The Dungeon Fantasy Club

by Anya Summers

  If only a hole would open up in the floor so she could crawl in and hide. This was so not the impression she wanted to make with her partners. What would they think of her?

  "No, sorry, I was just changing. I spilled my coffee and stained the front of my blouse."

  "Don't let us stop you; continue with your little office striptease," Chase teased, wiggling his thick dark eyebrows at her and giving her the distinct urge to giggle.

  Stifling the urge as her embarrassment warred with the rather comical situation, she rolled her eyes at Chase. "Yeah, right. You wish."

  "Every damn day, gorgeous." Chase winked at her.

  Neither man made a move toward leaving her office. They just stood there and were grinning at her little show. Curse and drat her clumsy feet. Kara was sure she would eventually look back on this and find it hilarious. As it was, she was half naked, and holding her boobs in front of her partners.

  Then Zeke cocked a brow in her direction. "Sure, you just wanted to tease us with a delectable glimpse that we can dream about."

  "Yeah, right. Out, let me change, and I'll be in the conference room in five," she ordered as sternly as she could muster. Kara tried sounding confident but knew she sounded more like a first grade teacher attempting to scold high schoolers than the bad-ass she wanted to portray. She hated showing weakness to anyone.

  Zeke and Chase left her office, their deep laughter making her squirm as they retreated. Chase closed the door behind them, winking rather saucily at her. When the door latched, she retrieved her tank from her bag and yanked it over her head. It really was too bad that she worked with the guys. They were both the stuff of dreams that, under any other circumstances—meaning if they didn't work with each other—she'd be all for getting to know either one in the biblical sense; well, that and the fact that they were batting for the other team. It was a god damn Greek tragedy that they were gay.

  She finished changing, grabbed her binder and legal pad, then left her office and walked to the conference. The guys were reclining in the conference room chairs. They fell suspiciously silent as she walked in and took a seat.

  "Sorry about that, really. I didn't mean to give you an eyeful," she apologized, feeling the mortification to the soles of her stilettos.

  "You can strip for me anytime you want to, pet. I didn't mind, and will make sure to find ways to get you out of your top again," Chase teased, playfully biting his succulent lower lip. The fact was, Chase was so sexy it was criminal. His flirting made her belly flutter and made her wish for the umpteenth time that he was straight.

  "Moving on," Zeke interjected, casting controlled glances at her and Chase. "We have a lot to discuss and a short amount of time to do it in."

  "Shoot, it sounds like you have a lead?" Kara questioned, shifting her brain from the misdirected heat in her partner's eyes to the business at hand. Bridal Dreams needed to score a big wedding if they were to really make a splash with the new merger. Zeke had something, or he wouldn't be so droll.

  "You'd be right about that. And if you're a good girl, I'll tell you what it is." Zeke templed his fingers, studying her intently before he gave her any hint of the potential lead. The way he stared at her made the blood in her veins spike. Her breathing grew shallow. The air in the room seemed charged, like the air before a summer storm unleashed its fury. It was just her rotten damn luck that she found herself attracted to gay men. That her traitorous body unrepentantly didn't care about their persuasion, having lost the memo that they were both unavailable—not just to her, but to womankind.

  She had nothing against gay men at all. Some of Kara's closest friends were part of the LGBT community and she loved each one dearly. Except Zeke and Chase were an exception to the rule; she didn't normally want to do naughty things with her gay male friends or have vivid daydreams with them as the lead. Her partners sent her hormones into overdrive and were just too damn beautiful for their own good, in her opinion. And the close bond between Zeke and Chase was obvious to anyone in the room. They made the perfect gay couple. She needed to stop obsessing about wishing she could have sex with either one. Office fornication only complicated working relationships, and would decimate their fledgling partnership if her secret were revealed. If she thought her embarrassment over a little boobage reveal was big, should they discover how attracted she was to the both of them, it would potentially napalm her career—and theirs.

