“Yes?” Lisa sounded shocked. “Who is it? That guy from the elevator?” Lisa leaned her elbows on the desk.
“Yep.”
Lisa straightened up. Her face grew serious. “Wow. Awesome. Is he cute? You don’t seem very enthusiastic.”
Very. “He’s okay, I guess.” Stephanie shrugged. “You’ll see him Saturday and all your curiosity will be satisfied.”
“What’s his name?”
Fuck. Stephanie squeezed her lips together and thought for a second. Could she guess? Which one of them was going to attend with her? They hadn’t ever discussed it.
“Steph?” Lisa giggled. “Did you forget his name?”
“Aiden. Sometimes he goes by Dane.” Jesus. She felt as if she were digging a deep hole and slipping into it with her lies.
“Okaaay. Aiden Dane. That’s…not weird at all.”
“Listen, Lisa, I have a lot to get done. Can we talk about this later?” Maybe if she put Lisa off, she could avoid ever discussing it with her.
“Sure. Yeah.” Lisa stood. She smiled, but her face was strained. Stephanie knew she’d hurt her feelings.
“I’m sorry, Lisa. I just have so much to do before the weekend. I don’t mean to be a bitch.” Stephanie grinned and nodded toward the keyboard, noticing the time in the corner. “Shit. In fact, I have to go. I have an appointment this afternoon.” Thank God she’d gotten so much done yesterday in her fourteen-hour working stint. She had no intention of returning to the office today.
“Oh.” Lisa jumped. “You never leave the office.” A slow smile spread across her face. “Why do I get the feeling you’re holding out on me?”
Stephanie smirked—or tried to. “What would I be holding out about? I just have an appointment.” It was already one thirty. Shit. She needed to go. It would take her a few minutes to shut things down and gather her stuff. She didn’t want to be late. Her hand shook as she reached for the mouse. It wasn’t as though she would be punished.
“’Kay, but I want to hear more about this guy tomorrow.” Lisa backed toward the door. “Got it?”
“Sure. Of course.” Stephanie pasted on the best smile she could manager, her finger hovering over the mouse as she clicked back and forth across the screen, closing documents.
As soon as Lisa was gone, Stephanie leaned her forehead against her hand and groaned. She was going to be a few minutes late and she had no idea why that bothered her. What the hell was wrong with her? First she makes a deal with two virtual strangers to swap date nights, then she agrees to pretend to be their sub, then she lets them strip her naked and make her orgasm twice in their apartment, and now she was creaming over the idea of being punished by them.
She was totally messed up. If she lived through this weekend, could she ever resume her normal life?
She feared not. And she had to fortify herself against the possibility because nowhere in the agreement they’d made had anyone mentioned a future beyond Saturday.
Ugh. Screw the job promotion; she never should have agreed to this arrangement. It was messing with her head. And her libido.
But the tingly ache in her pussy overruled reason and demanded she go meet her men and get everything out of the next three days she could before the house of cards tumbled to the ground. Something about the way her body reacted to Aiden and Dane made her curiosity peak. She was so titillated by their demands. Sweat sprinkled the back of her neck. You knew this about yourself. Deep down you have to admit you always found the idea of being dominated arousing.
It might not have had a name, but submission had been a fantasy of hers for years. One she’d buried deep inside, never expecting to pull it out and examine it. It had frightened her to even consider the ramifications of turning herself over to anyone. It was incongruent with her knowledge that men couldn’t be trusted. Her mother had proven that time and again.
Maybe she’d been wrong. Perhaps there were a few men out there who had nothing in common with the strays her mother traipsed around with all her life. A girl could hope.
Stephanie scurried from the office and stepped into the lobby of her apartment building at five after two. She glanced around the open area.
As soon as she spotted Dane and Aiden approaching her, she sucked in a breath and held it. Jesus, these men were hot. She’d hoped to find her attraction to them had been an illusion, and yet she found she’d been wrong.
Her stomach did flip flops and her hands shook at her sides.
