She toed the leather bag at her feet. “It’s right here.” He started to move forward but she held her hand up. “First, I need you to promise me you’ll leave me alone from now on. I won’t hear from you ever again.”
He gave her a smarmy smile that turned her stomach. How could she have ever thought he was a nice man? “Of course, I promise. Consider your debt paid in full. The police will never know what you did.”
He was a fucking liar.
“You mean what you did.”
He laughed, his thin lips pulled into a snarl. “Sami, Sami, it’s your word against mine. I have proof. Witnesses who saw you holding those packages. What do you have?” He scoffed. “Nothing. Now give me my money so I can get out of here.”
Sami nodded. “Yes, I owe you. You should get what’s coming to you.” She let her gaze rake over him as insolently as he’d looked at her so many times. “I know your secrets, Ray.”
His smile never faltered. “Secrets? I don’t have any secrets. You don’t know shit.”
“I know you real name is Raymond Harold.”
That got his attention. For the first time since she’d known him, he didn’t look completely in control. His smile was a little less confident.
“So? Lots of people have an alias.”
“I know Marion is your sister.”
That wiped the smile from his face. His eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared. He wasn’t happy.
Too bad.
“Once again, so what? Now give me my money so I can get on the road.”
She shook her head and casually reached behind her, feeling for the handle of the cane perched on the table she was leaning on. It felt solid in her hands and it calmed her down to know she wasn’t defenseless should his anger flare.
“I know I didn’t hold drugs. I know it was all a con.”
His hands balled into fists and his face and neck went red. “You stupid, fucking cunt. You think you can threaten me? I’ll see you in hell first.”
Sami tilted her head, taking in this man that had dominated her life for the last two years. This moment wasn’t nearly as satisfying as she’d imagined. He simply looked like a loser. A pathetic loser who hadn’t deserved all the attention and worry she’d given him the last few years. She wasn’t sure he deserved any more of her time, but she was in this deep now. She had to see it through. He started walking toward her.
“Stop right there.”
He abruptly stopped, looking at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.
“I know you’re a con artist wanted in several states.” Sami smiled. “I’m your worst nightmare, Ray. I’m someone who’s not afraid of you. I’m someone who sees what you really are.”
His expression turned from anger to confusion. She wasn’t reacting as he’d expected. He thought she’d be the same scared little Sami.
Good.
* * * *
Gabe looked around the bar and frowned. One minute Sami had been talking to Ava and Jillian and the next she was gone. He nudged Jason who was deep in conversation with Ryan.
“Did you see where Sami disappeared to?”
Jason shook his head. “She was talking to Jillian last I saw her.”
“They’re probably in the ladies room,” Ryan suggested. “Wait, there’s Jillian.” He beckoned to his wife and she gave him a warm smile and made her excuses to Ambrose Winters, the head of the school board. Gabe had to admit he was envious. Ryan had it all. A beautiful wife and now a baby on the way. He wanted that for himself. He hoped they could talk Sami into it very soon. He wasn’t getting any younger and damn if his biological clock wasn’t ticking.
Ryan dropped a light kiss on Jillian’s lips. “Sweetheart, have you seen Sami? Gabe and Jason are looking for her.”
Jillian pressed her lips together and color flooded her fair skin. She turned her wrist so she could see her watch and then nodded. “I do know where she is. She wanted ten minutes, and I think it has been enough time.”
Jason’s eyebrows drew together. “Enough time for what?”
Jillian didn’t have a chance to answer as Gary came up behind him with a strange look on his face.
“What are you doing here?” Gary pointed to him.
Gabe gave a sideways look to Jason. Perhaps Gary had been drinking on the job.
“I own the joint, Gary.”
Gary shook his head. “I saw Sami heading to the playroom. She said she was playing a practical joke on you tonight. That’s what all the women said. If you’re here, who is she in the backroom with?”
Three heads swiveled to Jillian and she gulped as her husband gave her a stare that would have quelled a lesser human being. Instead, Jillian’s eyes sparkled with defiance. Ryan had his hands full with this one.
