by Cara Carnes
She padded into the shower and eventually figured out how to operate the multitude of buttons and dials. Okay, she could kill for a shower like this at her place. The pulsating jets massaged her achy muscles. God, it’d been too long since she’d had sex. Muscles she’d forgotten she had throbbed, begging for more.
Two weeks. Chase had agreed to a two-week membership for her, but what did that mean? And how the hell was she going to keep this from the busybodies at work? She needed a phone to call in sick. That’d buy a day or two if she hacked enough of a lung up or wheezed into the phone. Clarence and Mags lived to get her into trouble with Clint, but they were both hyper-vigilant germophobes.
She sighed at the loss of the awesome shower and wrapped herself up in the thickest towel she’d ever used. If she had a suitcase she’d steal it in a heartbeat. She’d expected to be more anxious.
Even though her stomach was tied into knots and her pulse had already begun to sprint a 10K marathon, an even bigger part of her was…
Excited.
Her toes curled at the thought. What did they have planned for her? Would she have to do the walk of shame this morning and come back another time? Had they changed their mind? Did Doms do scenes in daylight, or were they like BDSM vampires who clung to the safety of a darkened dungeon under a moonlit sky?
Okay, no more SyFy channel.
Accepting that her riotous hair was simply looking for a reason for her backside to get another romp with a paddle by slowing her down, Viviana put on the jersey. If she didn’t bend over, it’d cover her ass and a small bit of thigh. The neckline plunged lower than she’d expected it to and the arms swallowed her to the elbow.
Wandering back into the bedroom, the scent of frying bacon wafted in the air. Her stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast yesterday thanks to her jumbled nerves and an unhealthy fear of bodily functions going awry under all the stress.
Immaculate wood flooring covered the hallway. A soft cream color adorned the walls. Black-and-white landscape photography dotted the walls of a leather-sofa-clad living room. Leather ottomans filled the corners.
She paused at the entryway to the kitchen and took a deep breath. Mumbled curses echoed from the room before her. Taking one last breath, she stepped into the room.
“Goddamn idiot, she’s not going to want a freaking protein shake for breakfast.” Lance shook his head and continued chopping what she suspected were mushrooms. “If I left it up to you, she’d be eating MREs for the next two weeks.”
“As if you’re any better.” Stryker picked up a blender and poured some gray liquid into a glass.
“Hey, at least I know how to cook a fucking breakfast.”
“You’re a long way from Martha Stewart, man.”
“Does she even cook?”
“Hell if I know.”
“Well, after that time in New York with Autumn I realized the value of a good cooked meal.”
Pangs of jealousy drifted through her. Who was Autumn? Hadn’t she heard the name before?
“I’d hardly call the mess you’re making good.” Stryker peeled a banana and set it on a plate.
“Fuck you.” Lance set the knife down and palmed the mushrooms. “This isn’t for you anyway.”
“Are omelets supposed to be black?” Stryker glanced over at the skillet. “If you set off my sprinkler system, I’ll have you put on KP duty for a year.”
“Crap.” Lance turned and grabbed the spatula. Viviana covered her mouth to suppress her laughter, but the two men whirled.
Suddenly she wasn’t hungry. Her nipples hardened as the two men stared at her.
Viviana pointed to the skillet behind them and tried not to laugh any louder than she already had. “Fire.”
Lance sprang into action, flipping the stove off and covering the skillet with a lid. So much for the eggs. He wiped his hands on a dish towel and flung it into the sink. Stryker prowled forward.
“Did you enjoy my bed, little one?”
“It would’ve been better if I’d had some company,” she whispered as she glanced down and fidgeted. “Sorry I passed out.”
“I guess we know you aren’t a rum and Coke girl,” Lance teased.
“It would’ve gone over better if I hadn’t skipped a couple of meals.” She fumbled with her hair and cleared her throat. “Sorry I stole your bed. I can’t believe I passed out.”
“You’d had a long night,” Lance commented.
