by Fiona Archer
Kane remembered the birthdays when he’d received more presents than could fit on his bed. Everything a boy could ask for and beyond. Even in those preteen years he’d been embarrassed. Then Alex’s birthday would come around. A couple of hastily wrapped gifts. Socks, maybe an ill-fitting shirt. To his brother’s credit, he’d never begrudged Kane one toy, one hug. Not one fucking time. But Kane had seen the hurt in eyes so like his own.
He’d made sure to share every present. Even when Alex declined, he’d pushed and prodded until his big brother—his idol—had given in.
His mother had never explained herself. At first, Kane had put it down to his birthday falling during Easter break, when they were home from boarding school. But his child’s mind had soon seen the lack of cuddles and smiles.
“I pay her to keep her away from you.” Kane took a sip of the scotch, letting the warmth seep down his throat. It went some way to erode the chill in his gut.
“What?” Alex’s mouth hung open.
“If I deal with her, then you don’t have to. It’s easier that way.” He sighed. “Besides, we can afford to give her ten times as much each month if we wanted.” He rushed on when Alex bared his teeth. “I’m not saying we should. But the kitty isn’t dry. Maybe if we give her more, she’ll be happier. Ergo, our lives will be simpler, too.”
“And you think she’d leave it at that? What happens in six months when she wants twice as much? Face it, buddy. Her track record damns her far more than anything I could say.”
Kane bit back a curse. “I was suggesting a solution, not providing her with a character reference.”
“Glad to hear it. Name me one positive thing that woman has ever accomplished.”
“She helped give life to us. And whether she realized it at the time, she made it so we forged a bond that no boarding school, pissed-off nanny, or team instructor could break.”
Alex’s gaze turned flinty. “You don’t play fair.”
“I learned from the best.” He grinned, rubbing salt into the wound. Alex was toughened steel. He could take it.
“Don’t pay her to protect me from her calls. I’ve never had a problem telling her no.” Alex spoke it as an order, pure and simple.
“No, you haven’t, but dealing with her pisses you off.”
“I can live with it.”
A silence filled the space as they sat and gazed out at the lake. In the distance, a large sailboat drifted on the water, its white canvas sails gleaming as they caught the sun.
“It’s not your job to protect me.”
“Jesus, Alex. Quit thinking you have to be in control of everything. Yes, you’re a former SEAL, a man who runs a business worth billions, and you’re a Dom. But you’ve forgotten something.” He met his brother’s unflinching stare with one of his own. “I was in the SEALs, too, and have my own fucking decoder ring to prove it. We, together, run MacKenzie Corp, and I’m also a Dom. Despite what you think is my soft heart for a woman’s sob story, I can handle our mother.”
“Finished?”
“No. I’m happy with my healthy outlook on women and not viewing each one as some serpent ready to strike when I show a moment of vulnerability. I’m hopeful that one day we’ll find a woman who will share her life with us as our wife and our sub.”
Kane silently cursed the bitch who’d betrayed Alex, leaving him gutted to the point he wouldn’t date a woman on his own. Brothers watch out for each other, he’d said to Kane. We’ll keep each other safe.
Alex rose in one powerful movement. “I didn’t stay in tonight so we could argue. Let’s resume this insightful chat another time.” He walked a few paces toward the edge of the terrace, his back to Kane.
The perverse need to keep going clawed at Kane’s normally smooth composure, leaving gouges in its wake. “When you finally recognize this woman, she’s going to scare the shit out of you and threaten the claustrophobic world of resentment you’ve been building ever since Caroline.”
Alex’s body went rigid. “My ex-fiancée is not up for discussion.”
No, she never was.
Guilt opened up a king-sized hole in Kane’s stomach. He was acting like a bastard, even if he what he said was true. Scoring points for the wrong reasons was a cheap shot.
“What I said was no lie, but I could have done a better job at saying it.”
Alex glanced back over his shoulder, his mouth in a wry twist. “That’s a piss weak apology.”
Kane shrugged. “It’s honest.”