“Hey,” Aiden said, “you look great. Did you sleep well?”
She nodded as he leaned in close and kissed her cheek. A hot flush crossed her face and scattered down her chest when his lips met her skin.
“You do look nice.” Dane did the same to her other cheek and a lightheaded sensation crawled up her body. They were so close to her. Too close. Invading her space…and she wanted them to. She wished they would just take her upstairs and have their way with her. Who needed shopping? Surely she had something that would work for Friday night.
Stop it. This is a business arrangement. Albeit, there are some fantastic side benefits. But that’s all. Nothing more. They’re being super nice because they need you. And you need them. Get over yourself.
But the wetness growing in her panties told a different story. She was really attracted to them. She could kid herself all she wanted, but after Friday and Saturday, she was going to be very disappointed to end the charade.
“Shall we go?” Aiden took her arm and guided her toward the elevator.
Oh. Where were they going? Had her brain managed to telepathically convince the men to take her upstairs instead of out the door? Could they expand on last night’s escapade?
Dane held the door open when it pinged, and Stephanie held her breath as she watched him reach for the buttons on the control panel. Ten or fifteen? Parking. Ugh. She released her breath when she realized her misunderstanding. They needed a car.
“Are you okay?” Aiden leaned into her line of vision. “You haven’t said a word.”
She nodded. “Fine. Just nervous. I’ve never been to…whatever sort of place you’re taking me.”
“Well, don’t worry. We’ll be right with you. We won’t leave your side.”
Yeah, that’s what I’m most afraid of.
Stephanie bit her lip to keep her retort to herself, and Aiden reached for her chin to tug. “Don’t do that. It drives me crazy,” he muttered.
Huh? Crazy good or crazy bad?
The elevator jolted to a stop and they stepped off. Aiden still held her arm, guiding her through the parking garage. Dane brushed up against her other side. They were always crowding her.
And more importantly, it made her aroused every single time.
They came to a silver sedan, and Aiden pulled a key fob out of his pocket. The sharp sound of the locks popping startled her in the silence.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Dane asked. He grasped her other arm and turned her toward him. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. You’re very jumpy.”
She smiled at him. She did have to do this. A trade was a trade. If she backed out because of her nerves, she’d be shooting herself in the foot as well. “I’m good. I promise.” She was kidding herself. This wasn’t just about their agreement. She wanted to suck the life out of this experience. She was intrigued by their lifestyle on several levels, especially with regards to her physical reaction to their commands.
Both men had an air of authority about them, as though they owned her at times. And those times made her the most horny. She carefully examined her reaction to them every time her pussy wept. Yep, there was no denying she craved their demands on her body, the verbal and the subtle.
Aiden opened the back door, and Stephanie climbed in.
“How was work?” he asked when they’d all settled and Aiden backed out of the spot.
“Good. I got a lot done, thank God.”
“When do you have to be back?” Dane turned to glance back at her.
&nbs
p; “No rush. I’m not going to return today.”
“Awesome.” Aiden smiled at her. She watched his reflection in the rearview mirror. That one word seemed to hold so much unspoken potential.
Stephanie stared out the window as they drove. She sat on her hands to keep from fidgeting. Aiden and Dane discussed the route, while Stephanie pinched her lips together and tried to keep from biting the lower one. She couldn’t get the look on Aiden’s face out of her mind when he’d asked her to stop that.
In no time, they turned in to a driveway and parked behind a strip. She’d never been to this section of town before. She glanced around as she stepped out of the car. The area was upscale.
Dane spoke as he grabbed her hand. “We thought we’d stop at this boutique first and get you some…um, regular clothes. I hope you don’t find the idea too pretentious. You don’t seem to own anything that isn’t…libraryish.” He smiled. “We know the owners. It’s a cute place. You’ll love it.”
“You’re going to buy me clothes? Why?”
