KNOTTED: The Manhattan Bound Series, Book Three

by Juliet Braddock

  “We love you, Tom,” Drew said with a brief attempt at a hug, so as not to crush Maxine between them.

  “Keep her safe…and make her happy,” Tom said. “That’s all.”

  “That, I can do…”

  Somehow, Vicki managed to sneak upstairs to grab the kittens for a quick good-bye.

  “Oh, the babies!” Maxine squealed through her tears, nuzzling Nellie and Emile one last time. “Don’t grow too much while Mommy and Daddy are gone!”

  “And Dad…” Drew turned around to Declan.

  “I know, son, I know…that SCOPE thing,” Declan said. “We’ll call you on it every day so that you can see all the trouble they’re getting into.”

  “It’s SKYPE, Dad,” Adam was quick to correct his father. “And I’ll help you with it. Jillybeans is working from home and staying with me this week.”

  Jeffrey had actually insisted that Jillian take some time off. She had accumulated so much vacation time because she hated taking a day away from the office, but now he felt she needed a forced break. She and Adam needed to map out the rest of their lives, and Jeffrey wanted to make sure that she made that time.

  Lou had already packed the SUV with their luggage and headed off to the airport to load their precious cargo, leaving Drew and Maxine to drive alone. Yet even with all of the merriment surrounding them—the children’s laughter, the congratulatory words—Drew stopped dead on the front porch and nearly tripped over his own foot in anger.

  “Son of a bitch!”

  Drew and Maxine thought they were both so damn smart, assuming that Adam and Jillian were so fucking late because they were busy discussing the baby in her belly. However, the scene before Drew’s bewildered eyes revealed the truth behind their ignorance of punctuality.

  His beloved Mustang sat in the drive—draped in condoms, streamers and heaven only knew what other items—with the words MR. & MRS. MACK written in shaving cream across the back window.

  “You, little brother…” Blood boiling, Drew turned around so swiftly that he damn near took Maxine down. “If you even thought that you might have a chance at winning our little wager…you've just managed to lose your end of the deal again!”

  “Drew, calm down…your face is getting very red, darling,” Maggie fretted. However, it was the two little children that she worried about most, and she covered each pair of eyes with a hand to shield them from Adam’s latest folly.

  “You have exactly two minutes to remove every last piece of shit from our car, buddy. And I want the windows cleaned, too, asshole!”

  “Love you, too, bro,” Adam said, taking up duty with the clean-up, laughing all the while as Lyle began to bellow again over how much he hated Drew.

  “And so help me, if I find one piece of tape on that paint job or one tiny speck of…”

  As he continued to berate Adam in front of all their family and closest friends, Maxine and Jillian nearly doubled over with laughter.

  Yes, Dominant Drew was back with a vengeance. And that's exactly how Maxine loved her husband.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Settling back in the reclining, tan leather seat in the luxuriously appointed cabin on Air Adam—directly across from his new bride—Drew pecked at his phone.

  “So…” Maxine moved sinuously closer to Drew. “Want to clue me in…or are you still beholding some surprises?”

  “Surprises?” he mused without bothering to look up. Sometimes, Maxine wished she could just crawl inside his devious mind for fifteen minutes for a look-see at his thoughts. But how she loved his tease. “Only child…always wanting…and needing…and craving more…”

  With a start, Maxine sat back in her seat, her denim clad bottom squeaking over the leather, as a sudden knock thundered at the cabin door. From the small frame, Lou called out, “All set for take-off, Mack?”

  “Yeah…” Drew said, thumb scrolling through his Google search. He never imagined their wedding would generate so much press, and the thought disturbed him. Sometimes, he wondered if they’d truly ever have any privacy. “And how about you, Lou? You’ve got a rather lavish vacation ahead of you…”

  In just a matter of hours, Lou would be free of those panting, hot-blooded, newly-wedded kids for the next two weeks. Italy was but one flight across the old Pond away. Time couldn’t pass quickly enough. For the moment, though, he just had to hope that they’d behave for the next few hours before he dropped them off in Paris.