“I was just trying to tell you when we were interrupted. Sami called Ray Campbell to Plenty with the false promise of money so she could finally stand up to him before turning him over to the police. They’re in the backroom right now.” Jillian’s words came out in a rush.
At first the words didn’t quite register. He’d thought she’d said Sami was in the playroom with Ray Campbell. When her meaning penetrated his thick skull, he found himself flying toward the door to the backroom, Jason and Ryan right on his heels. He pushed open the door and stopped dead in his tracks. His woman was holding a cane behind her back, but was outwardly calm.
So this is Ray Campbell.
Part of Gabe wanted to stomp over there and pound the little weasel into the ground. It wouldn’t be difficult. He looked weak and out of shape. Ryan was trying to get around Gabe, but he grabbed Ryan’s arm and shook his head with a finger to his lips. He looked at Jason for confirmation and saw his feelings reflected there. They both knew what had to be done.
Today was graduation day for Samantha. For once, they needed to trust her and let her stand up to this man who had made her life a living hell for so long. It would be easy to rush in, put a major hurt on this guy, and fix everything for her.
That was what they wanted to do.
It wasn’t what Samantha needed them to do.
She needed them to stand by in case something went wrong, but otherwise, let her handle this. It wasn’t the moment to be selfish and think only of themselves. If they really loved and understood her, they would put her needs first.
Ryan scowled but didn’t make any more moves toward Ray and Sami. Next to Gabe, Jason appeared to be holding his breath and Gabe wasn’t in much better shape. It wasn’t easy to stand back, but he knew it was the right thing to do. He could hear their voices. Ray’s getting angrier and Samantha’s calm and strong. He felt a rush of pride at her demeanor. She’d become a formidable woman. A woman he was proud of.
“You don’t know what you’re saying.” Ray’s voice was starting to sound desperate.
“I know exactly what I’m saying. I’m not afraid of you, Ray. I can’t believe I ever was. You really have a talent for making a girl feel like she’s nothing. You did it to me. If I hadn’t come here to Plenty to visit my grandmother, there’s no telling how long I would have let you treat me this way. It stops today. You’re lucky I’m not doing anything worse after what you did to Sadie.”
“She was asking for it.” A little spit dribbled from Ray’s twisted lips. If he’d been considered handsome at some point, and Gabe doubted it, no one would think it now. He looked like a child who had a toy taken away and was about to throw a tantrum or bite another child.
Sami stepped forward and the small movement seemed to intimidate Ray. He stepped back and almost stumbled in his haste.
“So if I beat on you a little bit it would mean you were asking for it? That’s what I’d tell the Sheriff anyway. He and I went to school together. He’d believe me. After all… it would only be your word against mine.”
Ray held his hands up in front of him. “Now wait a minute. You can’t go around beating on people. You’re not the type, Sami.”
There was fear in his voice. It quivered and shot
up an octave. Sami still held the cane behind her back. “True. I guess you’re in luck tonight. I’ll let the Plenty police force deal with you. I’m guessing there are several places that want a piece of you. I’ll sleep peacefully knowing you’ll spend many quality years behind bars.”
The mention of prison seemed to pull Ray out of his fear induced stupor. He started to back toward the door quickly intent on making his escape. Gabe, Jason, and Ryan all started to make a run for him as he pushed open the door and fled into the parking lot.
They found him easily as he tried to start a late model Sedan with no luck. When he saw then advancing, he decided to make a run for it, heading into the deserted field behind the club. It took mere moments before they overtook him easily. He was gasping, out of breath, and red faced. Hopefully, he would get some regular exercise in prison. He was woefully out of shape.
Gabe heard footsteps behind him and wasn’t surprised in the least to see Logan and Meyer. He knew they had a vested interest in seeing this guy in jail. Meyer, the usually stoic one of the two, pointed to Ray Campbell.
“Is this the guy that beat up Sadie?”
