Rebecca was reduced to tears and easily gave up the pistol as Nash led her to a spanking bench and sat her down.
Fiona helped her client out of his straps and he quickly dressed then came over to his wife. He glanced warily at Nash as he spoke, “I’m so sorry. I’ll get her out of here.”
Thomas reappeared just as the man was leading his wife toward the door. He glared down at the guy. “Consider your membership cancelled. I better never see your face in here again.”
The guy nodded and mumbled something before he and his crying wife disappeared.
Thomas heaved a sigh of relief and ran his fingers through his blue-black hair. Nash looked at him then at Fiona. She cleared her throat, glanced down at the riding crop she still held. His ex-wife was scorching hot in a tight black corset and leather pants that clung to her curves. Her red hair fell in a cloud of curls around her pale, freckled shoulders. He wanted her so bad in that moment.
And he hated his brother for not telling him Fiona was here.
Nash gave Thomas an accusatory glare.
Thomas smirked. “What? I figured you two would run into each other eventually.” Then he shoved his hands in the pockets of his expensive dress pants and walked out.
Nash stared at her. She stared back. As if willing him to be the first to look away, she held his gaze and refused to blink.
The last thing Fiona needed was a surprise like this. She hadn’t seen Nash Falcon in over six months, though she’d tried to get a hold of him after the accident. Damn, he was as gorgeous as she remembered—all towering muscles, brown skin, and hair and eyes as black as midnight. She hated herself for wanting him so badly. Her heart sped up at the sight of him and her lower belly tingled, but she refused to show it.
“What’re you doing here?” he snapped.
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“My brother owns the place.”
She bit her bottom lip, as if physically chewing on her words. No way would she tell him why she was working in Thomas’ BDSM club. But she didn’t need to give him a reason anyway. She owed him nothing. Their relationship was over because he was a hypocrite and she was stubborn.
“How’ve you been?” she asked.
“Changing the subject.” Nash shook his head as he sat on the edge of the spanking bench. “Classic Fiona.”
Anger spiked in her belly. “You did a lot of subject changing during our marriage. Nice to know you’re still a hypocrite.”
This sent him flying to his feet. “I am not a hypocrite.”
She took a step closer. “But you do have double standards.”
Their argument referred to the situation that broke their marriage. Nash had been a player. Fiona knew that when she married him, so she’d insisted if they were going to have an open marriage it had to be open on both ends. Nash wouldn’t stand for that. He could sleep with other women, but Fiona was his and his alone. Fiona said to hell with that. If he could mess around with other females then she could take home other males. Nash went nuclear at the idea.
“You’re my wife!” he screamed one night, just before the divorce, as she was packing her things up in their two bedroom townhouse.
She’d whirled on him. “And you’re my husband! If you want a threesome, want to sleep with other people, then I should get the same fringe benefits. This marriage has to be equal. And since you can’t handle that, I’m leaving.”
Nash had broached the subject of a ménage a trios. Fiona and him with another woman. Fiona had agreed, just so long as Nash returned the favor. Nash said no way. And if her husband couldn’t treat her as an equal in all aspects of their relationship, Fiona wouldn’t stay with him.
“I loved you!” he shouted now, dragging her back to the present. “We could’ve worked things out if you had stayed.”
“We tried, Nash.” She sighed and placed a hand just below his chest. “You wouldn’t budge. Neither would I. And I got tired of catching you in bed with other women. We became oil and water.”
He sneered. “You could’ve at least called after the accident.”
She slapped him hard in the gut then. “I tried! You didn’t answer my calls. And how about when I came to the hospital, hmmm? You told them I wasn’t family so they wouldn’t let me in. The divorce wasn’t even final yet.”
He let out an ‘oof’ from her punch and his shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry.”
She rubbed the spot she’d hit. “So am I.”
He sat again on the bench, took her hand, and this time she joined him.
“How’s it going at Strength Inc.?” He couldn’t look at her when he asked.
