Bree smirked. “You wouldn’t do that. I would, but you wouldn’t. You’re too nice.”
“You think I’m too nice? Seriously?”
“Yes, I do,” Bree said as she munched on her chicken. “You wouldn’t hurt a fly. You try to come across all tough, but no one buys it. Trust me.”
“Hmm, I really thought I was,” Gwen mused.
“Well, it’s not that it’s bad, Gwen, honestly. But you’re not a hard-boiled businesswoman. I’m glad. I wouldn’t have been able to work for you if you were. I don’t like bitches…well, except me.”
“Okay.” Gwen snagged a piece of the General Tsao’s with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth. “Anyway, back to the new project. The club is called Eternity, and it is run by the two guys you spoke to on the phone, Christian and Sebastian.”
“Cool, are they single?”
“Geesh, Brianna, I hope you can show more restraint tomorrow when they come for lunch.”
Wait until she sees them, Gwen thought. I’ll have to hand her a napkin to wipe up the drool.
“Have I ever let you down?”
“No, you haven’t, but these men are different. I’m not sure what it is. They are gorgeous, yes, but it’s something else, too. There is a charisma about them. Hell, I don’t know what it is. But they should do really well with the club, that’s for sure.”
“What kind of club is it? Did they tell you? We really could use a new dance club. There aren’t any good places to hang out anymore.”
“It’s not a dance club. It’s a fetish club.” Gwen waited, watching Bree’s face as the words sank in.
“You’re shitting me?”
Gwen giggled. “Nope. In fact, when they told me, I almost fell out of my chair.”
“Do you know anything about that stuff? I had a girlfriend in college who was really into it. Some of those people are really extreme. She took me to a couple of clubs then. It was cool, though.”
“Yes, I know. I’ve read some on it.”
“Damn. Is there a side to you I haven’t seen yet? I’ll get to be there opening night, right?”
“Of course, but are you sure you’d want to go?”
“Oh hell yeah. Why wouldn’t I on this one? I can’t wait, finally something cool in this town.”
“Now let’s finish up. I’ll show you the invite I came up with, and then we’ll call it a night.”
Chapter 4
The heat of the spotlight above the door warmed her skin as she stood once again before the illuminated portal to the unknown. Naked but not cold, she shivered with anticipation. As the door slowly sighed open, Gwen strained to see into the blackness that was beyond the opening. Goose bumps covered her skin and little tremors ran down her spine as a deep, sultry voice spilled over her in a demanding yet tender wave.
“Enter if you wish to know who you really are…”
Gwen attempted to move toward the doorway. She had to know what was inside, yet her feet felt like they were rooted to the ground.
“Yes…I’m trying,” she called out but received no answer. The door began to close, taunting her unmoving legs. “No, please, I want to come in.” But her cries were ignored as the door clicked shut.
Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
“No…dammit.” Gwen struggled to reach the off button on her alarm as she shook off the last vestiges of the dream. Not wanting to wake up, she realized that the door had opened this time and not just a little. Why didn’t I go in? And the voice…there was something familiar about it.
Once again she was horny as hell, the wetness warm between her legs. “Dammit.” She opened the drawer of her bedside table and took out her vibrator. She fluffed the pillows behind her, leaned back, and turned it on. Gwen slowly rubbed the pink vibrator against her swollen clit. She closed her eyes and let the vibrations of her battery-operated boyfriend bring to life the familiar fantasy.
Blindfolded and tied to a table, Gwen was unable to see anything but she felt everything. The gentle caressing of her body followed by the sharp pain of the flogger aroused her more than ever before. She writhed against the feel of the suede strips that licked at her breasts, stomach, and pussy. Her body undulated and strained against the leather restraints. With each strike of the flogger, her body heated and became more pliable. The voices came from nowhere and everywhere and reminded her that she belonged to them, that she was theirs to do with what they wished, and that she just needed to obey.
She could feel one of them spread her pussy lips and insert the vibrating bullet against her throbbing clit. Gwen moaned but knew better than to speak. To speak would mean punishment. It felt too good to do anything that would make it stop. She yearned for their touch, but she somehow knew it would only come when she had earned it.
The flogging continued, with alternating firm and then gentle licks of the suede straps against her tender skin. Her nipples felt hard and distended and ached with every stroke. Without warning, a second vibrator was inserted into her pussy and turned on high. She could feel the vibrations from her toes to her head. Unable to stay still, she squirmed on the table, straining against her bonds, her body trembling with arousal.
One of the voices came through her purple haze of ecstasy, as he reminded her that to come before they gave her permission would subject her to extreme punishment. But her body was beyond listening. The tremors rippled deep inside, and her body clenched as she tried to hold off the orgasm that was building quickly inside her quivering pussy. The two vibrators were too much, simultaneously teasing and tormenting coupled with the pleasure pain of the flogger, as it struck her over and over. Then the feel of the hot mouth on one of her nipples. At first she just felt the heat of his breath and then the tongue slid across her rigid nipple. He sucked it into his mouth and bit down. She screamed as the orgasm hit her hard. The sensations didn’t stop, but instead grew stronger. Incredible pleasure washed over her. Her breath came in gasps. She was thoroughly satiated when she finally opened her eyes and dropped the vibrator to the bed next to her. Oh my goddess. Freakin’ amazing.