  “I am very much looking forward to Venice,” Lou said.

  “What about your—ahem—girlfriend?” Maxine asked. “The nurse you were dating on Valentine’s Day?”

  “Oh, she was just for Valentine’s Day,” Lou said so off-handedly that Maxine wasn’t sure if he was serious. “Flying solo this trip…”

  Sometimes, Maxine wondered if Lou’s lady loves were real—or a figment of his imagination. “Well, I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time.”

  “Oh, I will,” Lou assured them. “Yous need anything?”

  “All set,” Drew assured him, looking longingly toward the door.

  “Well, Mr. and Mrs. McKenzie…I won’t bug you again until we touch down in Paris unless you hit the call button.” With that, Lou saluted, then turned to leave.

  Once the cabin door closed, Drew leaned in and tickled his fingers over Maxine’s cheek. “Let the honeymoon begin!”

  “Oh, yes, Kind Sir…”

  “Right now, I think that…” Drew stood up and reached for her seatbelt. “…Mrs. Kirk-McKenzie needs to be fastened in here.”

  “You just love restraining me,” Maxine chided.

  “Of course, I damn well do,” he said, clicking the buckle into place. “For safety purposes…and sometimes otherwise….”

  Slipping and sliding against the seat, she wrapped her arms around Drew as best she could within the confines of her awkward position. Kneading her fingers into his back, she moaned into his sweet manipulation of her lips…only to be disturbed once again by those fucking flight operations.

  “Good evening and Bonsoir!” the flight attendant’s perky voice rang out crisply throughout the craft. “Attention, Mr. and Mrs. McKenzie, we welcome you to this honeymoon flight, with anticipated arrival in Paris, France, Charles De Gaulle Airport at eight in the morning. This will be an overnight flight and for your comfort…”

  “That means…” Maxine said into his kiss. “…that you need to sit the fuck down and strap yourself up…”

  Taking a very purposeful step back, Drew pulled out his iPhone once again. “What a Naughty Sassy Maxine we’re being this evening!”

  That devilish smile of her own curled her lips as she challenged, “Punish me tonight?”

  “Please turn off all portable devices…”

  “Yeah, lady,” Drew looked up at one of the speakers in the cabin. “When I’m damn good and finished.”

  He continued pecking away as a member of the flight crew casually slipped into the cabin to strap himself in before takeoff.

  Fuck, Drew thought. We’re going to be watched. He hoped this wasn’t some cruel joke from Adam, asking the attendant to remain with them throughout the entire flight.

  The freshly scrubbed, suited young man with a rather nervous demeanor began to fidget a bit in his seat. “Mr. McKenzie, flight regulations require that—”

  “Send!” Drew called out, then turned around. “I’m finished. Important e-mail.”

  “To Naughty Sassy Siri…?” Maxine mumbled as Drew took his seat, dutifully fastened his own seatbelt then reached his long arm out to take her hand.

  “Flight crew prepare for takeoff…”

  By the time they’d reached cruising altitude, Maxine had nearly fallen asleep, but she could still feel Drew’s eyes upon her. She’d actually never felt so exhausted in her life, having, for the most part, remained awake for well over twenty-four hours.

  Drifting off, she could hear the announcement that it was safe to move freely about the cabin just as Drew covered her with a thick, downy th
row and tucked a pillow behind her head. She knew he had plans, but she was also aware that she’d fare far better with a nap first.

  Drew was still wide awake when she stirred from her brief slumber. Maxine still couldn’t quite comprehend how he managed to run on so very few hours of sleep.

  “Wake up, sleepyhead,” he said, rising to give her a quick kiss.

  Stretching her arms over her head, Maxine groaned, then slipped them around his neck.

  “I think it’s time for some dinner,” Drew said. “You merely picked at brunch.”

  “I was socializing,” Maxine explained. “Bride’s job.”

  “Well, you’re my job, pretty much full-time, for the rest of our lives, Maxine,” he said, releasing the polished maple table top attached to the wall between them. “One needs energy to play.”

  “We’re playing tonight?” she wondered out loud.