Her throat tightened in time with her stomach. She couldn’t tell him the truth. “Good. I’m managing less fighters these days. So I came here. Wanted to try something different.”
Strength Inc. held a big place in their lives during their three year marriage. Nash and Fiona had met back when he was still working with the rez police on the reservation he’d grown up at. On weekends, he’d come to the matches a local wrestling circuit held. She was a promoter with the small time organization and she’d spotted the massive man not long after he attended his first event. She’d approached him, asked if he’d ever thought of getting in the ring? Nash had told her he’d carried a lifelong dream to be a fighter and she’d encouraged it, taking him all the way to the International Fighting World Championship. He’d been a mixed martial arts star in no time.
But that was before the divorce, and the motorcycle accident that left him with major spinal cord trauma and a leg broken in eight places. The trauma was bad enough that, despite physical therapy, Nash would never be able to fight professionally again.
“Truce?” he said, holding out his hand.
She smiled. She wanted that. For them to at least be friends. “Sure.” But instead of taking his hand, she stretched her short arms around his massive torso and wrapped him in a hug.
He smelled so good—a mixture of something spicy with sandalwood underneath. His warm skin melted her. His touch brought comfort, felt like home.
She lifted her head from his shoulder and gazed up at him. For a moment, all the pain and betrayal were forgotten. Her fingers slid over his grizzled jaw, sweep up his high cheekbones, and she pulled him close for a kiss.
Their lips molded together perfectly. They anticipated each other’s movements as if they’d never been separated. She sucked on his bottom lip while his tongue flit inside her mouth then explored. His big hands roamed up her back and she pressed closer to him, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders.
Someone near the door cleared their throat.
A burly man almost as tall as Nash stood just inside the threshold, leaning against the entrance with arms crossed over his brown, naked chest. His aquamarine eyes flashed fire in Nash’s direction. Light brown hair streaked blond fell to his shoulders. The guy looked part Hawaiian.
“Am I interrupting?” His gaze narrowed in on Fiona.
Nash didn’t like this, and he moved to confront the guy, but Fiona stopped him.
“It’s nothing, Eli.” She stood and walked toward the towering dom clad in leather pants. “He’s an old friend.”
“Old friend?” Nash snorted. “That’s rich.”
She whirled on him and angry fire had returned to her gaze. “Nash, this is Eli Watson. My boyfriend.”
Her words withered his hope, turning it to a sour ball that sat heavy in his stomach. Without a sound, he rose from the bench and made it to the guy in two big strides. Then he punched him in the nose.
The big man returned the blow, landing an uppercut to Nash’s chin before he could avoid the jab. He grabbed the guy around the mid-section and took him down. They wrestled like that until Fiona shouted for them to “Stop! Jesus Christ!”
Breathless and bloodied, Nash and Eli stood and stared each other down, just as Thomas reappeared in the room.
“What the fuck?” Thomas got between his brother and the dom. “Eli, go get yourself clea
ned up.” Thomas turned to Nash. “You, quit beating up my employees. I need your muscle to avoid this shit, not stir it up.”
“Why didn’t you tell me Fiona was here?” Nash raged at Thomas.
“I had no idea you were here either, Nash,” Fiona said.
Thomas let out a long exhale while he held his head. “Meet me in my office.” He looked between the two of them. “Separately. We’ve had enough trouble for one day.”
***
Ten minutes and one bandaged hand later, Nash sat in a leather chair opposite his brother, staring him down. “Why didn’t you tell me she was here?”
Thomas fisted his hands in front of his mouth, tented two fingers under his nose. Then after a deep breath, he moved his palms and spoke. “Surprises keep life interesting.” He shrugged.
“Fuck you, big brother,” Nash snarled. “There’s a reason you kept this from me.”
A conflicted expression passed briefly over his face, then Thomas was back to cool composure. “She’s only been here a week. I figured you’d bump into each other eventually.”