His brother gave a slight nod, accepting it at face value. “Let’s change the subject.” He moved back to the table, then picked up his drink and took a healthy swallow.
“Okay.” Fuck knows he’d had enough talking about his mother. “Have you heard from Eli?”
Alex nodded. “Our resident Dom has finally given the green light for us to inspect the club. Nice of him, since we own it.” He afforded himself a chuckle. “I’m not sure whether to thank the man for his exacting standards or kick his ass for banning us these last three weeks.”
“I’m still in shock you stayed away. I’ve been tempted to gate crash.”
“We hired him to do a job, which included ensuring the club was ready.” Alex shrugged. “The least we could do was allow him to carry out our wishes.”
“I had to visit the walled gardens to check on a landscaper’s query and found a sub bound and gagged to a metal trellis. Apparently, she’d yelled at one of the dungeon monitors when he reported her for using her phone to take pictures of the club’s interior. Eli set up her punishment. She played Lady Bountiful to Mikhal’s uncouth gardener, with him doing his own version of deflowering.” The sub had been given a safe word signal, but her pride, and the fact that if she used it—thereby forgoing her punishment—she’d be blacklisted at any club that respected Eli and the MacKenzies, kept her from playing that card.
“I heard about that.” A grin opened up Alex’s face, banishing the harder edges. “She lost her chance for one of the intern sub roles. There’s enough local demand without taking someone who can’t be trusted, especially when they’ve applied from out of state.”
“Speaking of locals, I wonder how Olivia will cope with the inspection.” At their initial meeting in his office, nearly a month ago, she’d seemed comfortable about visiting the club.
Alex retook his seat. “It’ll be interesting to watch her reaction. Reading ménage and BDSM romance is a far cry from seeing it firsthand.”
“She’s grown up in a town that has both ménage and Dom/sub relationships.”
Alex sent him a level stare. “When was the last time she witnessed a sub being ordered to kneel, let alone restrained while she endures multiple orgasms?”
“Fair point.” Excitement raced through Kane as he guessed her reaction. Shock, intrigue, then maybe arousal? “We’ll keep a careful eye on her.” No problem, considering he found the siren more than tempting. In only two weeks, she’d had him thinking up excuses to enter her office when she was on-site.
The chance of seeing her cheeks pink when he stared at her those few seconds too long was too much of a reward. Was she thinking back to their encounter at the pub, wondering what it would be like to try it again? He had seen her blush in Alex’s presence, too, and steal the occasional glance when she didn’t think anyone was looking.
She wasn’t an employee. There was no obvious barrier to him and Alex exploring their attraction to her.
Which reminded him, he needed to be totally honest with his brother, and the best way with Alex was to say it straight.
He looked him straight in the eye. “I kissed her.”
“Who, Olivia?” Alex lifted a brow.
“Yep.”
“When?” Despite his laid-back air, interest shone in his brother’s gaze.
“The Saturday before she came to the lodge. She was at The Imperial with some girlfriends. Got tipsy. Thought I’d been sent to meet her in the back of the pub as a setup.” He cast Alex a grin. “She’d been dared to
kiss a handsome stranger and I happened to be there at the right time. The woman demanded I shut up and kiss her.”
“Since she’s so physically intimidating, what choice did you have?” Alex’s lips twitched.
“Admit it. You’re jealous it was me and not you.”
“Red is indeed a temptation.” Alex swirled the scotch in his glass. “You like her.” It wasn’t an accusation, but more stating a fact.
“I do.” He squared his shoulders. “She’s smart, funny. And she’s sweet. Her second week she made brownies for Thad for his birthday. How fucking cute is that?”
“I grant you, that’s cute. And yes, she’s all that you say. But let’s see how she does at the club.” He pulled a long swallow of his scotch, emptying the glass. “There’s no point considering anything with Olivia until we know for certain she’s open to trying BDSM.”
“But you’re definitely interested?”
“Yes, within my normal boundaries.”
The minimum emotional output. His older brother compartmentalized everything—work, acquaintances, dating, and for a lucky few, trusted friends—into separate neat boxes. Classic protective behavior. His mother, and others, had left their mark.