Aiden took her other hand. “Because what you wear affects how you feel. Try some stuff on and see. I bet if you had a better wardrobe and went to work feeling more youthful and fun, you’d come across to the management differently. They can’t even see how fantastic you are because they can’t get past the matronly look you present.”
She glared at them and stopped walking. “Really? Are people that shallow?” She knew they were. That’s precisely why she dressed how she did.
Dane stopped and stepped closer to her. “Yes. People in business are that shallow. Listen, we don’t mean to offend you, but under those gray and black skirts and buttoned-up blouses lies a very sexy woman. Let her out.”
Aiden ducked into her view and stuck out his pouty bottom lip. “Try it.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Because…” Dane grabbed her chin and tilted her head back, “…you’re doing us an incredible favor by not only going with us Friday night, but also taking a huge chunk out of your daily schedule to learn the ropes. We owe you. The deal isn’t even. The least we can do is take you shopping and pamper you a bit.”
Stephanie glanced down at her outfit and cringed. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t known the truth of the words they spoke. Nope, they were right. It was all intentional. If she wore boring clothes that covered up most of her skin, she would attract fewer men and cause less heartache.
Until now. Now she feared her heart was in danger no matter what she wore. Neither Dane nor Aiden appeared to be hindered by her clothing. Too bad they were just humoring her.
“Okay. But don’t overdo it.” What the hell am I going to do with this stuff after Saturday anyway?
Dane tugged on her hand. “Come on. You’re going to love Martin and Leon. They know their shit when it comes to making a woman feel beautiful.”
That’s the problem. I don’t want to feel beautiful.
A bell chimed overhead when they entered the boutique. Eclectic was the best word she could think of to describe the place. Something for everyone, and she hated to imagine the price tags.
“You’re here,” a high-pitched male voice shrieked. “Dane, Aiden. So glad to see you again. And who is this? Oh my. What a gorgeous woman. Wherever did you find her, you lucky bastards?” The man stepped into her space, his gaze appraising her from head to toe, not landing for a second on his friends. He clapped his hands as he spoke. His spiky blond hair, bright pink shirt and tight beige pants did not make her feel confident that he could “outfit” her.
He was as gay as they came. She smiled. He was so charismatic she couldn’t help but like him.
“Leon, come here. Look what our Dane and Aiden have gotten,” The blond shouted over his shoulder.
Stephanie flushed through her. She felt like a possession. With Dane on one side holding her hand and Aiden on the other doing the same, there was no denying she was theirs, but something about the way blondie described her made her think they were in the middle of role playing and she was most assuredly the sub.
“Martin, you’re embarrassing her,” Aiden said. “Tone it down a bit. We only met her this week.”
“Oh my.” He clapped again. “How fun. Can I please, please help outfit her?” Martin reached for her blouse and rubbed the material between two fingers. “Why is such a beauty as yourself dressed so frumpy?” He pouted.
Stephanie couldn’t begin to answer him. She should be angry at the insults, but somehow coming from Martin, the words weren’t meant to insult. He apparently found her beautiful and honestly wanted to help.
The man who had to be Leon gave two sharp claps of his hands behind his partner—were they lovers?—and turned to the back of the store. “Follow Leon and Martin, love. We’ll have these two oafs eating out of your palm within the hour. Ha! We might even keep you for ourselves.” His chuckle filled the air and made her smile.
Leon was the opposite of Martin. His hair was long, black and pin-straight. His skin tone was darker than Martin’s. And he wore a tight cream sweater over well-worn jeans.
“He’s kidding, babe,” Dane said. “Leon and Martin don’t go both ways.”
Stephanie shook her head. Right now her life didn’t remotely resemble the life she’d led last week at this time. Two gay guys were about to outfit her with sexy clothing? She didn’t do sexy.
Aiden and Dane led her through the shop to the back. No one stopped to pick out anything on the way. Stephanie glanced both ways, noticing the variety of interesting attire, but she barely got a glimpse before she found herself in a rear fitting room.