Thomas and Fiona had been good friends during the marriage, but then his brother knew how to charm most women. Not that anything intimate ever happened between the two of them. Thomas respected that Fiona was Nash’s wife, and he’d never do that to his little brother, no matter how much of a player he was. But they’d become fast friends and had a great rapport, sharing a natural talent for business. He’d just had no idea his big brother was still in contact with his ex.
“How’d she end up working here?” Nash wasn’t ready to let this go. He knew Thomas was holding something back from him. Fiona was a top notch promoter with Strength Inc. Fighters lined up to be repped by her. Sure, the club paid well, but she shouldn’t need the money. Mind you, he wasn’t working here cause he needed the money either. It had been a distraction. A place to go to keep his mind off his failed career and marriage. Could Fiona be here for a similar reason?
Thomas spread his hands. “She’s dating that dom you punched. Eli Watson. You better not have broke his pretty nose either. That’ll cost me a fortune to fix.”
“Bullshit. That’s petty cash for you.” Nash leaned forward in his seat. “That still doesn’t tell me why she’s working here.”
“Fiona can give you the details. That’s not my story to tell.”
***
Fiona reached Thomas’ office just as Nash came storming out and glared at her.
“Guess the truce is over?” She looked up at him and bit her lip.
He ignored her and growled, “Your turn,” then hitched a thumb at the door before he stomped off down the hall.
She sighed and watched his retreating back as she entered the room. Peace between them would be nice, she wanted that, but her gut told her it would take some work.
Thomas waved to the chair when she came in. “Sorry I didn’t tell you he was here,” he started before she could sit. “I was going to, but with you just getting here last week, everything that’s been going on, it slipped my mind.”
“It’s okay, Thomas.” She held up a hand to indicate no hard feelings. “But if you’re trying to play Cupid…”
He chuckled. “No games. I promise. I got buried under paperwork and truly forgot.”
“You didn’t tell him why I’m here, did you?”
He soothed her worry. “That’s confidential. He tried to get info. You know my brother. But I said that was your story to tell. Only you, me, and Eli know.”
“Thanks.” She smiled as she exhaled her relief. “I just don’t want him playing white knight. If he finds out—”
“He’ll kill Peter?” Thomas raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I know.” Then he leaned over the desk, took her hand, and gave it a friendly pat. “Club’s closing in ten minutes. Why don’t you lock yourself in your apartment, take a hot shower, and relax?”
“Sounds good.” She nodded. “I promised Eli I’d check up on him first.”
She left the office and headed down the hallway, glancing at pictures on the crimson walls as she walked to the small medical unit the club held. Pictures of different BDSM scenes were captured in stark black and white or deep shadows. As strange as it would seem, they made her feel right at home. This place was a safe haven for Fiona, and Thomas was like a brother. She was grateful for his help after the scandal inside Strength Inc. stripped her of her career.
She forced thoughts of Peter and the drama out of her mind as she entered the medical unit.
Eli sat on a gurney, still bare chested, but the blood had been cleaned from his nose and pecs. Mary, one of the few nurses they kept on staff, was talking to him as she pressed a cold pack nestled in a cloth to his face. “Ten to twenty minutes of this, at least three times a day.”
He nodded as Fiona drew near. Then he turned to her and said, “Nothing broken.”
“I said it doesn’t look broken,” Mary corrected. “But go get that x-rayed, Eli. You could have a hairline fracture.”
“Yeah, if it heals crooked you’ll mess up your pretty face,” Fiona said.
He shrugged “It’ll add character.”
Fiona and Mary both scowled at him.
Eli held his hands up. “Okay, fine, I’ll go get it x-rayed.” He rolled his eyes as Mary walked away, then he slid off the gurney and wrapped an arm around Fiona’s waist as they walked out of the medical unit. “But not unless you promise to come home with me. You shouldn’t be alone tonight.”
She turned to him and stopped, placing her arms against his broad chest. “I’ll be fine. Actually, Eli, I’d like some time alone tonight. I just need to …” Fiona rubbed her forehead. “Kind of collect my thoughts.”