Would Olivia be able to handle that? At least until Alex got to know her better?
Not forgetting she’d been divorced. What scars may she be carrying?
He jammed a hand in his hair, dragging it back through the strands. Talk about getting ahead of himself. Visit the Club. Check her reaction. Go from there.
Nothing better than having a plan.
* * * *
Olivia sat on the couch in Chloe’s large family room at King’s Haven and listened as members of the King’s Bluff Bound by the Books Club discussed this month’s erotic romance book. Considering they’d had to reschedule their normal Tuesday night meeting to a Saturday, the crowded room showed the club members commitment to spicy romance.
So far, opinions had been divided on the ménage story that featured some heavy-duty heroes who demanded absolute submission from their feisty heroine.
Adelaide Hammond crossed her arms over her chest and harrumphed hard enough that her silver page boy fringe puffed up. “I still say the heroine should have put a load of buckshot into that cowboy’s backside. She’d just had a three-way and he was demanding she cook them breakfast? Let’s see him go through the same and then jump out of bed to cook eggs, pancakes, and all the sides. She’d be lucky to get a toasted Pop-Tart.” With her china blue eyes sparking, the octogenarian looked ready to brain the hero with her empty coffee mug.
A few members voiced their agreement, while others frowned.
Olivia caught Reagan’s gaze from across the room. Both women grinned.
“Hush your hissing, Addie.” Adelaide’s twin, Matilda, leaned forward from her seat on the lounge next to Olivia. “He only said that so she’d backchat and earn herself a spanking.”
Lark Adams shook her head, sending her blonde ponytail swaying. “I think the heroine had every right to tell him where he could shove his spurs. Just because she’s a sub in the bedroom, doesn’t mean she has to obey her men in every other room of the house.”
See, this she understood. The owner of Beauty To Dye For had a point.
“I agree.” Olivia tapped the cover of the book under discussion as it rested on her lap. “Why can’t she stick up for herself?” She looked around the room, noting the different reactions. Some members nodded, others seemed to be thinking up a response.
Reagan tilted her head to the side. “I don’t think it’s about her not having the right to stand up for herself, but more she chose that spanking.” She smiled at Olivia’s answering frown. “Think about it. When he tossed her over his knees, all she had to do was use her safe word and explain to them why she was offended.” The club’s president shrugged. “But she chose to stay quiet and get a spanking. Maybe all that time she was kicking and yelling, she was knowingly reaping the rewards of her, shall we say, funishment.”
“Maybe,” Olivia conceded, although looking over she saw Lark still wore a frown. Seemed like she wasn’t the only one with a few reservations about domination outside of sex.
Fifteen minutes later, the meeting had ended. She helped Suzie carry out the dirty cups to Chloe’s gorgeous kitchen with its steel appliances and gray-blue shaker styled cabinetry.
“Hey, thanks for that.” Chloe turned from the table where she’d been packing leftover slices of peanut butter banana bread into a container.
“No problem.” Olivia and Suzie rinsed the cups before stacking them in the dishwasher as Reagan entered with an empty pitcher and glasses.
Purdy cleared away the creamer and sugar bowl, then sat at the table. “Okay, I’ve waited all meeting. Now that it’s just the five of us, I want man details.” Her gaze fixed on Olivia.
Huh? “Man details?”
“MacKenzie Man details.”
Chloe rubbed her hands together. “Goodie. I’ve been hoping we’d get to this soon.”
“Don’t you have your own men?” Olivia couldn’t help but ask.
“Honey, my blokes are more than enough for me.” Chloe shrugged. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t have fun hearing what else is out there. And those MacKenzie men are yummy.”
Olivia huffed out a laugh. “What do you want me to say? I handle their PR revolving around King’s Bluff. That’s it.”
“We aren’t asking for their innermost private thoughts. Just give us your impressions of them.” Suzie wiped her hands on the dish towel then waited.
“They’re handsome, highly intelligent men with amazing business acumen.” True. Except they weren’t just handsome. They were caramel-salted fudge, melt-in-your-mouth hunks of gorgeousness who tempted her to stray beyond the boundaries of her better judgment.