Gabe nodded and had to hide his smile when Meyer’s fist landed in Ray’s soft gut. The man went to his knees with a groan, his breath knocked from his body. Ryan looked grim, but Meyer just waved him off. “You couldn’t do it. It would have been police brutality. Arrest me if you want to, it was totally worth it.”
Ryan muttered under his breath and grabbed Ray by the arm, dragging the man back into the building.
“I don’t suppose you have a pair of handcuffs in this place, do you?”
Gabe laughed. “Padded, metal, or leather?”
“Metal will be fine. Deputy Jason, take control of this prisoner.”
Jason grabbed Ray and put his hands behind his back, cuffing him with the set Gabe tossed him. At this point, there was a crowd in the playroom and Samantha was staring at them with her mouth open.
Jason wagged a finger at her. “We’ll discuss this when we get this guy behind bars.”
She nodded and then a smile bloomed on her beautiful face. “How long were you standing back there?”
Gabe and Jason exchanged glances. Jason chuckled as he pressed the prisoner’s torso down on a table to subdue him. “Long enough. We heard you stand up to him. We’re proud of you, sunshine.”
Her eyes were shining with love. Love for them.
“You really let me handle it? Really?”
Gabe lifted her chin with his finger and looked into the deepest blue eyes he’d ever been privileged to see. “Why not? You’re a grown woman, perfectly capable of handling things.”
“I certainly am. I’m glad you realize it.”
“This is all very romantic. When is someone going to tell me what happened here tonight?” Ryan all but growled the last few words. Jillian patted him on the back.
“Easy, babe. We can explain it all.”
Ryan quirked an eyebrow. “Try me.”
“Well,” Jillian began, “it all started when we were having dinner at the diner on Monday night. We started to think and well, we decided this whole thing needed to be brought to an end.”
“Did it ever occur to you to talk to your husband about it?” countered Ryan.
Jillian tapped her chin. “It did, but we decided against it.”
Ryan slapped his forehead. “You’re going to put me in an early grave, woman. Why the hell not?”
Gabe smiled and pulled Sami into his arms, Jason handed off Ray to Logan and Meyer and joined Gabe and Samantha, cuddling up to her back. “Because she needed to do this on her own.”
Samantha had crossed a milestone tonight and things were going to be different. Better. Their relationship would always have its ups and downs. They were three strong people, after all.
Jason pressed a kiss to Samantha’s cheek. “Maybe we should all sit down and talk through this.”
Ava giggled and leaned against Falk. “Hasn’t this been the best rehearsal dinner ever?” She held up a handful of wires.
Brayden brandished a flogger he’d picked up from a table. “What do you have in your hand, precious?”
Ava looked up at him with an innocent expression. “Wires from Ray Campbell’s car. We didn’t know which wires or hoses to pull, so we pulled everything we could.”
Josh shook his head and smiled. “Remind me not to piss you off. I’m very fond of my truck.”
Travis led the way back into the bar. “I’m glad we got a sitter for tonight. I’d have hated to miss this.”
Mark tapped Becca on the nose. “Don’t play innocent with us. You’ve known what was going on. We’re going to have a long talk about this when we get home.”
Becca looked delighted. “Oooh, I love it when we have a long talk.” She held up a long rubber hose, her fingers streaked with grease. “I even got a little party favor tonight. What part of the car is this?”
Ryan sighed and looked at his smiling wife. “I’m afraid to ask what you ripped from his car.”
Jillian pulled her hands from behind her back, her car part dangling from her fingers. Jack burst into laughter.
“Honey, that’s an air filter. A car can be driven without an air filter. It wouldn’t have stopped him from getting away.”
Jillian tossed the filter into a trash can and reached for a bar towel to wipe the grease from her hands. “As Ava said, we just grabbed everything that we could so he couldn’t drive away. You’re welcome, Ryan.”
“Thank you, baby. It was actually pretty brilliant of you ladies to think about his car. We might have had another car chase on our hands.”