A huge fitting room. Not like any she’d ever seen before. A floor-to-ceiling mirror lined the back wall and two upholstered benches sat on either side. The carpet was plush, thick, cream-colored luxuriousness. The walls were wallpapered in wide stripes in a variety of earth tones.
“Leon will be right back. Make yourselves comfortable.” Stephanie had to stifle a giggle when Leon referred to himself in third person. She felt as if she’d stepped onto the set of a sitcom.
“What are we in the market for today? Anything specific?” Martin glanced from face to face, his hands folded in front of his chest. He leaned on one leg, the other foot situated at a ninety degree angle. “Are you going any place special? Or did you just want to treat the woman to a few nice things?”
“The latter. I mean, we are going someplace special tomorrow night, but not wearing anything you sell, Martin.” Aiden laughed, making Stephanie’s cheeks burn. He even winked.
Dane squeezed her hand. “Martin and Aiden have been friends since childhood. They don’t have many secrets.”
Still. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Everyone did not have to know she was their sub. Wait. Shit. This was all make-believe. The lines were blurring again.
“Fantastic.” Martin appraised her for the second time from top to bottom, tapping his pointers against his lips. “If I were a straight man, you wouldn’t have been available for these two hooligans to snatch up.” He laughed.
“We need lingerie, Martin. Something sexy. Some colorful sets maybe?” Aiden did most of the talking. Dane did the reassuring hand squeezing.
Stephanie felt like a commodity…and it made her pussy weep. The idea of these two men ordering people to make her sexy sent a shiver down her spine. Would they really be able to transform her into someone desirable? Part of her couldn’t wait.
“Wonderful. Consider it done. I’ll go handle that end, and I’m sure Leon is already making some lovely clothing selections. What are you, a size six? Maybe thirty-four C? We’ll just whip everything over this door when we find something you might like. Take your time.” Martin knew her sizes just by looking? He spun on his heel and pulled the door shut with a snick. A second clipped noise indicated Aiden had locked the door.
Stephanie gasped. “You’re going to stay? In here? With me?”
“Yes.” Aiden smiled. “We want to see the transformation.”
Stephanie shook her he
ad. “I can’t change…in front of you.” No fucking way.
Dane pulled her to the center of the room. “Of course you can.” His expression was quizzical. “We’ve already seen you completely naked. Why not?”
“It’s day.”
“It’s day?” Dane asked.
“That was night. I was tipsy. I was…”
“Horny?” Dane supplied.
Aiden spoke next. “Would it help if you pretended you were in sub mode?”
“Relax. We want to help. And we want to see you.” Dane unbuttoned her blouse while he spoke. “Please?” he pleaded. His eyes begged. His hands reached around her waist to unbutton her skirt. In seconds, the pleated material of her skirt fell to the floor and her shirt was whisked off her shoulders. Dane kneeled and tapped her ankle, and she stepped out of first one shoe and then the other.
She stood in the middle of the room in nothing but her white panties and bra. She might as well have been naked.
Dane kissed her ear. “You are so fucking sexy, Steph. Let us pamper you the best way we know how.” He nibbled a path to her mouth and took her lips in a searing display of ownership. His hands gripped her shoulders. His tongue demanded entrance.
She couldn’t deny him. Her lips parted of their own accord while her nipples pebbled against her functional bra.
How did these two manage to do this to her over and over again?
“First load over.” Martin’s voice jarred her back to reality, and she stepped back.
“Shit. This is crazy,” she muttered. “I can’t even think straight when I’m around you two, let alone when you’re mauling me.”
Aiden grabbed the hangers Martin flung over the door. “Don’t think. Feel.”
Right. Easy peasy.
“Let’s try this first.” Aiden held up a black lace bra and panty set that didn’t have enough material to be worthwhile.
Dane released her and sat on the bench seat on one wall. “Take your underwear off, babe. Give something new a try. I’m gonna bet you’ll feel incredibly sexy if you just put something sensual on under your clothes. That’s what I hear anyway.”
Bound to be Taken (Emergence) Page 10