Surrendered to the Wolves [Werewolf Brides 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Cara Adams

  Inside a man with a naked chest and skintight black jeans tucked into high black boots led them down a hallway to a long narrow room.

  “Each of the windows opens into a different room. All are open for you to watch. You may join numbers two and five if you wish, for an extra fee. When you’re ready to leave, press the green buzzer by the door.”

  Their guide waited for Xola to reply then left, shutting the door behind him. Kairu noted the definite snap as it closed. We’re locked in. That’s interesting, too. They obviously don’t want people wandering off into the wrong place.

  Xola pulled Esther over to the first window, standing behind her. Kairu lined up beside Xola as he pulled the little shutter aside. The window wasn’t very big, perhaps a one-foot square, but the lighting in the room they were in had dimmed as the shutter was opened, and the lighting in the room on the other side of the window was bright enough for him to everything. And he really meant everything.

  A man wearing the most miniscule of thongs was chained hand and foot to a St. Andrew’s Cross while a Dom caned his ass. The Dom was practiced at caning as each slash of the cane left a distinct red line on the sub’s pale flesh. The Dom’s strokes were even and measured. The sub appeared to be very close to orgasm.

  Kairu moved slightly to watch Esther’s face. Her eyes were dark and she looked thoughtful, but he knew her agile brain would be taking everything in, and she certainly didn’t appear to be upset in any way by the scene. Both participants were obviously fully consenting to the activity and being fulfilled by it.

  Kairu was eager to get to the second window. What was happening there that they could join if they wished?

  Xola closed the first shutter and the lights in the room came up. They moved to the second one, and opened it as the light in the room they were in dimmed again.

  Window two seemed to be some kind of party. There were a lot of partially undressed men, and a smattering of seminaked women. One of the women was giving a man a lap dance and two others were pole dancing. Kairu was almost certain one of the men was jacking off. It all seemed a bit sad to Kairu. These were apparently men who couldn’t find the entertainment they needed at home and came here for it. But calling it BDSM was rather a stretch of the imagination.

  Window three was much better. This Dom had three subs chained to a wall and was moving from one to the other with a flogger and a paddle alternating his punishment. Kairu knew the anticipation of the subs waiting for their Dom would greatly intensify their responses.

  When Xola went to open the fourth window shutter nothing happened, so Kairu thought the people there had either left, or changed their minds about being observed, but the fifth window was worth the wait. It was also a party, but everyone was in costume. All sorts of fetishes were present, including latex, leather, schoolgirl, doctor and nurse, fur, and more. Some of the people were wearing collars, but Kairu didn’t know if it was just for the party, or whether it signified they took the BDSM lifestyle seriously. They stood watching for a long time, before Xola closed the window and said softly, “It’s time for us to go now.”

  Esther turned to follow him, and Kairu walked with her. Her eyes were bright but her face was still thoughtful. Once they got into the car he reasoned she’d have some questions for them. He could hardly wait to hear what she thought about what they’d seen.

  Chapter Six

  Xola drove, and waited until they were a good mile from the BDSM club before asking, “What did you think, Esther?”

  “The people tied up and being punished were fully consenting and getting pleasure from it. The cosplay party was fascinating. I never knew there were so many different fetishes before. The pole dancing was interesting but I didn’t know that was anything to do with BDSM.”

  Xola thought she’d summed everything up very well. “It’s not. I’d heard the club had taken on a new partner and my guess is that the new co-owner has added that to bring in more revenue. There are always people happy to pay for grossly overpriced drinks if an attractive woman will dance for them. Would you like to be chained up and experience the differences between being punished with the broad heavy paddle, or a light thin whip, the bite of the cane, or feel the multiple strands of a flogger?” He tried to keep his voice even but it was difficult. He wanted to introduce her to the different tools of his trade, the toys he could use on her to give her the ultimate in orgasms, but it had to be her choice. Until she was willing to trust him as her Dom, he wasn’t free to do more than try to convince her she’d enjoy it.

  He glanced from the road to the rearview mirror to check her face. It was still thoughtful as it had been during the entire journey. But then she smiled and his heart beat faster. “I think I would. Not just yet, but soon.”

  He heaved out a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. “It would be my pleasure to guide you through the process.”

  “Soon,” she repeated.

  “Do you have any questions from what you’ve seen?”

  Both Kairu and Esther talked about the various fetishes and he added in comments when they were needed, but they also spent time laughing. Esther demanded to be let out of the truck outside the women’s barracks, but she did kiss them both good night as she left. That was new and he liked it.

  Kissing didn’t play a prominent part in BDSM. After all, the sub’s mouth was often gagged. But having his woman kiss him was nice, and he looked forward to that becoming a regular part of their out-of-the-dungeon practices.

  As they drove on to their house he said to Kairu, “I think we should tell Cooper about the changes at the BDSM club. Something a little different is going on and although likely it doesn’t affect the wolves, it would be good to make sure he knows.”

  “You mean about the lap dancers? Do you think they’re turning part of the BDSM club into a brothel?”

