by Leah Brooke
“What did you want to talk about?”
King backed her against the wall. “I want my kiss, Red.”
Brenna blinked. “You do?”
“Damned right I do. Open to me and let me have that mouth.”
The steel in his low tone sent a shiver of desire through her. She obeyed immediately as memories of that voice in the playroom rushed to the surface, along with the surge of need that accompanied them.
Forcing her lips wide with his, he took her mouth, covering her breast at the same time. Swallowing her gasp, he used the hand at the back of her neck to hold her close while unerringly finding her nipple.
With a moan, she tangled her tongue with his, eager to be a willing participant in her own seduction, and hoping to do a little seducing of her own. Putting her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer, pressing her breast into his hand.
King slowly broke off his kiss, taking her nipple between his thumb and forefinger and squeezing it until she moaned.
“I like the way you kiss. I’ve had trouble getting work done today and it’s all your fault.”
Slipping her hands from his neck, Brenna flattened them on his chest. “Why is it my fault?”
With an arm around her waist, King lifted her against him. “I’ve been thinking about the look on your face when Royce fucked your ass last night. I’ve been hard all day and it’s making it damned near impossible to concentrate. I’ve been thinking about the whimper in your voice when you come, and the cute way you snuggle against me in your sleep.”
Pressing against him, Brenna had the urge to rip open the front of her shirt and free her breasts. They swelled, her nipples aching with the need for attention. Her bottom clenched, the memory of how it had felt when Royce took her there reawakening nerve endings that made her crave attention there again.
“King. You shouldn’t talk like that. Now, I’ll be distracted the rest of the day.”
King chuckled. “Good. Royce and I have some work to do and will be busy when you get home. We’ll have time to eat together, but tonight’s a busy night at the club. The playroom is going to have to wait until later. Open your shirt. I want to feel your skin under my hands, not this fucking shirt.”
With shaking hands, Brenna obeyed him, wondering if he could read her mind. Knowing that no one could see them, she unbuttoned her shirt, revealing the black, lacy bra he’d picked out that morning.
King grinned as he unfastened the front clasp. “You do look like sin in black.” He covered her nipple with his palm, moving it slowly. “How’s your first day going?”
Brenna bit back a moan at the friction against her nipple and tightened her legs around him. “I like it. King, I can’t talk when you do that.”
He rolled her nipple again, a gentle squeeze forcing a cry from her. “You are remarkably responsive. Teaching you to focus is going to take forever.”
“Well excuse me, ah, if I’m not like your other bimbos. If you want one of them—”
With a soft laugh, he pinched her nipple and covered her mouth with his, smothering her cry.
Her struggle against him didn’t last long, her resistance melting away almost immediately beneath his demanding kiss. She moved against his hard cock pressing at her slit, wiggling at the attention he gave to her breast.
Wishing they were back at the club where he could rip her clothing aside and sink into her, Brenna fisted her hands in his shirt in frustration.
King lifted his head, his eyes searching as they moved over her face. “If I wanted one of the other subs who come to the club, I would have locked them away in that room upstairs. I want you. Sebastian will pick you up after work. Royce and I have a busy night ahead of us, but don’t think for one minute that we’ve forgotten about you. Not a minute goes by that I don’t have you on my mind. When you get home, go straight up to your room and stay there.”
He set her down, steadying her as he righted her clothing and led her back to the door of the shop. Bending, he touched his lips to hers. “This is a bad time for us to be so busy. I’d rather be spending my time with you. All day long, I crave raspberries.”
Brenna licked her lips, savoring the taste of his kiss. “Why are you so busy now?”
Threading his hands through her hair, King tilted her face to his. “We have another seminar. There’ll be several new Doms there and about a dozen subs, submissives who count on us to keep them safe. It’s another one of our training courses, and I need you to behave while we’re teaching it.”
Brenna pushed closer, rubbing her breasts against his chest. “So you really do keep them safe from those men. You won’t let them hurt them?”
King smiled. “We really do keep them safe, which means that one of us, Blade included, has to be with them each time they’re in a scene. These men don’t want to hurt these women, Red. I thought you understood that. They’re just men who have discovered something about themselves and are anxious to meet others who are the same way. They want to talk. They want resources. They want guidance. Don’t paint them all with the same brush as Donner. He was a first-class asshole. Now get back to work. I’ll see you later. Think of me.”
Brenna nodded and watched him leave before going back inside, making as much noise as she could as she stomped up the stairs.
Jesse looked up when Brenna walked in, smiling. “I thought there was an elephant coming in.” She gestured toward the door. “King leave? Is everything okay?”
Rio, in the process of cleaning up the paper on the table and stuffing everything into a bag, looked up, his eyes searching as he waited for her answer.
Moving the rest of the way into the room, Brenna started to clear the mess she and King had made. “Yes. He and Royce are just busy right now. He wanted to warn me about it.”
Clay, who stood leaning back against the sink and sipping coffee, nodded, his eyes unreadable. “Yes, cars have been arriving there all day. Kelly’s going to be spending time with us so Blade can go. It gets busy then, and puts the whole town on alert.”