“Have they gone all ‘Dommy’ on you yet?” Reagan leaned against the counter. “You know. When they get that stare going and the nerves in your belly flip-flop?” She shivered, her smile revealing it to be one of pleasure.
“No they haven’t.” She bit her lip at Reagan’s disbelieving stare. “Well, not in a Dommy way. At least, well, it was nothing really.” Yeah, she sure shut that down.
“Give,” Purdy ordered.
Olivia fussed with the door of the dishwasher before speaking. “Friday I had lunch at the lodge, and when I went to leave I had a little trouble starting Mom’s truck. It’s old. The ignition doesn’t always fire up first go. I was looking under the hood when Kane came out. He told me to get in the car and wait for him to signal to start the motor.” In fact, he’d picked her up at the waist and placed her in front of the open driver’s side door. “He jiggled something with the battery, you know, using his special man-powers, so when I turned the keys, the Chevy purred to life.”
“I bet that’s not the only thing he can make purr.” Purdy winked.
Olivia ignored the soft giggles and continued. “Then I got a lecture that if anything like that happened again, I must go to the front desk and ask one of the guys, preferably he or Alex, to come out.” She rolled her eyes. “I swear, I thought he was going to perform a complete inspection of the engine there and then.”
Her friends just sat and looked at her with silly grins on their faces. “What?”
Suzie chuckled. “They’re Doms. That means they’re protective. It doesn’t have to be about sex.”
“Hell, no. Sex is just one component of the whole dynamic for a Dom.” Chloe snapped the lid on the container filled with the slices of banana bread. “I’ll admit sometimes the guy’s protectiveness can be a little overwhelming.” She paused as Suzie and Reagan both groaned in understanding. “But I’d rather have that than a man who didn’t give a damn if my car didn’t start.”
Olivia understood more than they knew. What had it been, eighteen months ago? She’d called Alan to let him know she had a flat tire and would be late for a dinner they’d organized with one of his clients. He’d been furious. ”Trust you. The one ti
me I need you to be here.” Not a word of concern as he’d hung up on her. She’d felt like a total failure, had beaten herself up about it even as she’d stood in the rain waiting for the roadside assistance service. A week later she’d asked a neighbor to show her how to change a tire.
What would it be like to have someone you could rely on to take care of things? Was that a man being controlling or considerate? Had she been wrong to equate dominance with control?
“So none of you feel ruled over? There aren’t times you feel you’ve had to give up something you’d like because your Dom wants to do something else?” Olivia looked around the kitchen.
“Is that what you think real life Dom/sub relationships are about?” Regan asked, her brow furrowed.
“No, it’s because her ex was a selfish bastard.” Suzie shook her head, unfazed by Olivia’s silencing glare. “Honey, you’re amongst friends. I love you but listen to what you’re saying. Alan decided how things would be in your marriage. It was all about him and he was no Dom. Just a selfish jerk that never thought to put you first.”
True but, well, that didn’t mean…hmm, maybe she’d have to think on this some more.
Chloe regarded Olivia. “I can tell you honestly that if there was something I truly wanted to do, as long as it didn’t put my life or health at risk, my guys would move heaven and earth to help me achieve that wish.” She shrugged. “Just saying, selfishness and dominance are two different animals. Can a Dom sometimes be a selfish crud? Sure, he can, but then he’s human. He can also be wonderfully understanding and compassionate, which kind of makes up for the times I want to brain him with an extra-large jar of vegemite.”
She couldn’t help but laugh at the imagery. Okay, so maybe she needed to look at the real life BDSM dynamic with fresh eyes.
“You’ve both made good points. I guess I feel the need to be assertive, stick up for what I want. Call it fallout from the divorce.”
“Makes sense, especially if you had a turkey of an ex,” Purdy said.
“What about you, Purdy? Been tempted to find yourself a Dom?”
“No, that stuff’s not for me.” The blonde glanced at her shirt and flicked away nonexistent crumbs. “Let’s hear some more on those MacKenzies.”