“Hey Hawk,” Trace Jackson called as he approached the bar. “Are you tending bar at the auction next week?”
“Yep,” he replied. “I wasn’t planning on bidding and Wolf is hosting, so I will be serving along with a few of the taken members.” Hawk wouldn’t bid on anyone but his Emily, and she wasn’t in the auction, so he could devote his time to the bar.
“When will we see who is available?” Trace asked. “I want to see who I can bid on.”
“The submissives are going to be on display one hour before the auction starts. You will be able to check them out with everyone else then. We are keeping the list secret to create more anticipation.”
“Are we allowed to sample the merchandise?” Trace looked hopeful, but it was a strictly “look, don’t touch” viewing. Wolf and Hawk had decided that it would cause fewer problems that way.
“Nope,” Hawk answered. “Strictly hands-off. You want to touch, you have to win.”
“Fair enough,” Trace said. “Can I grab a bottle of water for Candy and two sodas, please?” Hawk moved to grab the glasses and fill the drinks.
“How is Candy taking her punishment?” Hawk asked as he placed the drinks on the bar.
“As expected,” Trace replied. “She was staring daggers at Cole when they started, but soon settled down and accepted her punishment. She would be a good submissive if she stopped her games and let her infatuation with Wolf go.”
“She can be a bitch to the other women,” Hawk told him. “And she made enemies of many of the Doms in the club. She may have dug a hole deeper than she can get out of.”
“I disagree,” Trace said. “With the right Dom and a firm hand, I think she can make amends and she will be forgiven.”
“Chase and Jarrod might disagree,” Hawk stated. Candy had tripped their woman over and broken her wrist, but then again they might not have ever gotten together without coming to Holly’s rescue. “Anyway, you think you’re up to the challenge?”
“Hell no,” Trace said, grimacing. “She is not the woman for me.”
“Who?” Mistress Savannah asked, cutting into Hawk and Trace’s conversation.
“Candy,” Trace replied.
“I think I could bring her down a peg or two,” Mistress Savannah told them. “If Wolf gave me half the chance.”
Mistress Savannah was one of their regular Dommes and had been a member of the club since it opened. She lived in a small town a couple hours from Merricks and usually crashed at the club on the weekends before driving home. No one knew what she did for a living and no one asked. She was a private person and everyone at Silk Ties respected that privacy.
Savannah was into men and women and wasn’t picky when it came to her submissives. She liked them young, good-looking, and willing to please. She never played outside the club and never took on a permanent sub. She liked to play the field, as it were, and had single men and women lining up to play with her.
Savannah helped teach one of Wolf’s many classes, her knowledge in male submissives one that Wolf thought too good to pass up. They had a growing number of Dommes under her tutelage and a huge number of single male submissive willing to help.
“I think Wolf has something in mind for her,” Hawk told her.
“About time,” she replied. “I would have strung her up by her nipples and caned her pussy until she begged to be good months ago.”
“Not sure that’s what he had in mind,” Hawk replied, cringing. “But you might not be far of the mark if his dark scowl was any indication.”
“That is hardcore,” Trace added. “Even for you, Sav.”
“Well,” Mistress Savannah said. “I might not go that far, but she certainly deserves it after all her antics. Will there be a good selection of males at the auction?”
“So far,” Hawk answered. “We have six women and five men signed up, with three more days until closing, but that’s all I will tell you.”
“I guess I better get back to Cole,” Trace said, grabbing his drinks and walking off. Mistress Savannah stormed off after something caught her eye, too, leaving Hawk alone at the bar once more.
He was looking forward to the auction. It would be good to do something a little different at the club for a change. There were only so many costume nights a man could take before it started to get old.
Hawk wiped down a wet spot on the bar again and threw the towel in the sink. Today had been all about Candy, Candy, Candy and he was getting sick of hearing about her.
He couldn’t wait for his shift to be over so he could head home. Tomorrow he had plans to go to the bakery and talk to Emily about the order for the auction and he couldn’t wait. He knew he was acting like an adolescent with his first crush, but he hadn’t seen her all week and he was missing her smile and her sharp wit.
Hawk pushed Emily to the back of his mind and moved down the bar to serve a Dom and his submissive. He could fantasize about her later. He had work to do.
Chapter Three
“Five minutes to closing, Catherine,” Emily said, turning away from the counter to face her employee. “You can head out now if you like. I can finish up.”
It had been another busy day at Half Baked and Emily’s feet hurt. Her neck hurt, too, from looking toward the door every five minutes. She was sure Hawk said that he wanted to discuss a big order with her for an auction that they were holding at Silk Ties, but he was yet to show. She had been stalking the door all day, her hope receding a little more every time it wasn’t him.
“That’s okay,” Catherine replied. “I was just going home to an empty house. I’ll stay and help clean up.”
“Are you sure?” Emily asked. “It would get us both out of here quicker.”
“Positive,” Catherine replied. “Maybe we could have dinner at Stephie’s?”
“Sounds like a plan.” Emily was starving. She hadn’t eaten all day. She usually grabbed a salad roll and ate in the kitchen, but was too excited about seeing Hawk.
