by Avery Gale
Kyle and Kent West knew most, if not all, of Regi’s secrets, but she wasn’t aware of that. They’d never told her everything they’d learned from the investigation they’d done after red flags had come up in her background check. Micah was their chief of security and when he’d pointed out discrepancies in the initial background, they had almost not hired her. But they’d made a few calls to former military contacts who had delved deeper and after meeting her face to face, they hadn’t hesitated. He and Kent had only shared the details with Micah. The rest of the team had been given the “need to know” version. They’d planned to let her work through things as best she could, but she’d obviously hit some kind of emotional cross-over point and in desperate need of a respite from her demons.
When Brian Bennett and Kirk Evans first expressed an interest in Regi, he and Kent had been nervous about their intensity overwhelming the tiny woman they’d mistakenly seen as fragile. It had quickly become evident Regina Turner was a force to be reckoned with. The fact that she and Tobi were alike in so many ways helped them open their eyes to Regi’s inner strength, and he hoped like hell he wasn’t venturing too far out on that perception with what he was planning to do.
Chapter Fourteen
Brian Bennett had stepped into the club’s large entry just in time to hear Regina Turner’s guilt ridden response to her friend and co-worker, Tank. To his credit, Tank hadn’t given them away and had just continued on as if Brian and Kirk hadn’t entered the room. When most people would have chalked up Regi’s outburst to a “bad day,” he’d heard the underlying guilt in her voice and he knew there was something more important at stake.
He and Kirk had talked recently about the buildup they’d seen coming with Regi and they’d agreed that she was headed for a meltdown unless she found a way to release all the tension they’d seen building in her. Of course their discussion had quickly taken a major Segway into all the wicked ways they could provide her with that release. They’d laughed that it didn’t seem to matter how old or how “professional” they were, it was always easy to slip back into that fun-loving frat-boy mentality.
They’d been introduced to the lifestyle during their freshman year of college by a couple of older fraternity brothers who had taken them to a club in Dallas. From that moment on, they’d both been hooked on the heady feeling of power they got from directing a woman’s pleasure. Brian knew that his own pleasure fed off the woman he was topping, and even though he and Kirk had both topped women without the other, it was always much better when they worked together.
They’d both been strict sexual Dominants from the beginning, but their approach to punishments had changed after Beth died. His younger sister had been married to an asshole of the first order. When she’d become pregnant, he’d kept her from getting the prenatal care she’d needed because he preferred spending their money on his drug habit. By the time anyone in the family knew what was happening, she’d already gone into prenatal diabetic shock. Beth had slipped into a coma and died before he and Kirk had even gotten to the hospital. He knew he’d never forget hearing his mother’s screams when the elevator doors slid open just outside the ICU where his sister had died just minutes before. That moment changed the entire course of not only his life, but that of his best friend as well.
By the time they’d settled in Kyle and Kent’s office, Brian had managed to bring his thoughts back to the woman sitting between him and Kirk. She was clearly struggling and he was anxious to hear what Kyle had in mind.
*****
Kirk Evans sat in the black leather wing-back chair facing Kyle West’s massive mahogany desk, watching and waiting. When he’d stood behind Regi out in the entryway, the tension was literally vibrating through her small body. His family had always given his Native American heritage the credit for his intuitive nature. As a kid, he’d been able to easily read the emotions of those around him and often could catch bits and pieces of their thoughts if everything was just right. All he’d gotten from Regi had been frustration and confusion, but now her uncertainty was quickly taking over.
As a trained submissive, Regi knew full well all three of them were monitoring her every response, and she was trying her damnedest to control each of her “tells.” What she didn’t realize was that alone was a huge tell. Kirk shifted his focus to Kyle, but kept Regi in his peripheral vision. His hope was that she’d relax a bit, but the tension radiating from her was soul deep, so his move hadn’t seemed to make any difference.
Kyle West seemed to be studying all three of them with an intensity that Kirk had rarely seen him focus on anyone but his wife. There was no doubt that Tobi West was fully capable of keeping both of her husbands on their toes. He really was very fond of the little bundle of energy that had swept through the club much like the storm she’d seemed to emerge from, but he often wondered if she didn’t still have some dragons left to slay as well.
Regi’s body seemed to be winding tighter by the second and Kirk was beginning to think Kyle might have missed the window of opportunity he’d obviously been watching for. With every submissive, the time between perfectly off-balance and scared spitless was different, and one of the most important skills for a sexual Dominant was to be able to accurately judge that peak and exploit it. Catching a submissive at that precise moment was the gateway to reaching them on a soul deep level, and Kirk didn’t doubt for a moment that was exactly what Kyle was watching for.
*****
Kyle waited until he saw the subtle shift in the tilt of Regi’s jaw that told him she was just about to bolt before he spoke. “Tell me what happened that had club members commenting on your attitude, sweetness.” Kyle only called her by that name when he was acting as a Dominant and her boss, and he knew she hadn’t missed the cue.