  “It looked very much like it to me. The next step would be letting men who aren’t trained Doms punish people and that could be seriously bad news.”

  “Shit, yes. Canes and whips are dangerous weapons if not used with control and restraint.”

  “Exactly.”

  Xola remembered he’d never told Kairu about seeing the watcher on Lookout Hill, so he quickly explained.

  “Oh, shit. Now that really isn’t good. I suppose you told Cooper that, too.”

  “I told Okapi and he’ll have passed it on.”

  “Do you think a crime syndicate is trying to move into town?” asked Kairu.

  “Damn! I never thought of that. I hope not.”

  “We’d better hope they aren’t planning to focus on the farm as well.”

  “Fucking hell. We’ve got to protect all our women.”

  Xola walked into the house in a very sober mood indeed. All the laughter and fun had drained out of him and all he could think of was that perhaps some crime gang was focusing on their town and their farm. He decided the message couldn’t wait until tomorrow. He dug his cell phone out of his pocket and began tapping out a text message to Okapi and Cooper about what he’d seen.

  * * * *

  Esther was too nervous and excited to sleep well. By seven o’clock she was showered, had washed her hair and braided it neatly, and was making herself some toast for breakfast. She was far too tense to eat anything more than a slice of toast. She took her plate over to one of the computers and checked her e-mails. When she saw Okapi had replied to her, her fingers hovered over the subject line. What if he said she shouldn’t attend the interview? What if this was just one of those phantom jobs? Oh, well, it was better that she find out now, not after she’d driven into Coopersville.

  Esther clicked on the email and read the single line there.

  A reputable business. Good luck.

  Sighing with relief, she closed her emails and went to the Berry Solutions website, carefully rereading their pages and hoping she would be able to answer any questions professionally. What if they ask me about living on the farm? I don’t think saying I’m a mail-order bride wou
ld be smart.

  Esther stared at the screen, tapping her fingernails on the desk. Finally she decided to say she was dating one of the men on the farm. That would have to do, and it was true enough.

  Other women started appearing, some of them still in their pajamas, and she sat at the table with them, finally eating her toast and drinking a cup of coffee. Each one hugged her and wished her luck at her job interview, and Esther was filled with happiness. These were her extended family now. All of them had different stories. Some of them had endured enormous hardship and far worse experiences than her own, but they were family now, and each one took care of all the others.

  Blinking back tears she picked up her purse, and went to the barn to collect a pickup truck to drive into town. Staring at them, she wondered why they were all white. She must remember to ask the men about that some time. She was still much too early, but she was too nervous to do anything else. Esther found the correct road easily, but with more than half an hour before her appointment, she drove on a little farther, parking in a shopping area to wait until closer to ten. Her phone rang just as she parked the truck and she snatched it out of her purse, terrified the appointment had been cancelled. But it was Kairu. “I just wanted to wish you good luck. I’m sure you’ll wow them all.”

  “Thank you. I’m so nervous I’ll probably do something stupid.”

  “You? No way. But even if you don’t get this job, there’ll be another one, even better than this one.”

  Warmth flooded her body at his sexy, encouraging voice. “You’re much more confident than I am.”

  “You’ll ace it. Trust me. I know these things.”

  She laughed and said good-bye, turning her cell phone off so it didn’t ring during her interview. Then she drove back to Berry Solutions, parking in a space marked “visitor,” and carefully checking her face and hair in the rearview mirror before getting out of the truck. Esther forced herself to stand still and breathe deeply, before entering the building. She didn’t want her voice to be all high pitched and squeaky with nerves. She needed to look calm, cool, and professional. It was only a job after all, and if she didn’t get it, there would be other opportunities.

  But she didn’t convince herself. It’d been so long since she’d had a job, and she knew the gap in her resume would stick out and hit the interviewer right in the eye. Well, there was nothing she could do about that. Ten seconds on Google would prove to anyone checking her story that there was almost no work in her former hometown. Esther straightened her spine and climbed the two steps to the door labeled “Reception.” A woman with tight corkscrew red curls looked up from her computer and smiled at Esther.

  “My name’s Esther Johnson. I have an appointment—”

  “With Jabez Horton at ten. I’ll let him know you’re here. Grab a chair while you wait.”

  Esther sat as indicated in a lime-green wire chair. Well, green was her favorite color so that had to be a positive sign. But to meet Jabez Horton himself. The man had to be very nearly one hundred years old. Or maybe this would be his son, or even his grandson.

  The man who entered the office and spoke to her was old, but nowhere near one hundred. Likely seventy, or even seventy-five though, so probably the founder’s son. Esther followed him into a small conference room where there were two other people, a man and a woman, both in their late forties, or early fifties.

  For the next ten minutes Esther had no time to think as she was asked question after question. None were about her personal life. All were strictly work related, and at the end of it she felt he’d been able to deal with each one reasonably.

  “Have you any questions for us?” asked the woman, who’d introduced herself as Felicity Horton.

  Esther had prepared a couple of questions to ask for just such a situation as this. “What would I be doing in a typical week?”