  "And? Don't leave a girl hanging. What, or should I say who, is the lead?" she pressed him to answer her. Zeke loved this type of power play, and then had the audacity to accuse her of being a tease. Pot, meet kettle. It was why they made perfect partners.

  "We received a call last night from a buddy of mine that I've known for quite some time, and he'd like us to coordinate his wedding. It's a tall order with an extremely short time frame in which to pull it off. They are looking at a New Year's Eve Celebration," Zeke finished. An air of expectancy filled the room.

  "New Year's Eve, this year? Are you kidding?" Kara said.

  "No, I'm dead serious."

  "Zeke, come on man, even I'm not that good. Do these people understand the sheer volume of what is involved in planning a wedding? A New Year's Eve wedding in this city with a little over two months to go? That's not possible, you know that. New Year's in Manhattan? You may as well ask me to find you unicorns growing on trees."

  "It's not in the city," Chase interrupted her diatribe.

  "Then where, oh wise one, is this last minute wedding going to happen?" She glanced between her partners. She was all for working a last minute wedding, and had done so on numerous occasions, but she also knew this city. Chase's gaze flickered to Zeke and then returned to her. What the hell were they not telling her? There was something else happening here that she wasn't aware of, and she didn't know why but it made her uneasy.

  "It's in Scotland. I hope like hell you have a passport," Zeke answered, his intent gaze scrutinizing her response.

  She hid her surprise, instead smiling like the Cheshire cat, unwilling to show them that on the inside, she was dancing a jig. It would be tight turnaround no matter what, but out of this city, it could be feasible. They'd have to work like the dervish but the last minute fees would be so worth it. "What's our budget like? And are they willing to pay last minute expenditure fees, including our travel?"

  "Do you really think I wouldn't consider that?" Zeke scoffed at her questions, shaking his head in her direction.

  "Just tell her," Chase chimed in. He was the more straightforward of the two, bless him.

  Some days she wanted to hug him, while others she wanted to strangle him. "Yes, tell me or I'll—"

  Zeke cut her off. "You'll what, do another striptease? Be our guest."

  "If that will make you spill it, then yes!" she sputtered. Annoyance crept into her movements and she reclined back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. Sometimes Zeke's little cat and mouse games pissed her off. She knew it was a power thing with him, but if he really wanted a partnership with her, he would need to learn to work with her more.

  "The bride is one Zoey Mills," Zeke explained.

  "Is that supposed to mean something to me?" Kara had never heard of her. She realized that they were doing this for a friend of Zeke's, but the name didn't register on her index at all, and she regularly combed the society papers. You had to in this industry if you wanted to make your mark.

  "Clearly you haven't been on to Fortunes this past week. She's engaged to none other than Declan McDougal." Zeke's face was heart-stoppingly gorgeous as he beamed at her. He had this rakish charm which had made him rocket to fame with his cooking show, and with the way he was looking at Kara now, she totally understood the multitude of female fans who'd mailed him panties.

  "Get out! The billionaire mogul?" Holy shit! This isn't just a premiere wedding but a freaking coup d'état!

  "One and the same."

  She'd have loved nothing more than to kiss the over satisfied smirk off Zeke's face.

 
This was huge for them; a game changing type of wedding. If they pulled this off, it would turn Bridal Dreams, Incorporated into one of the most elite wedding planning companies in the world.

  "When do we leave?" Kara grinned. This was the marque wedding ceremony she'd dreamed about ever since starting her small business in her kitchen all those years ago. And bless them, but somehow her two partners had made her dream happen. She wanted to break out the bubbly and kiss both of them.

  "That's the spirit." Chase leaned forward, glancing at Zeke with a silent question masking his visage. If she wasn't so thrilled over this news, she'd be concerned about the secretive glances passing between those two. What in the world were they up to?

  "This Wednesday. If we are agreed that we want this one," Zeke murmured, his gaze narrowed slightly as he seemed to read her body language. His features had shifted and his countenance looked all the world like a panther about to pounce on its prey.

