On the Edge of Fear

by Thianna D

  Chapter Eight

  Ryan held her as the boat bounced its way toward Elan Isle. Holding Alexis on his lap felt amazing. He had no idea how they would help her, but he had to try. He liked her and was impressed at her ability to stay alive and not harden after five years on the street. There were some in the BDSM lifestyle whose kink was prostitution, but it wasn’t one of his. And it wasn’t one of Alexis’s. She did it to survive.

  Luke sat up next to their father but every once in a while would look over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed as if trying to figure her out. All Ryan had told them was that Kendrick was going to talk to her about a job for the summer. They didn’t need to know anything else. He could tell she was ashamed of her past and had no intention of telling anyone. That was her business.

  There were several Doms on the island who had helped subs get over tragic pasts. He planned on tapping each and every one of them to be able to help her. While Ryan might not be a real Dom yet, he’d do what he could.

  Their speed slowed and he watched as the island loomed up ahead of them. He needed to project calm to help her, but he admitted to himself that he was nervous. What if they couldn’t hire her without an ID? What if she couldn’t abide by the Elan Isle Code of Conduct? She’d been on her own for a long time. Would she be able to obey someone besides herself?

  “Go ahead, Ryan,” his father said. “Luke and I can do this. I’m sure Kendrick’s waiting.”

  There was no doubt about that. Kendrick had said as much. If there was ever a man of his word, it was Kendrick Finleigh.

  Alexis clung to his hand as they walked up the trail. Her belongings all lay in a ragged backpack that was held together with duct tape. When he went with her to her hotel to get her things, he’d been horrified by the state of it. The place looked like it could fall down at the next wind and stank of mold and mildew. But he hadn’t let that show. It was all she could afford. Ryan was never more grateful that he had loving parents who had never let him or his brother down.

  When they approached the office, she froze. He turned toward her and saw fear in those beautiful brown eyes.

  “Hey,” he murmured and pulled her close. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “You don’t know that,” she murmured, her body trembling.

  “Nobody’s going to harm you, Alexis. Not here. We won’t let it happen.” Though if they didn’t hire her, he supposed he’d have to take her back to the peninsula the next day. But he couldn’t imagine Kendrick wouldn’t find a way. The man could do anything.

  She took a couple deep breaths and then nodded. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

  He beamed with pride at her willingness to try. She was amazing.

  Ryan opened the front door and they walked into the main area. It had a wall of mail boxes, an outgoing mail slot, a bulletin board, and a marketing poster for Elan Isle. They stepped through into the hallway and he looked into James’s office. James was the town accountant and Alec’s sub. His brown hair stuck up behind his monitor.

  “Hey, James.”

  James looked up and smiled. “Hi, Ryan.” A little yip accompanied his words and three-legged Zippo, his chihuahua, trotted into view. He was the friendliest chihuahua Ryan had ever met. As expected, Alexis ooh’d and ahh’d over him and Zippo wriggled as she scratched him. “Kendrick said to send you back when you got here.”

  “Aren’t you working late?” Ryan asked, surprised to find him there. It was after seven o’clock.

  James winced. “Alec’s going to tan my hide for offering to work late again. But don’t tell Kendrick that. Then he’ll want to tan my hide too as he specifically asked if it was okay with Alec if I did. I won’t be able to sit down.”

  Ryan chuckled. “Serve you right.” James grinned and stuck his tongue out.

  He led Alexis down the hallway to Kendrick’s office and knocked on the partially open door.

  “Come in, Ryan.”

  Chapter Nine

  The deep voice made Alexis’s entire body tremble. When Ryan stepped into the office, she half hid behind him and peeked around his shoulder. The man seated behind the desk was big. Strong, wide shoulders made him look like he was wider than a doorway. His muscles showed under his t-shirt. Shoulder-length dirty-blond hair was held back at the nape with a leather thong and startling blue eyes the color of a cloudless day watched her.