As her breathing slowed to normal, she realized this hadn’t been her fantasy. It had taken on a life of its own. Two men? Seriously? She had never even admitted to herself how hot that would be. The most shocking of all was that she had recognized the voices. It was Sebastian and Christian who had commanded her and given her ecstasy.
It’s got to be because of the club. Now I’ve got to get through today’s meeting and not blush. There was no way they could know that her deepest yearning was to be dominated by a strong master. To experience submission and the incredible release she had read about. Now with the club opening, and the opportunity to experience this for real, would this be a dream come true or turn into a horrific nightmare?
As she stood in the shower letting the hot water wash the remnants of her orgasmic bliss down the drain, Gwen thought about Sebastian and Christian. There was definitely something different about them, but she couldn’t figure it out yet. She hoped that when they met later, she would get a few answers to her questions, not about the dungeon, but why these men were sneaking into her dreams and fantasies. Everything had changed in the last two days. This is all going too fast for me. Damn. I need things to be slow and steady. Why do I feel like the rug is being pulled out from under my feet, and I can’t do a damn thing about it?
Chapter 5
By the time Gwen got to the office she was already running behind. That’s what I get for letting my fantasy run away with me. Bree had been waiting and pounced on her as soon as she arrived at the offices of Affairs to Remember. She traded with Bree, her phone messages for the cup of chai tea from Beans ’n’ Buns, their favorite coffee place, and headed to her office.
“Oh yeah, this is going to be one long-ass day,” she mumbled to herself as she sat down at her desk with the stack of messages and her café mocha coffee.
One of the messages was from Sebastian. They needed to change the meeting from lunch to dinner. They had o
ther appointments that couldn’t be moved.
“Bree, go ahead and confirm with Mr. Ashford that dinner is fine for tonight. It looks like you won’t be meeting them today after all.”
“Damn, I figured that when I took the call. I hope I don’t have to wait until the opening to meet them.”
Gwen smiled at her. Bree was a feisty twentysomething who didn’t take shit from anyone. She was funny, and pretty in a nonconventional way, and Gwen couldn’t understand why she was single. “I’m sure there will be other opportunities before the grand opening.”
“I’ve been to dungeons before, but I can’t wait to see if this is as insane as that was.”
Gwen sighed under her breath. “You and me both.”
“Did you say something?”
“Nope. Just let me know what time they want me there. Also, can you run to the printer for me? I sent the invites over last night, and the proofs are ready to be picked up. I might as well take them with me tonight to get final approval.”
“Sure, no problem, and don’t forget you still have the three o’clock pitch meeting, too.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m glad we got that done last week, or we’d be screwed right about now.”
Bree nodded and laughed as she closed Gwen’s door on the way out of her office. Gwen had a lot of designing to do, and she liked her door shut so she could concentrate.
The pitch meeting went well. The client liked everything Gwen presented, and soon enough she had another signed contract for a huge wedding in the spring. Brianna would be getting a raise for sure now, and they might even be able to hire on a few more people. Things were definitely looking up for Affairs to Remember, and Gwen was proud of all of her hard work. She put all of her blood, sweat, and tears into the company, and after two years it looked like her work was about to pay off. After the grand opening of Eternity, she and Bree would have to have a little celebration of their own, maybe a spa weekend and a little pampering for both of them.
Bree knocked on the door again and interrupted Gwen’s reverie.
“Did you lose track of time again? It’s 5:30 p.m., and you’re supposed to be on your way to meet the hunks.”
“Shit, really? I don’t know where the time goes, but it sure goes.”
“Yeah, well, all work and no play is making Gwen a dull girl. You need to cut yourself some slack. And hell, while you’re at it, how about me, too?”
“Actually, I was just thinking about that. I have a few ideas, but I’ll have to talk to you about them tomorrow. Do you have the proofs for me?”
“Yes, Gwen. Here they are. Now you’d better get going before they decide to have an affair with someone else.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re a funny one. Are you sure you’re not my mom?”
Bree laughed as she practically pushed Gwen out the door and off to meet “the hunks of Eternity.”
* * * *
“Do you think she’ll say anything?” This was the third time that Christian had asked that question in the last eight hours.
“No, I don’t. If I had thought she was ready to say anything, I wouldn’t have projected my voice into her dream. She isn’t ready to believe yet, but we are running out of time. We will have to push her harder than I would like.”
“I know, but what if she’s not really the one? I know it feels like she is it.”
“God’s blood. I told you, I know she is. She has to be. Remember how we felt around her.”
“Well, you have been wrong before.”
Sebastian knew he had, but this time was different. She responded so perfectly to them, both of them, and for the first time, they actually felt better around her. That had never happened before. She had to be the key.
Sebastian sighed. “Do you really want to argue before she gets here? Her car just pulled up in front.”
Christian had been so busy playing devil’s advocate he had failed to realize she’d arrived. That would never have happened, even fifty years ago. They were getting weaker every day, and if they weren’t careful they’d end up dead.