Emily removed the leftover pastries from the tray and went out back to box them up. She would give them to Stephie’s to use in their dessert case tonight. They were still fresh and she didn’t want them going to waste.
The bell over the door jangled and Emily’s heart thundered in her chest. She forced herself to calm down, telling herself that if he hadn’t come in by now, chances were that she wouldn’t see him.
“Emily around?” she heard his deep voice ask. Her heart picked up speed again and she sucked in a deep breath.
“She is out back,” Catherine replied. “You can go back if you like.”
“Thanks,” Hawk said. Emily stood still and tried to act nonchalant. She kept boxing the pastries and felt his warm presence behind her.
“Hey, babe.” His warm breath tickled the back of her neck and sent shivers down her spine. “I’m sorry. I meant to call over earlier, but I got held up.”
His deep voice rumbled in her ear and sent shock waves straight through her body to settle in her sex. She slowly turned to face him, her back pressed against the counter behind her. There was only inches separating them and he dwarfed her with his large size.
She wondered if it was deliberate on his part, knowing how he affected her up this close. As tall as he was, she stared at his bulky chest and her fingers itched to reach forward and touch it. She resisted just barely and looked up into his amused face.
“That’s all right,” she told him. “I had forgotten you were coming. It’s been such a busy day.”
“You are a very bad liar, sweetheart,” he replied, causing her to frown.
“And how can you be so sure?” she asked, arching an eyebrow in question.
“Because,” he told her, reaching out and grabbing her hips in his big hands. “I know you wanted to see me every bit as much as I wanted to see you.”
Hawk lowered his mouth closer to her and she tilted her head, sure that he was going to kiss her. She inhaled when their breaths mingled and closed her eyes, shifting in his hands, her lowe
r body rubbing against his.
She let the anticipation flow through her body. She wanted Hawk’s kiss. She had waited so long and hoped that one day at least he would make a move. She knew that Wolf wasn’t interested and they came as a packaged deal, but she had hoped and dreamed of this moment since she had first laid eyes on him.
“Hawk, you back there?” Wolf’s deep voice broke through her haze. Hawk stepped back and released her. She swayed and grabbed on to the bench and she was pulled back to reality.
“Yeah,” Hawk replied. “I’m in the kitchen with Emily.”
Emily and Hawk stared at each other, as Wolf walked into the room from the front. She hadn’t even heard the bell go over the door, so caught up in Hawk. Her chest aching at the lost moment, she knew she would never get another chance. She could see it reflected in Hawk’s eyes.
“What’s going on?” Wolf asked, and Emily cut her eyes to him. He looked back at them and she knew that he suspected something had been going on. Not that she had anything to hide. She had always been honest in her interest in them both. She wasn’t sure where Hawk stood, especially now that they had almost kissed.
“Nothing,” she replied, and that was the truth. Nothing had happened, thanks to Wolf’s horrible timing. “We were just about to go over your order for next week.”
“Good,” Wolf said, but he was looking at Hawk when he said it. “Let’s get started.”
Emily tried not to feel disappointed, but it was hard. She knew that Hawk was interested in her. The tension between them had been building for months. He had been only holding back because of Wolf.
Hawk had told her that Wolf was a complicated man and had issues he needed to work through, but she wasn’t sure what that meant and they had never discussed it again. She wasn’t giving up hope though. Emily wanted Wolf, despite his dark and broody attitude, every bit as much as she wanted Hawk.
“I was thinking,” she told them. “Because of the number of people you are expecting that you should stick to finger food.”
“You think or you know?” Wolf asked. His dark eyes bore into hers, but she refused to be intimidated. Food was her area of expertise.
“I know,” she replied, staring back at him and meeting his gaze head-on. When Wolf nodded, she turned back to her paper before continuing. “In that case, I have a number of pastries for you to try.”
Emily moved to the cool room and pulled out the box of samples she had made to show Hawk. Disappointed that Wolf had crashed her meeting with Hawk, but excited to spend time with him and show him what she could do, she battled internally with her warring emotions.
She put the box on the bench and grabbed a plate and knife. She decided to start with her savory collection and then move onto her sweet. She wanted to take them on a journey with her food and impress them with her skills.
In the kitchen, that was. She didn’t really have any skills outside the kitchen. Her experience with men was limited. It was hard to date with three brothers threating to break the bones of any man that came near her.
She wasn’t a virgin though. Emily had managed to slip a few men under their radar when she was away doing her apprenticeship. Nothing had come from those few dalliances, and she had to admit that they weren’t anything to write home about either.
“This one is savory,” she told them, pulling the small delicacy from the box and cutting it in half, one for each of the men. “It’s a spinach and feta quiche.”
Putting the pastry in his mouth, Emily heard Hawk groan and had to suppress a smile. Wolf was harder to read. He ate the quiche never taking his eyes of hers, his expression neutral.
“Delicious,” Hawk told her. “What else have you got in that little box?”
Emily pulled another delight from her box and cut it in half.
“This is a salmon crepe,” she said. “Then I have a curry samosa.”