Brenna looked up as Rio took everything from her hands. “Why? Is something wrong? Are they dangerous?”
Clay came forward, taking her hand and urging her into a chair. “No. It’s very rare that any of them give us any trouble. We know about Donner, and what you went through. I don’t blame you for being nervous. He caused trouble while he was here, too. Royce, King, and Blade are very good about explaining the rules to the others—that choker you’re wearing—never mind. I’ll call Royce. You’re a very beautiful woman, and that’s going to draw a lot of attention.”
Jesse moved to stand behind Clay, and Brenna couldn’t help but smile at the way he reached back to her as soon as she came close.
“Whenever those seminars are going on, the businesses in town get really busy, but there are a lot of strangers around. Just make sure that you’re a little extra careful then. The men who live here watch out for the women, so if you feel scared or someone’s bothering you, come to one of us. For the next several weeks, we’ll be popping in more than usual.”
Rio finished throwing the garbage away.
“Everyone around knows who you are by now. We pay attention to strangers here. We’ll all look out for you.”
Brenna rose and went back to her work. “I appreciate that, but if I could deal with Donner, I can deal with any of them. I just hate the thought of looking over my shoulder all the time for whoever Donner’s got doing his dirty work.”
Clay and Rio went out soon afterward, leaving her alone with Jesse. Nat had come in right after lunch and, with not much more than a wave, made a beeline for the workroom upstairs, one that Brenna understood used to be Jesse’s apartment.
Brenna finished another order and put the box in the ever-growing pile. “When I first came here, I was mad as hell, thinking that the men here condoned behavior like Donner’s. I didn’t really believe King and Royce when they told me the way women are treated here. I figured it was a line of bull. But everyone talks about it. I�
“Chauvinistic, overbearing, with a bit of Neanderthal thrown in.” Jesse grinned. “I had the same problem when I came here. I just couldn’t get a handle on them.”
Shrugging, she started to put away some of the bottles Rio and Clay had carried down from upstairs.
“I figured men like them couldn’t be real. I assumed they were all just arrogant assholes who knew their way around women, and they were nice just because they wanted to get into a woman’s pants.” She paused, turning to Brenna.
“That concern is very real, though, and it took me a long time to believe it. I’d never had any experience with men like the ones who live here. I couldn’t come to grips with it. I’d had a bad marriage with a lazy husband, one who took me for granted and never made me feel even a fraction of what Clay and Rio make me feel. Clay and Rio showed me that it could be different. I love them. Truly. I never thought I could love like this. These men care a great deal about women, and really want to protect them.”
Jesse grinned. “In case you hadn’t noticed, there are a lot of different lifestyles here. I have two husbands. Where the hell else could I ever get away with that? We live in peace here, and we can all be happy. It’s because of the men, and what they’ve done here. The men who founded this town did it for that exact reason. Over a hundred years ago, there were two brothers who wanted to share a woman, and starting their own town, with their own rules, was the only way they could do it.”
Brenna’s mouth dropped. “You’re kidding, right? A hundred years ago? It’s not something people would accept easily now. I can’t even imagine how hard it would have been back then.”
Jesse shrugged. “I understand there was a real shortage of women out west at that time, and it was more prominent than people think. But still not accepted by most people. Here, though, people could live that way, but women wouldn’t come unless they were protected. This part of the country was pretty untamed then, and very dangerous. That’s when they set up laws to protect the women. Including spanking.”
Jesse sighed. “They’ll never take that one off the books. They enjoy it way too much.”
Brenna inwardly cursed at the surge of desire that went through her when she thought about the spanking Royce had given her. Feeling closer to Jesse, she looked around to make sure no one could over hear.
“I’d never understood why men would hit a woman. I never understood that kind of relationship, but I was curious.”
Jesse laughed. “Believe me, hitting and spanking are very different—as I’m sure Royce and King have already proven.”
Brenna smiled, even as her face burned. “I understand that there are a lot of marriages like that.”
“And look at you, you lucky girl.”
Brenna looked up as Nat came down the stairs with another box. “What do you mean?”
Nat sighed and set the box on the table. “You not only have a ménage relationship, but you have it with two Doms. That ought to keep you on your toes.”
Jesse eyed her sister thoughtfully as Nat began putting the jars from the box away. “Nat’s husband, Jake, is a Dom. She gets spanked, too, but apparently not enough.”
Nat stuck her tongue out at Jesse. “You get spanked, too, so don’t even go there.”
Brenna shook her head. “I don’t believe how everyone is so up front about it. Nobody talks this way.” A giggle escaped before she could prevent it.
She hadn’t giggled in so long, she thought she’d forgotten how. One week in Desire, and she felt so much younger and freer that she hardly recognized herself.
“I can’t believe I’m actually listening to this. I can’t believe I’m actually telling you this, but Royce spanked me, too. I thought he was disappointed in me.”
Nat patted her arm. “It’s when they ignore you or stop spanking you that you really have to worry. As long as you can get a reaction from them, consider yourself lucky.”
Jesse frowned. “Nat, I—”
Nat turned away. “I’m going back up. With Kelly gone, I have a lot to catch up on.”