Zach held up two fingers, ordering a couple more beers. “Considering how the last one turned out, thank goodness we didn’t. It’s time we face it. These women have us chasing our tails.”
“You admit it, bro.” Chase laughed. “I’ll never admit it.”
Cassie stood watching them, her eyes narrowed and her toe tapping on the floor. Chase gulped. “Shit.”
“You’ll be sleeping on the pool table, Chase Harper, with that attitude.”
“Aw, babe. I don’t know what I’m saying these days. I’m sleep deprived because of the baby.”
Cassie stalked off and Chase followed her to plead his case. Gabe fell back in a chair as two on duty deputies marched Ray Campbell to a cruiser and drove off. Jason slumped in an adjacent chair.
“All this so our woman could stand up to her past. Therapy might have been easier.”
Jason was yanking his chain. Gabe took the bait anyway. “Trust me, therapy is messy and painful. This was easier, believe it or not. Besides, this wasn’t only about her. It was about us trusting her. We had to prove it.”
Samantha knelt between them, holding their hands. “You did prove it. I love you.”
Gabe stroked his chin. “How much?”
Her eyes danced and her smile grew. “Bunches and bunches.”
“Care to prove it when everyone leaves? There’s an entire room of toys back there to be explored. A mature woman is ready for things like that.”
She squeezed their hands and nodded. “It’s a date. Now get everyone out of here.”
Gabe checked his watch. If he played his cards right, he could have everyone out by ten.
He couldn’t wait to introduce Samantha to his dungeon. One look at Jason’s expression and he knew it was unanimous. Tonight would be a very special night.
* * * *
The cool air in the playroom brushed her skin and soothed her overheated flesh. She’d been on pins and needles for the last few hours, but Gabe and Jason had finally bid the last guest good night and helped the catering company load up their truck. She’d see everyone at the wedding tomorrow, but tonight belonged to only the three of them.
She reached back and unzipped her dress, purchased just for this occasion. It was the first little black dress she’d ever owned and she’d needed the confidence it gave her tonight, but now it was simply in the way. She shrugge
d it off and hung it from a hook on the wall. She warred over whether she should also remove her black lace bra and panties and her black high heels, but it seemed naughty and decadent to leave them on.
She perused the toys on the walls and shelves, her arousal hitching higher as she took in the selection of butt plugs, floggers, nipple clamps, paddles, and a few things she couldn’t identify. She’d read about things like this in some of Sadie’s smutty books but tonight she was really going to get to experience it. There wasn’t a smidgen of fear inside her, only anticipation. She trusted her men completely. She knew they would take care of her, keeping her from any harm.
She turned on her heel at the sound of their footsteps approaching. A zing ran through her body and her heart rate started to accelerate, galloping like a horse at the Kentucky Derby. They looked handsome and sexy in their suit and ties and she smiled, fantasizing about stripping those clothes from their yummy bodies to explore what was underneath.
Gabe shrugged off his jacket and tossed it on a sofa in the corner. “I like the look, babe. Sexy, black lingerie looks good on you.”
Jason was pulling off his jacket and tie as well. “Personally, I think she looks best completely naked. But, you can keep the heels on, sunshine.” Jason waggled his eyebrows. If he’d had a mustache, she was sure he would have twirled it with an evil grin.
She stuck her tongue out. “Lech. Aren’t you supposed to be teaching me to submit or something?”
Gabe rolled his eyes. “You’re no submissive, that’s for sure. It doesn’t mean we can’t play and have some kinky fun though.”
Sami stuck out her lower lip. “I want you to teach me to submit.”
Gabe sighed and crossed his muscular arms across his chest, straining the fabric of his button down shirt. “The first lesson of submission is the Dominant is in charge. He makes the decisions and controls what happens.”
“That sounds sucky. All the decisions?”
Gabe scraped a hand down his face. “All of them, except whether to use your safe word. It takes a strong, confident woman to submit. Trust and honesty is key. Still interested?”
Plenty of Chances [Plenty, FL 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 15