“You are amazing,” Hawk said. “That last one was my favorite so far.”
Things moved much the same from then on. Hawk constantly told her, he loved the last one he tried the best and Wolf remained quiet, but he didn’t spit anything out, so Emily took that as a good sign.
When she pulled the last pastry from the box, a sweet cheesecake topped with a strawberry gel, she decided to ask about the upcoming auction.
“This auction you have planned sounds interesting,” she said. “What’s it for?”
“It’s a slave auction for single submissives,” Hawk told her. “Single Doms bid on them for a one night of service.”
“Service?” she asked. “Is that what the slave part means?”
“Yes,” he replied. “For one night, the sub will be the Dom’s slave until the club shuts. They must remain in the building and all the subs limits will be pre-set and non-negotiable. We hope it will introduce single members to other single members and maybe lead to permanent relationships.”
“Sounds intriguing,” she said.
“You aren’t permitted to come,” Wolf told her. She turned to him and smiled. He looked disgruntled, not that she had any idea why. His thick arms were crossed over his chest and his muscles bulged under his tight black T-shirt. He looked ready to battle.
“I didn’t say I wanted to go,” she told him. “I said it sounded intriguing.”
“My club isn’t any place for you,” he said. “You would run away screaming as soon as you walked through the door. You are too innocent and sweet.”
Emily couldn’t help the snort. She knew she wasn’t as experienced as some, but she had friends, friends that liked to talk about their sexual escapades in his very club. Hearing about it might be different than actually experiencing it herself, but she wasn’t totally naive.
“I might surprise you,” she replied.
“Kitten,” he said. He walked closer and loomed over her. She wanted to reach up and tug on his long black hair until he leaned down and kissed her, but she knew that would never happen. “You will never get the chance.”
“Is that a challenge?” she asked, tilting her head and staring up at him.
“Don’t—” Whatever he was about to say was interrupted when Hawk cut him off and walked between them.
“Will you look at the time,” he said. “We have to get back to the club.”
“And you, little girl,” Wolf said, “need to get home to bed.”
Emily’s mouth flapped open and closed as Wolf and Hawk walked from the room. She wished she could have thought up something witty to say in reply, but she had crashed and burned under pressure. Later she would think of the perfect comeback, but the moment was lost. Crap, she hated when that happened.
* * * *
Wolf walked away from the bakery, Hawk silently beside him. He didn’t want to admit it, not even to himself, that Emily had affected him. It wasn’t just her cooking. He knew she was an excellent cook and took pride in her work, and he was more than happy to give her credit where it was due.
No, it was her sweet smile every time Hawk gushed over her food. It was the way she tucked her hair from her face and looked up at him from beneath her lashes. It was her sweet smell of sugar and something fruity that he couldn’t put his finger on.
When she had asked about the auction, his body had hardened at the thought of her playing his slave for the night and bending to his ultimate dominance. She would look so sweet on her knees, waiting for his command.
He knew that he had to put a stop to any interest she had in the auction and his club. He would be lost if she ever got brave enough to enter his domain. If another Dom even looked in her direction, he would lose it. She was his.
His and Hawks. Shit, he had to stop thinking about her like that. She could never be his. She was too damned sweet and innocent for his taste and dominance, but the thought of another man touching her beside Hawk killed him.
“You didn’t have to be so nasty to her,” Hawk said. “She was just interested in the auction.”
“You are getting too close to her,” Wolf replied. “Your wan
t for her is clouding your judgment.”
“I see perfectly,” Hawk said. “Your constant need to push her away is clouding yours. She may be innocent of our lifestyle, but she has been around plenty of submissives and their Doms—enough to get an idea of what it’s about. It’s a good thing that she is interested.”
“I don’t see how,” Wolf said. They crossed to the other side of the street before he went on. “She might decide to come to the club and then she will attract the attention of other men.”
“And you just want to keep her in a box?” Hawk asked. “You won’t have her, but no one else can?”
“She is not for us,” Wolf replied. “I would break her spirit.”
Hawk grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. Wolf turned to face him and waited for Hawk’s explosion. It was an argument they had many times before.
“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Hawk snapped. “Emily is perfect for us. You need to bend just a little. We could train her gently, introduce her slowly. We don’t need to take her outside the club if you are worried about being alone with her.”
Wolf wanted to just say yes and let Emily into his life and his heart, but he knew that he was all wrong for her and it would end badly. Emily wouldn’t be the first woman he had pushed away with his constant need for control.
Jasmine couldn’t handle him and she had left, taking a piece of Wolf with her. She had agreed to a slave/master relationship, but after a while she started to rebel and push back and complain about Wolf controlling her life and leaving her with nothing.
She hated to be flogged, let alone let Wolf use his whip. She never ran around the house naked and didn’t want to eat from his hand. Wolf had thought love would be enough and gave up parts of his needs little by little and she resented him more for it, until one day she left.
Wolf had decided then that he would only settle down with a woman who was fully trained as a slave and had lived in the lifestyle for a long time, someone he knew would be able to handle his ingrained need to be the boss in all things.
Just a Taste [Merricks, Montana 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 3