She glanced at the hallway leading to what she assumed was the exit. “I wasn’t sure whether you wanted me to just leave or come in here first, but you did mention breakfast.”
Stryker cupped her face and wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her flush against his body. Warmth trickled between her legs. “We definitely didn’t want you leaving.”
Lance stepped behind her and ran his hands up her thighs. “We’ve got a full day planned for you.”
A full day. Viviana winced and glanced at the phone. “I’m supposed to work. I can call in though.”
“Good,” Lance whispered. “The two weeks is intended to be a full-immersion program to teach you about obedience in all settings. Some submissives crave a more full-time lifestyle, while some prefer scenes only.”
“These next few days will help you decide what you prefer, in all ways.” Stryker ran his finger down the jersey. “I knew you’d make my cock hard when I saw you in this.”
Her head spun. Full-time. Crap. Her entire body reacted to the thought. If an instantaneous orgasm was possible, she was about to have one.
“I can’t take two weeks off work.”
“We’ll figure something out.” Lance cupped her ass cheeks. “For now let’s enjoy today.”
“Make your call and we’ll salvage breakfast.” Stryker kissed her forehead and moved away.
Viviana dialed her brother’s number and held her breath.
“Where the hell are you?”
“Something came up. I’m taking a few days off.”
“What the hell are you talking about? What’s wrong?”
Viviana laughed. “Nothing’s wrong. I just need a few days off to deal with some stuff.”
Clint sighed into the phone. “I swear you’re trying to give me a heart attack. You’re never late to work and Mags was beside herself.”
“Apologize for me. I’ll see you all in a few days. I’ll check my email, just in case something comes up.”
Silence greeted her response. There wasn’t much he could say. They were between projects for the most part, and she was about to turn thirty. Answering to her big brother hadn’t been on her list of things to do for a long time.
“You’d tell me if something was wrong, right?”
“Of course. Turn off the sister-in-trouble radar because I’m fine.” Viviana glanced at Stryker and Lance, who both leaned against the kitchen island, arms crossed. “I’ll see you in a few days. Love ya.”
“Love ya too.”
She hung up the phone and smiled at them. “My big brother. One of them. I sort of work for him. Well, it’s sort of a partnership, but I’ve got the easy part.”
“You’re the brains, he’s the smile,” Lance stated. “We had Gabe retrieve the stuff from your car, which is now in The Brigade garage. Your laptop and purse are in Stryker’s office.”
“Thanks.” Viviana took a step forward. “I should’ve told you he was my brother last night, but I panicked.”
“It’s not our business,” Stryker replied. He took a step toward her and cupped her chin in his palm. “But we will have no secrets from this point forward.”
“Yes Sir.” Anxiety skittered through her, followed quickly by its evil twin—guilt. Together they created a volcanic need to confess what she’d done. “There’s something you should probably know.”
“This ought to be interesting judging from your nervousness.” Lance’s voice was a husky whisper as he ran his hand down her shoulder. “We won’t bite. Just tell us.”
“I sort of hacked int
o your computer system.” She cringed.
“What exactly does sort of hacked mean? Is that like being sort of pregnant?” Stryker crossed his arms. “And why would you feel compelled to do that?”
Confession might be good for a soul, but it was hell on Viviana’s heart. It thumped its dissension. She’d done it to learn more about Stryker. A man’s ego could only handle knowing so much, and she wasn’t about to give anyone that sort of ammo.
“Technically it wasn’t hacking per se. We’d been contracted to work on your security system and I was curious about The Brigade.” True enough. It’d been the sexier-than-hell voice on the other end of the conference call that had first driven her to the dastardly deed. “I never went into anything private.”
“That’s debatable.” Lance laughed. “Gabe will shit a brick when he hears this. Mr. M.I.T. got hacked.”
“Viviana will confess to him later, when she has time to help render his firewalls as impenetrable as the system she devised.” Pride reflected in Stryker’s voice. “I should be angered by your actions, but I’m too turned-on by how your mind works.”
Lance drew Viviana toward him and shook his head at Stryker. “Food first, fun later.”