Brenna watched Jesse, who stared after her sister. “Is something wrong? I don’t know Nat very well, but when I met her at the spa this week, even I could tell something was bothering her. She seems almost…lonely.”
Jesse shook her head. “Nat and Jake are going through a rough patch, but it’ll be all right. They both love each other too much to give up.”
She smiled as the bell rang out front. “Don’t worry about Nat. She’ll be fine. You just worry about finding a way to handle those two hunks of yours. Don’t let them walk all over you.”
Brenna grinned. “Isn’t that the point of having two Masters?”
Jesse laughed. “I used to think the same way, but Nat proved me wrong. She’s the most headstrong and outspoken woman I’ve ever known. I asked her once how the hell she could call herself submissive if she’s so damned assertive, and she assured me that Jake got a hell of a kick out of forcing her to submit. She told me that he says that’s half the fun. You don’t exactly seem like a shrinking violet to me. Give ’em hell.”
Brenna couldn’t help it. She started laughing, a little relieved to find someone else who wanted to submit, but found it difficult. It made her feel a little more…normal.
“While you were busy, Kelly called to introduce herself. She told me how to sneak downstairs. She said I would feel better if I saw King and Royce in action and that when she did it, it reassured her that Blade wasn’t fooling around with another woman.”
Jesse, on her way out to the front, paused, and turned back with a curse. “Damn it, everyone gets to see that place but me. One of these days, I’d love to be a fly on the wall when Clay and Rio go in there.”
“You let them go?”
Jesse grinned. “Of course. They sit and talk with the other men, and when there’s an auction, they always come home more domineering and hungry than normal.”
Brenna blinked. “They go to the auctions?”
“Sure. Every man in town does, I think.”
Brenna gulped. “Holy hell. I was supposed to be in the next auction. I’m not quite sure how it happened, but I signed a contract to be trained by Royce and King for the next auction. I didn’t want them to know that I just wanted to spend more time with them.”
Nat came back down the stairs with another box, just as Brenna finished. “Honey, are you sure? I don’t want you to get too tied up with Royce and King if they’re planning to auction you off.”
Brenna’s stomach knotted. “No. King said that he would want to kill anyone who touched me.”
Nat set the box on the table and came to her side, wrapping an arm around her. “Please find out for sure. Doms, good ones anyway—and they are good—always get attached to their subs. You signed a contract, though. They take those very seriously. Did they tear up the contract?”
Brenna swallowed heavily, taking a deep breath of the vanilla scent on Nat. “No. I don’t know. I didn’t see them tear it up and they didn’t say they did.”
Nat smiled sadly as Jesse shook her head and went out to the front to wait on a customer.
“Don’t fall for them, honey. I know it’s hard. Those two are damned near irresistible. Women have been trying to hook them for years, but they don’t believe any one woman could handle both of them and they need to share. I know how you feel, believe me, but please protect your heart. If they haven’t ripped up the contract, they’re still planning to auction you off to the highest bidder.”
Holding on to the counter for support, Brenna shook her head. “I don’t want to be auctioned. I only signed it so I could learn more—” She broke off, embarrassed by what she’d admitted.
Nat smiled reassuringly and patted her shoulder. “I know. You were curious and wanted to explore those feelings. I’ve been there. I know, and I was damned lucky to find a man like Jake. I think Royce and King need a woman like you, but don’t make it too easy for them. They need a challenge and I think you’re just the woman for the job. Make them work for your submission.”
Brenna grimaced. “I’m afraid that as soon as they touch me, I fall apart. I can never resist either one of them for long.”
Nat hugged her. “I know the feeling. It’s not easy, sometimes. Just think about that contract. You need to get them to rip it up. You need to get them to fall head over heels in love with you.”
Brenna sighed and stared out the window, remembering the look in King’s eyes when he’d kissed her.
“I don’t know, Nat. I don’t even know if I can handle what they want from me yet.”
Nat sighed and nodded, patting her shoulder again. “Then that’s what you need to find out. It’s not always easy.” A look of sadness came and went in her eyes so quickly that Brenna wondered if she’d imagined it.
“But it’s exciting, and with a man you love, it can be absolutely incredible. There’s a closeness that’s more intense than you could imagine. Be careful, though, especially with King. He’s got the heart of a teddy bear. He can’t resist a woman in trouble. His protective instincts are strong. Make sure that’s not what he’s feeling for you. Make sure it’s real, honey, or you’re going to get hurt. These men can break your heart.” Blinking, Nat moved away. “I’ve got to get started on that new blue raspberry line. Apparently, you’re not the only one who likes it.”
Brenna watched her go before turning back to finish the orders, her mind spinning.
By the end of the day, she knew what she had to do.
Trying to resist falling further in love with Royce and King, while trying to make them fall in love with her, wouldn’t be easy.
But she had to try.
She had to hold back parts of herself, parts she couldn’t afford to lose if she failed.
Helping Jesse lock up, and preoccupied with her thoughts, she almost missed seeing the envelope taped to the outside of the window on the back door.
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