  “Maxine,” he raised a brow. “It’s high time that you’ve joined the Mile High Club.”

  While she’d had an inkling of Drew’s plans, she so admired how he loved to keep her entertained. “Well, we might as well put that master bedroom back there to use…” she suggested.

  “Oh, little one…” He folded his hands on top of the table, then lowered his voice. “Who the hell said anything about the bedroom?”

  However, they weren’t meant to be alone just yet. A second flight attendant greeted them cordially as she stepped into the cabin, ready to serve—a steak for Drew and salad for Maxine.

  For once, Drew seemed to hurry through dinner, as if he were running the New York City Marathon and every second counted. He kept the conversation so very light, almost as if he was distracted. As they wrapped up their meal, he refused coffee and desert and even helped the flight attendant clean off the table himself.

  Just as she’d closed the cabin door, Drew was only a step behind to promptly lock it.

  “Uh…is that safe to do?” Maxine wondered out loud.

  “There’s a lock on that door for a reason,” he said, cracking his knuckles just for emphasis. “My fantasies are a bit on overdrive tonight. And you know that I so love to see you in a seatbelt.”

  His approach was slow, methodical, as his eyes carefully surveyed Maxine, calculating his first move.

  “I don’t think you’re nearly secure enough for this flight, Maxine,” he said, turning rather suddenly to the cabinet where the crew kept various necessities. Maxine knew that look, too. She’d seen it many times in the Dungeon, as he searched for the perfect toys in their stash.

  “Close your eyes, little one,” he said, continuing his dig. “Hmmm…this could work, too!”

  Leaning back in her seat, Maxine raised the leg lift and waited with impatience, rubbing her thighs together. Her earlier fatigue was long forgotten, replaced with a surge of energy that only Drew could stir.

  After dimming the cabin lights to a bare minimum, he returned to Maxine’s side. She could feel him beside her, hovering so closely. He was preparing. The clanging of a belt buckle as well as some other sort of random noises echoed in the very short distance between them.

  “Open your eyes…”

  Immediately, Maxine took notice of the oxygen mask he held in his hands.

  Pulling at the elastic attached to the yellow plastic cup, he shrugged. “Not exactly the gag I was hoping for, but it’ll do,” he noted. “And no laughing, Maxine. You know, you should be thrilled that you have a husband who’s keen on improvisation.”

  “Sorry, Sir…” she whispered, dropping her head to face her lap.

  “And did I tell you to put the leg rest up?” he asked.

  “No, you did not, Sir…” Casually, just to taunt him further, she reached ever so slowly for the power button to drop the lift back into place.

  Drew shook his head as he moved around to place the mask over her face. “If this is how you’re going to behave on our honeymoon, Maxine, I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do with you…”

  The mask actually tickled a bit against her face, but she fought the need to laugh again.

  “Sit up straight, Sassypants,” he said, pressing her shoulders back into the thickly cushioned seat before maneuvering her arms behind her. His tiny little Maxine. Her hands didn’t meet around the width of the chair, so he’d have to be creative with the seatbelt extender he’d planned to use to restrain her. Weaving the thick fabric between her two arms, he’d managed to tether her quite nicely.

  And she was obviously quite happy, as she was already squirming.

  “Maxine, now listen to me. You’re completely restrained. You cannot speak,” he said with sudden seriousness. “If you need me to stop, tap your right foot against my leg. Understand? That’s a Red.”

  Her nod was so vigorous that Drew thought she might knock the mask off her face.

  “You look so uncomfortable,” he teased with those dark and dangerous eyes narrowing in on her every slight move.

  One by one, he popped open her top three buttons before pushing on her breasts to release them from the cup of her bra. “There…is that better?”

  She shook her head. No, it wasn’t better. She needed more. Maxine’s nipples were so taut—waiting for his mouth. However, he didn’t dip his head for a suckle…didn’t extend his hand for even a pinch.

  “Now, just sit tight, little one,” he said, returning to his seat and powering up his iPad. “I have to look over this contract for my cabaret show before we land. You know Rob doesn’t accept our honeymoon as an excuse to ignore his business matters…”

  She knew they had at least another six hours before touching down on French soil. He couldn’t possibly leave her like that until they arrived! She certainly didn’t mind the restraints. But she needed to have him…and soon.