  “Thanks for seeing us,” Ryan said quickly. “Kendrick, this is Alexis Amari. Lex, this is Kendrick. He heads up Elan Township and the Faire.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alexis,” Kendrick said. He waved toward two chairs facing his desk. “Have a seat. Ryan says you’re looking for a job.”

  “Well, yes,” she said, feeling completely off. He wasn’t the kind of man to lie or speak disrespectfully to. She’d met men with his kind of power before and they always turned her into a bit of a mouse. “B-but there’s a problem.”

  “No ID.” He kept watching her and his gaze seemed to assess everything he saw. Could he see through to her thievery? Could he see through to the slut she was? “That isn’t as much of a problem as it sounds as my lawyer assures me that while it will take time, we can get you a copy of your birth certificate. However, Ryan said you were born in Italy. Are you an American citizen?”

  “My mom was American. So I have dual citizenship.”

  “Good. We won’t need to get you a green card.” Kendrick sat back and linked his hands behind his head. Those eyes bored into her. “Ryan speaks highly of you which says a lot to me. I trust his judgment. But he also admits he met you on Friday. As such, I’m going to ask some very blunt questions. Anyone who lives on the island or works for us is given a very thorough background check. As you don’t have any ID, any background on you would be nil.”

  He leaned in, his eyes suddenly like spotlights staring straight at her. “I can spot a lie a mile away, Alexis. As long as you tell the truth, we’re good. If you’ve done things in the past you’re ashamed of, guess what? So has anyone who lives here. This will be unlike any job interview you’ve ever had because I’m also interviewing you as someone who will live on the island the entire summer. Nothing will be held back from me. Understand?”

  Goosebumps burst over her flesh and cold trickled through her veins. The man seated across from her was strong and authoritative. Ryan said he was also kind, but all Alexis saw was the raw power in front of her.

  “Yes, Sir,” she whispered.

  Something softened in his blue eyes.

  “Now, if you would like to have Ryan here for this, he may stay, but unless you need him here, I would suggest having him leave. There may be things you wish to tell me that you don’t want him to know yet.”

  She felt a little lightheaded. Was getting a regular job worth this? Giving a blow job would be much simpler.

  “What do you think?” Ryan asked. “I’ll wait in James’s office while you have your interview.”

  Alexis wanted to run from the room but she was trapped on an island. It wasn’t like there was an easy way off. “Okay,” she whispered. He squeezed her hand and pressed a brief kiss to the top of her head. It sent warmth cascading down her body and she wondered if he had any idea how that helped.

  Ryan left, closing the door behind him. Suddenly she was alone with the scary man. Her fingers shook, so she laced them together.

  “Now,” Kendrick said, his voice calm and a little softer. “Tell me about yourself, Alexis. Where are you from?”

  “Well, I was born in Italy. We moved to the States when I was eleven. I’ve been on my own since I was fourteen.”

  “Parents dead?”

  “Mom is.”

  He nodded and moved on. Relief went through her that he did not ask about her father. “So you’ve been scrounging by since you were fourteen. That’s impressive. But I know how things go on the streets. Prostitution?” His tone was incredibly gentle and something about it made her throat close up. She nodded, unable to speak. “Unfortunately that’s one of the few ways for a t
eenager to make money on their own in this day and age. Which is fucking sad. Know that nobody else will know of this. I won’t say a word and it won’t be noted in any file. It’s nobody else’s business. Drugs?”

  “No,” she said, a little sharper than she intended. “First because I couldn’t afford it. Second, because I saw people on drugs. I don’t want that to be me.”

  Kendrick smiled. It was a soft smile, almost fatherly. “I hold no condemnation toward your past. You survived. I find that admirable. If you stay and get to know us, you’ll find many of us have been through hell at some point. It made us who we are.”

  His face went to strong again and she felt whiplash. How could anyone go from caring to dominant so quickly? It left her reeling. “Tomorrow you’ll have to have a complete physical with our physician. Everyone who works the Faire has to have one. Anyone who lives here and is not in a committed monogamous relationship is required to have an STD test monthly. I’m not sure how much you know about BDSM, Alexis, but what we engage in tends to involve some exchange of bodily fluids. We want to be sure that we’re not introducing disease into the pool. Obviously we can’t be one hundred percent positive as we have guests all summer long, but we do what we can. Do you have any objections?”