  Felicity ran through a list that made Esther smile. They were all things she could do or could learn to do quite quickly. This job was perfect for her. All she needed now was to get it.

  The man rifled through the papers on the table in front of himself. “Thank you, Esther. We have your cell phone number. We’ll get back to you in the next day or so.”

  “Thank you, sirs. Thank you, ma’am.” Esther stood and walked to the door, but the younger man moved faster and opened it for her, escorting her back to the reception area. Esther thanked him again, then thanked the redhead, and walked back to the truck, sinking into the driver’s seat and hoping, hoping, hoping she got this job.

  * * * *

  While Kairu had cooked a special meal for them that night, Xola had been tying ropes to the eyebolts in the dungeon ceiling. It wasn’t a real dungeon, but it was what had been always termed the dungeon in his family. It was a closed-off part of the basement, with the walls painted chocolate brown, the floor cold, dark-brown tiles, and useful eyebolts affixed to the ceiling and walls.

  There was also a large closet full of toys his father and grandfather before him had used, plus all the new ones he’d purchased himself, including a brand new lady’s razor just bought today with Esther in mind. Xola smiled to himself as he laid out the things he planned to use on Esther tonight, if she agreed to play with him, and then covered them with a towel so she would have no hint of his plans.

  When he returned to the kitchen he looked around. “Where’s Esther?”

  “She’s not here yet.”

  “She’s always been punctual before.”

  Kairu shrugged and returned to stirring the sauce on the stovetop. It smelled really good, but then Kairu’s cooking was always delicious. As wolves they ate a lot of meat, but Kairu had a subtle touch with spices that always enhanced their steaks and hamburger beef.

  “I’ll walk over and meet her,” he said.

  “You might miss her if she comes a different way.”

  “Send me a text if she arrives then. Otherwise I’ll be outside the community hall.”

  “’Kay.”

  Xola thought likely he expected too much of Esther. Didn’t everyone say women were always late? Yet she’d never been late before. He ought to be grateful she was usually punctual, not bothered by her being late this one time. He walked briskly up the road and into the square. He kept looking around but there were no people at all out walking, so he assumed likely she’d had to wait in line for the shower or something.

  There was no one coming or going from the women’s barracks as he arrived. Xola had just assumed he’d ask one of the other women to tell Esther he was here, but that she didn’t have to hurry if she wasn’t ready. He fingered his cell phone in his pocket. He knew she didn’t like getting text messages, and they’d already sent her one today about the meal, so when no women were around, he decided to call her.

  She answered quickly and, as always, her sweet, sexy voice made his cock fill and press against his zipper. Never had any woman affected him the way she did. It was as if every tiny detail about her was deliberately designed to send his pulse racing. She was smart, beautiful, and a joy and delight to spend time with. He couldn’t wait for her to agree to mate him and Kairu.

  “Hi, Esther. I’m waiting out front. You don’t have to hurry. If you’re not ready, I understand, but I just wanted you to know I’ll walk you around when you come outside.”

  “Ready?”

  “Kairu’s cooked dinner for us. Didn’t you get my message?”

  “I’ll be there in a minute.”

  She arrived almost immediately, but her eyes were dark brown and the happy smile that had been in her voice was nowhere on her face. It was almost as if she expected him to yell at her. But why would he do that? Anyone could be late. It wasn’t a big deal.

  She stood right in front of him, pulling herself up tall, and looked him in the eyes as she said, “I don’t have enough credit left on my phone to open your text message. I need to save it in case Berry Solutions texts me instead of calling.”

  “You have to use your credit to read text messages? Why aren�
�t they free? Your service provider is ripping you off.”

  “Everyone who offers such low amounts for prepaid phones rips their clients off. It’s the only way they can make any profit.”

  “I don’t understand this at all, but this’s not the place for a long discussion. Kairu’s cooked dinner for us all. Are you ready to come with me now, or do you have things you still need to do?”

  “I’m ready. Thank you.”

  They walked to his house in silence but his brain was reeling with the thought that carriers charged to read text messages and that his woman had so little credit left on her cell phone she couldn’t read his text message. He needed to get her a better deal immediately. Or maybe lend her one of his old cell phones. He had at least two in his desk drawer and likely Kairu had some as well. Surely one of them would fit her SIM card and she could use it while they organized a better deal for her.

  Over dinner they talked about her interview and it really seemed like a good company to Xola. He hoped she’d get the job since it was so important to her. He’d never been unemployed but he could sense the pain that was driving her to find work. The need to prove that she was a worthwhile person and could contribute to society. He wanted to tell her he would love her anyway, but knew that’s not what she needed to hear. She needed the affirmation of finding work.

  What he did need to know was why she hadn’t put some extra credit on her cell phone. Were her finances really so tight she didn’t have twenty dollars? Or was it just that she didn’t know where to do it? Was she with a provider who had no representatives in their state? Well, surely he could fix it for her online.

  He pulled his own cell phone out of his pocket. “We need to add some credit to your phone. Who’s your service provider?”