Lance watched Viviana eat the last of her banana and squirmed in his chair. His cock was hard and his blood was raging to his groin. Stryker had begun scrubbing the omelet pan while muttering some crap about ice cubes and wanting to go catch a polar bear.
Lance had better ways to deal with his need. “You done, Jane?”
Her head snapped up from her plate. Her almond-shaped eyes widened, her pupils dilating. She nodded and scooted her plate away from the small table. Lance doubted the rickety surface would sustain much weight and he had no intention of taking the time to get her into another room.
“Remove the jersey and hop up on the kitchen island.” Lance stood and leaned against the pantry across from where she’d be.
Her hands shook as she obeyed. Stryker raised an eyebrow and looked at him as he paused his scrubbing. “Really? The kitchen?”
“Better than scrubbing a skillet.”
“True.” Stryker chucked the skillet into the trash can and turned, leaning against the sink countertop.
Her ass was a lovely pink, but Lance remembered how gorgeous it had looked last night after he’d spanked her. She’d be getting another round of that soon enough. For now he wanted that sweet pussy of hers.
She hopped up on the counter and crossed her arms in front of her, a nervous habit she’d developed to hide her lovely breasts no doubt. He grinned and stalked toward her. “Lean back and scoot your ass to the edge. Spread your legs.”
She moved to comply and he groaned his satisfaction. “Such an obedient little sub.”
“What’s your safe word?” Stryker asked.
“Cobra, Sir.”
“Good girl,” Lance commented. “Hands above your head.” Her nipples hardened under his touch. He thumbed the puckered peaks and grunted his appreciation. Damn, he wanted to fuck her long and hard. There’d be time for that later, though. Right now he needed her too damn bad to go slow.
He and Stryker had devised a tentative schedule—one which would give them each some quality alone time with Viviana. Fortunately he’d get the first round since Stryker had work shit to deal with today.
He looked around for something to restrain her hands with. He should’ve thought ahead.
“Second drawer on the right.”
Lance opened the drawer and pulled out a set of cuffs. “Really? The kitchen?”
He shrugged. “I’m prepared.”
Viviana’s breathing was steady, but harder. He cuffed her hands above her head, securing the restraints to a metal hook conveniently located under the counter. He didn’t want to imagine how Stryker had devised the setup. “You thought of everything.”
“The designer was quite helpful.” Stryker smirked. “I’ll check in with you before I head out. I’m going to make the appointment we discussed earlier.”
Lance nodded as Stryker left.
“Spread your legs wider.” He traced his fingers across her wet folds. “I’ve been looking forward to fucking you since last night, Jane.”
She moaned, her pussy muscles clenched his digit as he fucked her with it. Her hips writhed to meet the thrusts. She was ready to come already. The realization made his cock throb.
He pulled out a condom from his pocket and unzipped his pants. Rolling the protection on, he looked down at her. “You’re a good sub for being so ready for me, Jane.”
“Thank you for fucking me, Sir.”
He groaned and thrust into her. He leaned down and claimed her with a kiss meant to ravish her sweet lips. Her tongue collided with his. He suckled her tongue until he pulled away, gasping for air. Her half-hooded gaze drove blood straight to his cock as it moved in and out of her slick pussy.
Positioning her calves on his shoulders, he drove deeper into her hot channel. She grunted with each hard stroke and tugged on the restraints locking her into place.
“I can’t wait until Stryker breaks this sweet little ass of yours in, Jane. That’s what I really wanted to feel gripping my cock this morning.” She whimpered and he thrust into her again. “You’d be a good girl and fuck each of us like this every morning, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes Sir,” she whispered.
“Don’t come without permission.” He growled the order, even though he was already close to the edge himself. He gritted his teeth and slowed his thrusts. His thumb glided against her clit and rubbed.
He claimed her mouth once again, tasting the cinnamon of her toothpaste mingled with the fruit she’d eaten. Her body tensed beneath him and he chuckled. “You have a problem, Jane?”