He watched as she opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again when she’d obviously reconsidered her response. Smart girl. Kyle watched as she took a deep, shuddering breath and looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, “I don’t know.” And then as if she’d thought he wouldn’t believe her, she’d quickly added, “I really don’t. My mind is just swimming and it’s making me bitchy. I’m sorry, please don’t fire me.”
Kyle leaned back and hoped his expression hadn’t shown how stunned he was that she’d think he might even consider firing her for having a bad day. Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, am I that much of a tyrant to work for that she thinks I’d fire her because she is out of sorts? Hell, this was the first time in years that he’d even known she was having a bad day. Damn, the woman hadn’t ever missed a day of work that he was aware of and now that he considered it, that fact might well be part of her problem. She held herself to such a high performance standard it was unlikely anyone could keep it up forever, and she’d done it a lot longer than probably should have been expected. Well, darlin’, time to blow off a bit of steam.
“I’ll tell you what, I think you need a bit of down time, sweetness. But rather than sending you home, I’d like to offer you an alternative solution.” He’d managed to hold back his smile at her wide-eyed look when he’d mentioned sending her home. For a dedicated worker and submissive, sending her away would be a harsh punishment, much too harsh for someone already struggling with feeling overwhelmed. He let her think for a few moments and then asked, “Are you open for suggestions?”
Her stammered, “Y-yes, Sir,” was music to his ears.
“I want you to spend the evening with Masters Brian and Kirk. I want you to talk with them honestly. Negotiate a scene with them in one of the private rooms, because I don’t believe any of the public areas are in your best interest this evening.” Kyle knew Brian and Kirk would have noticed he hadn’t asked Regi again if she trusted him, even though it was usually among the first questions Doms asked when getting ready to deliver unwelcome news to a sub. She’d shown her trust in the lobby when she’d followed him to the office, but the offer he’d just put on the table was going to require a much deeper trust, and all three Doms knew it. He didn’t doubt for a minute that
she trusted him as much as she could trust anyone, and right now he had the feeling she trusted herself the least of all.
Kyle saw her eyes widen in shock and heard her small gasp. She sprang up out of her chair, “Wait. You’re turning me over to the Wacky-Doodle Doctor Duo?”
What the fuck was that supposed to mean? Besides the fact she is obviously spending too much time with my wife. Kyle hated that he’d been unsuccessful in suppressing his smile, but hell, he ought to have been damned impressed he hadn’t laughed out loud.
“Sweetness, I’m fairly certain Master Brian and Master Kirk are going to make you pay dearly for that remark, as well they should. I’ll remind you that as an employee of this club, you will treat all of its members with respect.” He leaned forward placing his hands on his tented fingers drawing her full attention before continuing, “And speaking as a Dom to a club submissive, I’ll remind you that there are consequences for being disrespectful, so I suggest you apologize quickly and sincerely.”
Regi turned to both men and whispered, “Master Kyle is right. I shouldn’t have said that out loud.” Her tone was proper even if her words and posture screamed anything but remorse. Kyle also noticed that she hadn’t actually apologized but had only said that she shouldn’t have stated her opinion out loud, a glaring difference that he was certain neither Brian nor Kirk had missed. This evening was shaping up to be interesting indeed.
Chapter Fifteen
Tobi leaned back against the small sofa in the living room of Micah and Jax’s home listening as Gracie and the other subs they’d invited giggled about the latest club gossip. The only one who seemed to be holding back was Regi, and she’d seemed to be strung awfully tight for the past couple of weeks. Tobi had heard via the club’s grapevine that Regi had reluctantly scened with the good docs who had obviously been interested in her for a long time. But if the shadows under her friends eyes were any indication, the release they’d no doubt given her hadn’t been enough to completely ease whatever shadows were chasing her.
Making a mental note to invite Regi to lunch sometime soon, Tobi turned back to the window and watched the pampas grass at the corner of the porch dancing in the breeze. It was a bit cooler today than it had been last week, proof that summer was drawing to a close, and she was grateful the club’s annual end of summer pool party had been a few nights before. Finally returning her attention to her friends, her thoughts just seemed to tumble out in a jumbled up mess. “I think we should plan something special for our men. A sort of end of summer blow-out. They are always doing stuff for…well and to us, and I’d like to take the reins for once. I think we should plan a picnic. We could start a barbeque then play a bit with the jet skis before settling down for dinner around the fire pit.” When she noticed they were all staring at her, she asked, “What? Don’t give me that look, I know it’ll be cool out there, but we have the fire pits that EAG made. Damn I love those portable fireplaces. And crap on a cracker, the erotic scenes they cut into the sides are freaking spectacular at night.” They all giggled at her and Tobi knew she’d gotten that faraway look of a woman remembering earthquake inducing sex. Shaking her head to clear it, she continued, “Did you know Clint and his crew made those metal tables in the gazebo? They can be plugged in and warmed up so they’ll be nice and toasty when we’re wet.” The tables were amazing and Tobi had immediately understood what the men had been thinking about when they’d helped the staff at EAG Fabrication in Sealy design them.