  "Hell, yeah, we want it. Get the tickets." Kara pushed her chair back, shaking off the feeling that something, she couldn't put her finger on what, was off about the whole scenario. She ignored her trepidation; she had far too much to complete and a smidgeon of time to accomplish it in.

  "We aren't finished. We have a lot to go over, pet," Zeke said, attempting to stall her as she bee-lined it toward the conference door. They would have to do that later. She didn't have any meetings with prospective brides lined up for this week, and had only planned on working on current projects.

  "We'll have the six-hour flight to discuss things. You know as well as I do that the bride will change her mind a hundred times before we are through. I need to go pack up my samples and get ready to leave. This ceremony being so long distance, I want to make sure I have everything I might need. Email me the bride's initial thoughts on what she's looking for, if you have them, and I can get a few mock ups put together. Also, if you have the specs on the building they want the wedding in, that would be fabulous."

  Kara finished over her shoulder as she pulled the conference door open, "Great work, guys. Have Gretchen call me with the airfare details once she's in. Why don't you pick me up at my place on the way to JFK?"

  Then she left her partners in the conference room. Gretchen would take care of the office and bookings while they were away. She had complete confidence in her assistant. Kara, as luck would have it, had not moved all of her sample books to the office yet, and only had the most popular available there. She'd been meaning to have them lugged over but today the fact that she hadn't was working in her favor. Kara collected the books she had in the office, selecting the ones she felt would be most appropriate for a destination last minute wedding, as there were some vendors who refused to do anything with less than a three-month window. Kara almost danced out of the office, she was so happy. It totally made up for the crappy way her Monday had begun.

  Zeke watched Kara's delectable heart-shaped ass high tail it out of the conference room. His dick was still semi-hard from her little peep show. She had gorgeous breasts. He'd had to restrain himself from crossing the small space in her office and bending her over her desk. The thought of having Kara at his mercy, splayed naked and writhing underneath him while he sucked on those pretty rose nipples of hers, made him groan internally.

  The McDougal wedding was going to be enormous for their little partnership. In more ways than just one, if he had anything to do with it. He glanced at Chase, his best friend and business partner. They had met in a BDSM club some years back, then later joined the Dungeon Fantasy Club, and enjoyed the thrill of topping a woman together. The Dom partnership had grown rather organically, but had developed to the point where they decided on a single conquest together, both of them needing to be in agreement on the chosen sub, before selecting her.

  And they wanted Kara. They had wanted her since they had met her at the Manhattan Bridal Convention four years ago. Just the way her smile lit up a room when she entered, her luminous emerald eyes that always seemed to hold some mischief and secret that only she was privy to, her sharp intellectual mind, business savvy, and a body that made him want to get on his knees and worship her taut form. Kara made his Dom heart sing, and he wasn't the only one. Chase had it just as bad for their partner. Zeke wanted nothing more than to have her bound and on her knees before him, keening his name.

  "Do you think she'll agree?" Chase asked, studying Zeke with an underlying terseness to his voice. While they were dual tops, Chase had always followed Zeke's lead when it came to selecting a sub. He was fine with that—preferred it actually being more of a dictatorship with him in charge than a democracy between them. Zeke got off on the control, he needed the control. He had given it away once, and it had cost him dearly. It was a road he refused to travel back down.

  Zeke understood Chase's unease. They were both treading difficult waters with Kara. If they made their play to maneuver her into their bed and it backfired, they'd be in a world of hurt both personally and professionally. They cared about Kara and didn't want the friendship they had to end. It was just that neither of them could seem to move past wanting her to distraction. Until they satiated this ever pressing need, Zeke knew it would follow them around doggedly until it was fulfilled.

  "We'll need to begin the seduction on the way to the airport, state our terms so to speak, and see how she reacts. It will need to come from both of us. Then we can tempt her with the Dungeon Fantasy Club at Mullardoch, and see if she bites." Zeke wasn't a betting man, preferring solid ground under his feet, but he'd bet ten to one odds that Kara was a sub. He'd watched her date a few men since they'd known her, and her demeanor screamed sub looking for the right Dom.