“Please, Sir. I need to come.”
He flicked his finger across her clit again. “Come for me, Jane.”
He fucked her harder. Her pussy clenched his cock, her body spasming. He thrust one last time and allowed his own release.
Viviana gasped for air and stared up at the kitchen ceiling. Holy crap. Her pussy throbbed and her entire body floated. Lance’s lips fluttered over hers, a tentative, wistful taste. She sighed into the melding and whimpered when he withdrew.
Cool air rushed across her flush skin. Given a blanket and soft pillow, she’d happily curl up and dream about Lance and Stryker. She could count on her hands the number of times she’d been this sated after sex. She’d never expected a quickie to incite such a toe-curling response from her.
But it had.
He released her restraints and lifted her from the counter. He settled into a chair in the living room and curled her against his body. Aftercare. She was going to really start appreciating this part.
Stryker’s footsteps descended and paused before them. Amusement flickered on his face. “Our little one is ready for a nap.”
She sighed in contentment. Stryker pulled an ottoman up to the chair and sat in front of her. “You’ve got some things to consider today, Viviana.”
Consideration implied thought. She’d prefer to not think at all.
“Earlier we mentioned that there were different types of submissives within the lifestyle. Do you remember?”
“Yes Sir.”
“Have you considered that at all? How much control do you wish your Doms to have over you?”
Viviana regarded the two men. “I’ve researched some stuff about BDSM. I know there are people who let their Doms decide everything. I don’t think I could do that.”
“So you’d prefer the dominance to remain in scenes, and in the bedroom,” Lance stated.
What did she want? Viviana doubted she knew for sure. She’d spent too many years numb and afraid of the needs running rampant within her. Now that she was exploring her desires, she wasn’t sure she understood them fully enough to know what she wanted.
“I’m not sure. I wish I knew.” She looked down at her hands and took a deep breath. She’d promised to be honest with them. “I liked that you
chose my clothes this morning.”
Stryker exhaled. “I’m going to be brutally honest with you, Viviana. Lance and I are pretty strict Doms. You need to understand we intend to push you these next two weeks.”
“Yes Sir.”
“That means we will be making decisions for you that aren’t limited to scenes. This is meant to challenge your boundaries. If at any point you are uncomfortable you need to tell us.”
“Yes Sir.”
“Hop up. Stryker has to leave to deal with some stuff.”
Viviana stood. Stryker took her arm. “Bend over the ottoman.”
She obeyed, her heart racing.
“Spread your legs a bit more.” Stryker’s hands ran down her thighs. “It’s time to start training you to take our cocks, Jane.”
Viviana gripped the ottoman’s legs and closed her eyes. If they knew how badly she wanted Stryker plunging into her ass they’d be shocked. She’d wanted to be taken like that for so long, had fantasized so many ways it would happen she’d lost count.
Maybe her ex had been right. Maybe she was a filthy slut. The thought skittered across her skin, sending a shrill cringe down her spine.
“What was that thought, Jane?”
She looked up at Stryker. He’d crouched beside her. “How do you two always know when I’m thinking something?”
“Your body is very expressive, little one. It’s our job to sense your responses.” Stryker threaded his fingers through her hair and smiled. “What was that thought?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“No secrets, Jane. Remember?” Lance asked. “Don’t make Stryker’s last few moments with you right now be about punishment.”
Viviana glowered at Lance. The odious man had a way of inciting her guilt. He chuckled. “Careful, sub, you’re spending the day with me. I have the time to whip that sexy little look off your face, and I’d enjoy every second of it.”
“Tell me, Jane.”
“I haven’t had much experience.”
“And that bothers you?” Stryker asked.
She shook her head. “The first man I was with…he didn’t want the same things I wanted. He said I was… He made me think what I wanted was wrong and now that I’m here…” She broke off the statement and gasped for air, determined not to let herself start to cry. Son of a bitch. She’d shed enough tears for the miserable prick years ago, yet here she was again, about to screw up a wonderful chance because of him.