“No, dammit, of course not,” Christian snapped. One more thing that was different, Sebastian thought. Christian was always the playful one, ready with a joke and never serious. He knew he had better be right, or this could very well be their last attempt to finally break the damned curse.
“Christian, you should go and greet her.”
“You don’t want to?” Christian quirked an eyebrow at his friend.
“No, not after we visited her fantasy this morning.” He wanted Gwendolyn to be the one more than he had wanted anyone or anything else in a long time, but whether it was meant to be remained to be seen. At least they knew she was definitely interested in the lifestyle after that fantasy this morning.
Sebastian grinned and sent his next thought to Christian as he was greeting her. She has some well-formed ideas of BDSM.
Yes, Christian replied, maybe we should give her a tour tonight?
Let’s get through dinner first.
Sebastian opened the red wine to let it breathe. They had ordered salad, steak, and baked potatoes. Their steaks were almost raw, but medium for Gwendolyn. Hopefully she’ll learn to like the flavor of blood. He shielded his innermost thoughts about her from Christian. Sebastian was more concerned than he wanted him to know. He didn’t want Christian to know just how weak he had become. At this point he wasn’t sure he could eat any human food, which would make it harder to hide what they were from Gwendolyn.
He heard them approaching and finished laying out the rest of the meal. Finally, he lit the candles as Christian ushered Gwen into the office.
“Good evening, Gwendolyn. We’re so glad you were able to join us this evening.”
“No problem. We’re on a tight schedule, and I try to be accommodating.”
Christian chuckled. That’s what we’re counting on.
Sebastian’s sapphire eyes darkened slightly as he glared at Christian in warning.
“And we appreciate that. Shall we eat while it’s still hot?”
“Mmmm, it smells wonderful. I definitely don’t want to wait.”
Christian held the chair for her, and Gwen sat down at the mahogany conference table.
“We hope you like steak. I took the liberty of ordering yours medium,” Sebastian commented as she lifted the cover off of her plate.
“Mmm, just the way I like it. How did you know?”
“Your assistant told us when we called to change the arrangements.”
“Of course. She knows just about everything about me.” Gwen smiled. “She had been hoping to meet you today when you came to the office.”
Christian’s eyebrows rose slightly. “Have you told her about us?”
“Just a bit. She needs to know enough to work with me on this project. She is very trustworthy. I couldn’t run Affairs to Remember without her.”
“I look forward to meeting her as well, especially if you think so highly of her.”
Hopefully that won’t put a crimp in our plans, Christian.
I think it will be fine. You do need to lighten up. You’re looking quite dour tonight.
I am not being dour.
There was a bit of silence while the three ate their meals. Sebastian and Christian only had steak, and very little at that, but Gwen just about cleaned her plate.
Sebastian’s eyes gleamed. Obviously she has quite an appetite.
I hope it’s not just for food, my friend. Christian hid his smile behind his napkin as he wiped his mouth and took another sip of his wine.
“That was an amazing meal. Thank you. I don’t understand how you could eat so little, though,” Gwen commented as she looked from her empty plate to their mostly full ones.
“We had a very late lunch, but I’m sure it will keep just fine until tomorrow.”
“Yes, I’m sure it will.”
Christian stood and began to clear off the table.
“Did you need to take a break, Gwendolyn, before we continue? I kn
ow we are anxious to see what you have for us.”
“No, not at all. I’m fine.” She grabbed her computer bag and took out her laptop and the proofs of the invitations.
“I have the proofs for the invites. Take a look, and let me know if they need any tweaks.”
Sebastian and Christian looked at the proofs of the invitation. They were impressed with her sense of design and style. She had understood and designed exactly what they had envisioned. The colors were bold jewel tones, ruby, sapphire, and indigo, not just black and white. The fonts were elegant and worked perfectly with the design.
“Exceptional. It’s exactly the look we wanted,” Sebastian commented, and Christian nodded in agreement.
“Yes it is.” Christian moved closer to examine one of the images. “You have quite an eye. I am very impressed. You have captured what we were looking for.”
Gwen’s cheeks colored slightly. Their enthusiastic praise appeared to have caught her off guard.
So what do you think? Should we offer to take her on a tour now? Or wait?
Sebastian looked into Gwendolyn’s mind, a task not as easily performed now that they were weakening. They needed to keep moving this forward, but he didn’t want to scare her away, either. Let’s offer her a tour and see what she says. I am guessing she’ll agree after experiencing her fantasy this morning. Christian nodded.
“I’d say go ahead and have the invites printed and sent out. We don’t have any changes at all. Right, Sebastian?” Sebastian nodded as he removed the last remnants of their meal from the conference table.
“Certainly, the printer should have these for me in a day, and we’ll get them right out. Did you want them hand delivered for effect? Or shall we mail them?”
“What would you recommend?” Sebastian replied, before downing the last of the wine in his glass.
“I think having them hand delivered would definitely help to increase the mystery of the evening. But it will add to the price, of course.”
Twice Bitten Not Shy [Vampires of Eternity] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 3