  She shook her head. “No.” It would be good to hear that she was okay. Alexis had been to a couple free clinics over the years and so far she was disease free. She hoped to stay that way.

  “All right.” He leaned down and pulled a few pieces of paper out of his desk. “Fill these out. I’m going to get our lawyer on the phone so he can get the information he needs from you to start tracking down your birth certificate.”

  “Are we going to have to contact my father?” she asked nervously. She had no idea how Mateo Amari would react, but she couldn’t imagine it would be good. He’d tossed her out of the house and told her she was “No longer an Amari.”

  “I’m not sure. We’ll ask Ken.”

  She filled out the form while he talked to his lawyer. The first part she had to leave blank as she had no address or social security number. A couple times as she went through, she considered making something up like she’d done in the past, but then she’d glance at Kendrick and the firm expression on his face made her decide honesty was the best policy.

  After the first page, she got to the Elan Isle Code of Conduct. There were a lot of rules. Some made sense. Others made her a bit more uncomfortable.

  When a Dom asks you a question, you will be honest at all times.

  Surely not every guy who called himself a Dom required such honesty. Complete honesty wasn’t even possible. White lies didn’t count. She took a deep breath and moved on.

  Stealing is absolutely forbidden. If you are found stealing, you’ll be punished by the Discipline Master. If the offense is bad enough, you’ll be punished and kicked off the island.

  A cold sweat broke out along her forehead and throat. She’d stolen money from a lot of people on Friday. But that was before she came to this interview. Kendrick said he found the fact she’d survived admirable. Something told her he would not find her thievery at the Faire acceptable.

  “Those rules are enforced from this moment forward,” he said as she read them. “If you have broken any of them on the island before this point, you need to tell me. We’ll take care of that now. If you don’t tell me and it comes out later? You’ll be turned over to the Discipline Master for his particular brand of punishment.”

  Her heart raced and it pounded in her ears. “What do you mean we’ll take care of it?” she asked, her eyes on the sheet. “Not that I’ve done anything,” she said with a really fake laugh. “I… umm—” Words left her and she closed her mouth.

  Why did he keep watching her? His gaze never left her. He even seemed to notice when her fingers shook. It was like being under a sharp spotlight.

  “It depends on the infraction,” he said firmly. “If everything you said was a lie, I would say goodbye, but I’m pretty sure that’s not the case. For a small amount of dishonesty, you would at the minimum receive a lecture.” He waved toward a long thin piece of leather on the wall. “If I found out you stole from one of us, you would receive ten strikes with that. I would extract the full reason why you stole and a promise you’d never do it again.”

  A little bile rose in her throat at the thought of the strong man in front of her hitting her with that leather thing. It was bound to hurt. The worst part was how he had mentioned the two items that bothered her the most. Did he have X-ray eyes?

  “I haven’t lied,” she whispered. Omissions did not count. “And I haven’t stolen from you.” I’m pretty sure. She’d only stolen from guests, she hoped.

  “Alexis,” he said gently. “Your nerves are showing. If you’re just scared because this is new, tell me and I won’t say another word about it. Something tells me it’s more than that. You’ll feel better if you confess whatever it is before we continue. Guilt is a pain in the ass and it will bite.”

  She closed her eyes. If she told him the truth, he would smack her with that nasty piece of leather and kick her off the island. Ryan wouldn’t talk to her again. The image of what Ryan’s face might look like when he found out she’d stolen on Faire grounds filled her mind and she mentally shook it away. Her smiling prince wouldn’t smile at her anymore.

  He would never find out because she would never tell anyone.

  However, she had met bulldog men before. They needed something to get them off the trail.

  Alexis sat back and kneaded her palm. “I’m afraid,” she whispered. “I’ve never done anything like this.”

  “This as in…” Kendrick waited for her to fill in the blank. Damn him.