  “Please…Sir…” she attempted to beg.

  “Oh, Maxine, I’m sorry—I can’t understand you with that mask on. Can you remove it for a minute?”

  Her anguished groan was certainly audible. However, he continued on, pecking at the screen, occasionally muttering to himself. While he didn’t appear to be looking at her, he was indeed watching her all the while. As she pulled against the belt that bound her hands, she struggled against those needs that were now claiming her completely. Oh, she was so close…but he wasn’t nearly done with his torment yet.

  “So hard to concentrate with your whining, Maxine…” he said, standing suddenly. “What? Do I have to take your jeans off now?”

  Louder, she wailed from behind that mask, which did pretty much nothing to muffle her cries. For once, she didn’t even care if everyone on board heard her pleas. Little did she realize, though, that Lou and the flight crew were two cabins away, all safely strapped into their seats at the front of the craft. No one could hear a word.

  His fingers toyed with the button first, easing inside her waistband to tickle her delicate skin and making a stop to circle her belly button. Instinct led her to thrust her hips toward his hand as he eased the zipper over the track.

  “Oh, my sweet little one wet her pants again,” he said, scratching his fingers against the damp silk between her legs. “Maybe I’ll need to start diapering you…”

  Quite aware that they were indeed mid-flight over the Atlantic, Maxine nearly climaxed from his words alone. With leisure, he pulled his hand away, only to return to her waist. Readily, she lifted her hips, allowing him all the access he needed to remove her jeans. She wanted them off. She needed him inside her.

  With a tug to one cuff and then the other, Drew took his deliriously sweet time as the heavy, rather rough material skimmed down over her legs, further heightening her already heady excitement.

  “Owwwwwuhhhhhhhhhh…” her voice reverberated within the cup of the mask.

  “Maxine, hush!” Drew said. “You don’t want Lou to think I’m hurting you in here, do you?”

  Oh, that threat nearly throttled Maxine to the brink and she jerked her feet against the seat.

  “Now, I’ll fold your jeans and panties
for you tonight—since you’re incapacitated right now,” he began, “but don’t think you get out of it next time, Maxine…”

  And with that, he placed her clothes in a neat little pile on the couch behind them, sat back down across from her and returned to his iPad.

  “Drew…” her garbled voice called out.

  “Did you call me, little one?” he said, lifting those roguish blue eyes with the raise of his brow.

  Purposely, she pulled her legs up and dangled them over the arms of the seat, leaving herself fully exposed for his perusal.

  “Oh, now, I could just sit here all night…” he said, placing his iPad aside. “That view is more stunning than the Parisian skyline from the Eiffel Tower at night…”

  Maxine tried—in such earnest measures—to free herself, to shake her head to rid it of that damn mask, to break from the seatbelt that held her hands captive.

  Yet she savored every second of this torment.

  She loved that longing look in Drew’s eyes as she thrashed about in an attempt to move her arms. She thrived on that slight curve of his smile as his eyes slowly washed over her from head to toe and back again, lingering upon her clit and her breasts that pained for his touch.

  This, as she’d come to understand and to embrace, was the core of her submission to him—this reciprocity of pleasure that they brought to each other.

  “My sweet little one…” Drew said as he moved to stand. “Do you have any idea how—”

  The tone that rang throughout the aircraft was a familiar one to them both and silenced Drew momentarily in its wake.

  “Uh-ohhhhh…”

  However, it was frustration, rather than panic, with which Maxine groaned so furiously as she flopped her legs back down on the floor.

  “This is your captain speaking…we’ll be hitting some turbulence as we cross the Atlantic this evening. Please take your seats, fasten your seatbelts and avoid moving about the cabin until otherwise instructed by members of the crew...”

  “Fuck!” he muttered under his breath. There was no time to release her. He had to sit down himself. Don’t panic, Mack. She’s completely strapped in. And for fuck’s sake, don’t show her your fear!