  "And if she doesn't?" Chase asked, less certain than Zeke was about their partner.

  Zeke wasn't worried, much. If the passion she'd directed at him briefly in her office and at a multitude of wedding functions was any indication, he'd place money on the fact that she felt the attraction between them. And he'd witnessed her biting her lip a time or two when she stared at Chase. The woman had a physical attraction to and interest in both of them, he was sure of it, but perceived that she was likely more concerned about the office implications of a relationship than anything else.

  "Then she doesn't. We'll find a sub in the DFC to slake our appetites." That was the worst case scenario. Zeke had never set his sights on a sub and not scored.

  "I don't want a sub who's not Kara," Chase admitted glumly. He'd been more down than usual but Zeke figured if there was something really bothering him, he would say something.

  "Me either. We will just have to wage a strong campaign; the limo ride to the airport should be a good enough place to start the seduction. Even if she says no at first, we will have our entire trip in Scotland to tempt her. I'll get on the horn to Declan and let him know we're coming. I'll make sure he puts Kara's room between the two of ours." Zeke shoved away from the table. Kara would be theirs, make no mistake. He felt it in his bones that she was the sub for them.

  She would be theirs, he wouldn't take defeat lightly.

  Chapter 2

  Pachelbel's Canon in D started playing from Kara's cell phone on her antique nightstand.

  Her apartment was on the third floor of a hundred-year-old building in Brooklyn, and it had all the charm and kinks of an historic building. The windows stuck, her tub was heavy porcelain, and Zeke scoffed at her kitchen almost like it was an affront to his religion. Her boots clicked against the hardwood floors as she walked to her nightstand.

  Kara answered her phone, thinking she really needed to redecorate her bedroom with her portion of the fee as she was packing her final suitcase. Her fourth one. So much for packing light! Those four suitcases were in addition to her purse and computer bag, since she had no idea how long they would be staying. With a job like this, if the bride-to-be was, shall we say, difficult to please, Kara could end up being there for a few weeks. Excitement threaded her veins at the prospect of visiting Scotland. She had been out of the country only once before,
on her high school seniors trip to France a decade ago.

  "Elise, I'm so glad you caught me before I left," she murmured into her cell.

  "Me too. When do you leave? And of course I'll pick up your mail until you get back," Elise's melodic voice flowed through the speaker on her phone. Elise was one of Kara's best friends. They'd met in college while studying design and had been friends ever since. They both had gone into similar fields, although Elise's was a bit more creative. She designed some of the most heavenly bridal gowns by hand, and they referred each other business all the time.

  "Zeke and Chase should be here in ten minutes or so depending on traffic. I just finished packing, of course." Kara chuckled and zipped up the suitcase, then hefted it, rolling it out to join the other three pieces of luggage lying near the front door.

  "I'm so happy for you. What a huge score!" Elise sounded a bit awed, like Kara had been awarded the duties of overseeing the British Monarchy's nuptials.

  If Kara had had a moment to think about anything other than getting her mock up proposals together and packing, she'd probably be hyperventilating over the significant importance of this wedding for Bridal Dreams. "Well, that's why I wanted to talk to you, actually. The nuptials are so last minute for the bride-to-be that I wanted to toss your name in the ring for potential wedding dress designers. I won't know until I reach Scotland and have a chance to discuss it with the bride, but I wanted to see what your schedule is like and if you have room for a last minute dress."

  "Have I told you how much I love you? Of course I'm in; I'll email you my portfolio. This is a slower time of year for me so just let me know and I can be on a flight next week."

  "Haha, well you won't be thanking me if the woman is a total Bridezilla!"

  "True, but it helps to think of the sweet rush fee added to cost of a last minute design. I might be able to take that trip to the Bahamas after all," Elise said.

  "Maybe I'll go with you. I gotta run. The guys will be here any minute." Her buzzer rang, speak of the devil, and she headed toward her front door.