  “A real job.” She glanced up at him and then back down. “I’ve tried before but with not having a real ID, it didn’t work. I’m worried what will happen if someone does contact my father. He hates me.”

  “This wouldn’t be the first time we’ve been faced with an angry father, Alexis. We can handle that. Ken will handle getting your birth certificate. Then we’ll get your Social Security Number. Here’s what you need to consider. This is going to take weeks. Perhaps the entire summer. In the meantime, you’ll have a place to sleep and two meals a day. I’ll ask you to do odd jobs but until we get your identification, I won’t be able to pay you for them. Instead, it will be on a barter system. We give you room and board, you work for us for X-hours per week.”

  No incoming money. But since she wouldn’t have any money going out, that was okay. She could save her current nine hundred and eighty-two dollars to have something to start out with at the end of the summer. Maybe on the last day of the Faire she could pick a few pockets to pad that money. A little embarrassed at the fact she was already planning on breaking the code of conduct, she scuffed her shoe on the carpet. “What kind of jobs? I don’t really have a lot of skills.”

  Kendrick chuckled, surprising her. “My dear girl. You have a load of skills. You’ve just never realized it. We’ll try you on a few things. With Ryan busy with the spanking booth, I’ll have you work with Christine in delivering lunch and dinner to the shops. We have basic things like cutting down the weeds and a few of the cabins that still need painting. We have work for you. And if one thing doesn’t work, we’ll try something else. We don’t give up easily, Alexis. If someone is worthy of our attention, we don’t give up at all.”

  She was definitely not worthy of their attention. However, the thought of having guaranteed food and a room, and not having to pick pockets or worry about where her next meal was coming from, was enticing. As was the thought of seeing Ryan more.

  “I’d like to try.”

  He smiled. “Good. Finish reading that and sign at the bottom. James recently moved in with Alec so his cabin is free. You’ll probably end up with at least one more roommate, possibly three, but it will be warm and safe.”

  She felt a little lighter and while not sure why, she quickly read through the rest of the rules and signed her name
. Alexis Natalya Amari. It had been a long time since she had used her middle name. It felt important. She smiled at her signature.

  “Since it’s almost eight o’clock, let me show you to your cabin. Tomorrow I’ll want you to meet with Dr. Myles first thing. His office is on the Faire grounds and opens at nine.” He picked up his phone and hit a few buttons. “Mick, I know it’s late but is there anything left…? Perfect. Can you put that in a to-go container? I’ll come pick it up… Thanks.” He put the receiver down. “We’ll go pick you up some dinner first. Come.” Kendrick stood up and held out his hand. “Welcome to Elan Isle and Ye Olde Kinke Faire, Alexis.”

  Chapter Ten

  Ryan was up before dawn. The Faire wasn’t open on Tuesdays, but he was excited to spend time with Alexis. They wouldn’t see too much of each other while the Faire was operating as he would be busy with the booth and she would be working odd jobs. But there were all the off days to spend together. He didn’t want to miss any of them.

  “What are you doing?” Luke groaned as Ryan made his bed. “The sun isn’t up yet.”

  “Off to see Lexi. Talk to you later,” Ryan whispered.

  Luke pulled his head up and blinked his eyes open. He’d been asleep when Ryan came home a few hours earlier, so he hadn’t been able to tease him. Obviously being sleepy hadn’t stopped his brain from working. “First girlfriend and you’re already whipped.”

  Ryan snorted. “I’ll hold the whip, thanks.”

  His brother wrinkled his nose. “Don’t go there.”

  “You went there first.”

  “You know that wasn’t what I meant.”

  While Ryan was heavily attracted to BDSM and developing the dominant within, Luke abhorred the whole concept. It was a sticking point between them. As identical twins, they had shared everything growing up. They shared a bedroom now as their parents’ cabin only had two bedrooms. Not being able to share an important part of his life with his brother was difficult.

  “I like Alexis,” he finally said as he picked up his shoes. “I’ve never met a girl like her.”