The brilliant smile Jamie flashed turned heads, male and female alike. “You’ve been coming here once a month for more than two years, Ethan. You’re no dummy. You’ll figure it out and then you’ll be back.”
Ethan’s gaze followed Ainsley as she strode toward the bar. “Whatever you say, Jamie,” he murmured absently.
“Boss’s wife, off-limits. Blonde at six o’clock,” Jamie urged, tipping his head toward the blonde submissive.
The Dom tore his gaze from Ainsley. “Yeah sure, Jamie. Thanks.” He stalked across the bar toward the tall blonde. Moments later he had her on her knees.
Jamie turned toward Aric as Ainsley sat down on the stool Ethan had just vacated. He shook his head slowly and Aric could see the humor dancing in his eyes.
“Yeah, yeah. I know it’s a chore for you to keep telling everyone to stop lusting after my wife,” Aric said wryly.
Ainsley held a hand to her face to hide her giggles. “It’s fun watching Jamie play matchmaker.”
Aric walked around the end of the bar and took the stool beside her, reaching out to touch the tattoo on the back of her neck beneath the heavy silken fall of her hair. He could almost feel the lines of his initials curling over her skin, marking her as his. “He’s just doing his job. He has a reputation to uphold after all.”
“So do you.” Ainsley leaned into him and kissed him on the mouth. “Mr. Big Bad Dominant Club Owner.”
Heat flared in Aric’s body. “Have I told you today that I love you?”
“You spanked me earlier so, um, yes.” Laughter glittered in her green eyes.
“Still insolent, I see.” Aric took her hand, twisting the engagement and wedding rings around her slender finger. Since they’d been married less than a month, he still got a thrill seeing his rings marking her as his. It was a much a turn-on as the collar she wore proudly in the club. “Brat.”
Ainsley’s laughter rang out. “You love me anyway.”
“I love you more every single fucking day.” Aric stared into her beautiful face, knowing that every word he spoke was the truth. “I’ve never been more happy.”
“Me either.” Ainsley slipped off her stool, reaching up to grab his hand and tug him off his perch. “The club’s slow tonight. Everything’s running smoothly. How about we try out the new sling you bought?”
The fire she’d lit in his body moments before became a raging inferno. He let her pull him toward his office and the private elevator to their home above the club. Glancing back, he caught Jamie’s eye. The bartender winked at him, a smile curving his lips.
“You couldn’t have done better had I picked her myself,” Jamie called out.
Ainsley pulled him into the office away from the noise of the bar and the gaze of their matchmaking employee. He’d thought that being in a relationship would change how people treated him at the club but that hadn’t happened. He’d thought that a relationship would change how he viewed the lifestyle. That hadn’t happened either. What had happened was that he’d grown to appreciate the efforts of people like Jamie who just wanted others to be happy, whether it was for a night or forever. And he’d learned to listen to his heart.
“You didn’t used to be so indulgent with Jamie about his matchmaking,” Ainsley remarked as they stepped into the elevator.
“No,” he admitted. The car moved upward and he wrapped his arm around his wife. “But I know now that love doesn’t diminish a Dominant in any way.”
“Nor does submitting to the person you love.”
The elevator door opened and for a moment they stood staring at each other. Then Aric smiled.
“Your safe word?” he murmured.
Ainsley cocked her head slightly to one side, her eyes darkening with desire. “Insolence.”
With a chuckle that held all the love and contentment in his soul, Aric backed his bride out of the elevator, all thoughts of his resident matchmaker leaving his head. He steered Ainsley toward their bedroom, his gaze never leaving that of the woman who stared back at him with complete trust, everlasting love and just a touch of insolence.
About Lex Valentine
Multi-published, award-winning author Lex Valentine has been writing ever since she could hold a pencil. Making up stories and characters is as natural to her as breathing. She writes mostly erotic work in the contemporary, paranormal, urban fantasy, GLBT and historical genres. She’s best known for her sexy dragons, hot paranormals and the high level of heat she brings to each story.
A native of Northern California, Lex lives in Orange County with her daughter Nikki, a bunch of strangely named cats she calls “babies”, and Rott, her long-haired, tattooed significant other. She loves loud rock music, builds her own computers and has a propensity for having very weird, vivid dreams about Nikki Sixx. Lex works full-time at a 100 year old cemetery as the network administrator. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Rainbow Romance Writers chapter, her local Orange County California chapter and is the PAN Liaison for the Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal chapter.
Lex welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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Also by Lex Valentine
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Rock My World
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Ellora’s Cave Publishing
www.ellorascave.com
Insolence
ISBN 9781419946820
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Insolence Copyright © 2013 Lex Valentine
Edited by Jillian Bell
Cover design by Syneca and Michelle
Cover photography by Studio10Artur
Electronic book publication September 2013
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