When Gracie and the others started giggling, Tobi realized what she’d said and laughed. “You dip-shi…sh-ka-bobs, you know what I meant.” She looked around the room and noticed the tiny camera on the top shelf and rolled her eyes. “Damn. Not only is it impossible to plan a dang surprise, but now I’ll probably be in trouble for just walking in the same neighborhood as a curse word.”
Shaking her head at her giggling friends, Tobi turned to Noelle Chambers. “Will you and Neal be able to come out Sunday?” Noelle was a fellow sub at the club but she was also a successful prosecutor in Austin and worked terrible hours, if you listened to her husband, Neal. Tobi had laughed when she’d learned that Neal was a pediatrician, because for a doctor to complain about the hours their spouse worked seemed like a pretty significant statement.
“Sure, I don’t think either of us are on call and I’ll bet your men have some interesting plans for those tables this winter. Seems only fair that we one-up them on the deal.” When Tobi had first come to Prairie Winds, she’d been the target of a couple of catty-jealous women. It had been Noelle who had come to her rescue in the club’s lounge and they’d formed a tight friendship almost immediately. One of the women had been banned from almost all of the reputable BDSM clubs in the country and several overseas as a result of the report Kent and Kyle submitted to their network. She hadn’t been banned for what she’d said, but for her refusal to be held accountable and the fact she’d only been pretending to be a sub to get closer to the bachelor West brothers. She’d intentionally set out to hurt Tobi in an effort to get her to walk away from Kent and Kyle. She’d also convinced another submissive to help her, but the other woman, Mary Dillon, had been truly remorseful for her part. Mary had accepted her punishment and had slowly worked her way back into everyone’s good graces.
Kent and Kyle hadn’t ever told Tobi how Mary had been punished but she’d heard from the other subs that it hadn’t been pretty. Doms Ash Moore and Dex Raines had been the ones to punish Mary and Tobi knew they had reputations as harsh disciplinarians. Tobi had worried about the young sub until she’d seen her scene with them again several weeks later. Even though their scenes were much more intense than what Tobi would probably ever feel comfortable with, it seemed to work for the three of them, and that was all that mattered. Evidently, Mary discovered she was a bit of a pain slut, which seemed to work out well since both Ash and Dex were more than happy to meet her edgier needs.
“What about you, Mary?” Tobi asked.
“I don’t have to work, but I’ll have to check with Masters Ash and Dex. I’m still not allowed to participate in club activities without their permission.” Tobi could see the remorse that still lingered in her expression and wished the young woman could forgive herself. Tobi knew that Ash and Dex were managing Mary’s club time because they were concerned she’d inadvertently get herself in trouble again. Kent had explained that since Mary was a masochist she would need strong guidance until she learned her own limitations and boundaries. One of the things Mary had yet to fully understand was that once her punishment and suspension were over, the membership viewed the incident as over. It didn’t mean she’d earned their trust again immediately, but she was definitely starting with a clean slate, that concept was actually one of Tobi’s favorite parts of the lifestyle, so she hoped Mary was able to come to terms with it soon.
“Okay, well talk to them and as soon as you can, let me know what they say. What shall we make to eat?” The room went completely silent and Tobi glanced around at the gaping stares once again focused on her. “What? We can do this. How hard can it be to cook a few steaks on a grill? And potato salad and baked beans surely don’t require a PhD.”
Regi Turner, The Masters of the Prairie Winds Club’s resident feisty receptionist-and-more, was the first to speak, “First of all, girlfriend, none of us can cook for shit and that alone is a warning flag as big as the ATT Stadium. And if that isn’t enough…not all of us have men. And don’t be looking at me with those damned puppy dog eyes that work like magic on my bosses, because I’m immune to them, sweetie.” She held up her hand to stop the protest Tobi was ready to speak, “And before you let that nonsense fly, let me remind you a couple of play dates do not mean those doctors are my men. Hell, they might not even be around by the weekend when they find out I have to move.”
Tobi wasn’t fooled by Regi’s comments and doubted that Gracie or Noelle were fooled either. And right on cue Noelle Chambers leaned forward to snag her margarita off the low table in front of her. “I call
bullshit, Regi. Everybody knows those two hottie docs are working their magic on you and don’t even try throwing that BS in my direction. And you have to move because your roomie got married, it isn’t like you’re moving to the damned moon. You’re just moving across town.” Noelle had a mind and mouth as sharp as any Tobi had ever seen and she was in rare form tonight for some reason. “Shit, Regi, I don’t know why you don’t give them a chance, hell, they are gorgeous, professional, and genuinely nice guys. And if the scuttlebutt amongst the club’s subs is as accurate as it usually is, they are both firm but fair Doms who know how to make the sub they are topping come eight ways to Sunday. Truthfully, from what I’ve seen, they are incredibly insightful, and I haven’t seen them play with any sub since they set their sights on you.”
Gracie leaned forward and set her drink down before looking over at Regi. “I don’t want to get into your business, Regi, but I have to say the both of them are wicked nice if you know what I mean. Please invite them. If you do and they decline, then you’ll know and these two will be off your case about it.” She waved her hand in Tobi and Noelle’s direction before continuing, “And if they do accept, you’ll have a great evening with two wonderful men. Sounds like a win-win to me.”