Eli scowled. “What if that asshole comes back while Thomas is locking up? He is his brother. I don’t want him hassling you.” Eli’s anger had spiked higher when Fiona confessed who Nash really was.
She smiled, caressed his stubbled cheek. “Don’t worry, please? Nash won’t be back. I’m going to have a hot shower and fall into bed. I’m exhausted.”
He curled a finger under her chin and tilted her head up. “All right,” he said, but his tone indicated he wasn’t happy about leaving her alone. “I’ll swing around after I’m done at the hospital to check on you.”
“Deal.” She stood on tiptoe and brushed a kiss over his soft lips. Their tongues briefly met before nurse Mary came out of the medical unit and cleared her throat.
Fiona and Eli parted and she headed up the wrought iron staircase, toward the small apartment where the outburst between her client and his ex-wife had ensued earlier. Thomas was letting her stay here until she got things straightened out. Peter had made a complete mess of her finances as well as her career, and she only had herself to blame for it. She should have gone straight to Daniel Milligan, the CEO of Strength Inc., when Peter first threatened her, should’ve told him about Peter’s addiction. But her stubborn streak made her hold back. That and she’d really thought Murphy was just bluffing. She’d given him the benefit of the doubt one too many times.
Moment later, her leather pants, corset, and the rest of her clothes lay in a heap on the floor. Normally she’d take the time to hang them back up or put them in her dry cleaning bin, but tonight she was just too tired. She grabbed a towel from the armoire near the bathroom and headed for the shower. When hot water sprayed over her face and shoulders, she relaxed and let her shoulders sag.
The last person she’d expected to see today was Nash Falcon. And meeting up with him had thrown a wrench into her equilibrium. Fiona hated that he’d still had an instant physical effect on her. How the body could betray common sense always pissed her off, but she’d bluffed aloofness pretty well, until the kiss Eli intercepted.
Eli … She squeezed shampoo into her hand and scrubbed it vigorously into her hair. Eli Watson was a great guy and a skilled dom. He was a big part of why she’d stayed here to lick her wounds and remake her life. But did she love him? Bah, she didn’t want to think about it. Yet the question
continued to haunt her as she walked under the spray to rinse her hair.
Eli was a switch, like her, but primarily worked as a dom for hire for Surrender Inc. She’d met him three months ago, just after the scandal with Peter blew wide open. One late night after a few too many drinks, she’d let Eli pick her up and take her home. Instead of sleeping with him, though, she’d spilled her whole miserable story into his lap. How pathetic. Yet he’d listened, empathized, and, as fate would have it, he worked for Thomas at his Surrender club.
She’d confessed something to Eli that she’d never told anyone. That she was curious about BDSM and the lifestyle attached to it. She knew a bit about the club Thomas ran, but not much. She’d researched the subculture, as it was in her curious nature to do.
“I never had the guts to tell Nash I wanted to try it,” she’d told Eli that night, after one too many tequila shooters. “After the way he acted when I told him if he got two girls, I should get two guys…”
Eli had laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Ever heard of a place called Claim Me?”
“Hell yeah. My ex-brother-in-law owns that club.”
“It’s a small world.” Eli’s broad grin had widened. “I work there.”
He’d offered to train her. She needed a job anyway, especially now she was nearly broke since Peter wiped her one account clean. And he’d promised to take it slow. No sex unless she wanted that. He’d been a kind and patient dom from day one.
Yet he didn’t spark the same instant chemistry that Nash did. Or maybe that was just lunacy Fiona was mistaking for lust.
Some relationships just took longer, needed time to grow, she reasoned. Love would evolve. She was still on the rebound, after all, and probably shouldn’t have been getting into another relationship so soon. She just needed some time to breathe and settle in with Eli.
Through the transparent shower curtain, movement caught her eye after she rinsed body wash from her face. She grabbed the plastic edge, blinking water and suds from her vision as she peered around the barrier. Her heart thudded in her ears.
BDSM Mega Boxed Set Page 94