over, speaking in more academic tones than Trev had heard him use. “According to his flight records, he’s been to Washington D.C. and Mexico City. We can’t track him once he hits Mexico City. He could have gotten anywhere from there. His passport doesn’t show anything beyond Mexico, but he was gone for weeks at a time.”
“How is Shelley involved?” What had his sister been through with this guy? And what was Bryce’s angle?
The stony expression was back on Leo’s face. “I don’t know. She claims she doesn’t know about any of it. I’ve been told in no uncertain terms to stay out of her business. I’m taking Li to Dallas to catch his flight. I’m not coming back. She doesn’t want me here. If you need anything, call me. Ben and Chase are taking over the case while Li’s in England.”
Trev put a hand out. “Let me talk to her.”
Leo shook his head. “No. She’s made it plain that she’s happy where she is. She doesn’t want to be rescued. For all I know, she’s perfectly happy with whatever her husband’s doing. So I’m going to leave and stop fucking up her perfect life.”
“Leo, I don’t know what’s happening with her, but that doesn’t sound like my sister. If she’s involved in something bad, she has a good reason for it. If she said something terrible to you, it’s probably because she’s trying to protect you.”
The laugh that came out of Leo’s mouth didn’t hold an ounce of humor. “And that’s even worse. Look, I haven’t slept with your sister. I haven’t touched her. She’s married. I have a lamentable habit of falling for women who are, shall we say, unobtainable. I’m not in love with your sister. I’m interested in her because she’s lovely, submissive, and attached to another male. I can at least be honest with myself about my own flaws. I need to spend some time figuring out what I want. I can’t do that here.”