by Avery Gale
The night Kyle shared the story with him, Brandt had struggled to keep from laughing at the mental picture flashing through his mind. But after meeting Tobi, Brandt didn’t have any trouble imagining her fire, and it was obvious to everyone who knew Kyle, she’d been exactly what he’d needed. While Kent had always been far more flexible and easy-going in general, Kyle had been well on his way to becoming isolated by his own rules. Brandt knew Tobi had won the hearts of Kyle’s friends and family for that alone.
“They don’t know there is anyone else in the room, do they?” Kyle’s whispered words brought Brandt back to the moment. “Tobi can do that to Kent—it’s one of the things I envy about my brother, his ability to soar in Dom space.”
“I was just thinking the same thing. I’ve never seen Ryan completely lost in a scene before.”
“And you’re worried about their safety.” It hadn’t been a question, Kyle had already known what Brandt was thinking. “He knew he was safe here. As a matter of fact, Ryan went to a lot of trouble to ensure their safety ahead of time. If you take a look around, you’ll see several men stationed around the area who aren’t focused on the scene—they’re watching exits and the audience for anything even remotely threatening.”
Brandt felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He hadn’t even realized how worried he’d been until he saw how much care Ryan had taken to ensure Joelle’s safety. “I know it might seem like over-kill on my part, but she is incredibly special. And I don’t mean she is only special to us—hell, her discovery is going to make a huge difference in the world someday. I think we all know it will be years before the full effects are felt, but the ripples will start the minute she drops the pebble in the pond.”
“I agree. I believe my dads are getting involved in the process as well. They’re coordinating with your dad and uncle to make sure Joelle’s announcement is heard round the world.” Brandt turned to him, curious about the note of amusement he heard in Kyle’s voice. “I think they are trying very hard to keep Mom from helping. She has a way of attracting trouble, much like the little mischief magnet I’m married to. I’m just grateful they are still in Florida. Hopefully, that’s far enough.” Brandt heard the worry in Kyle’s voice and had to fight back his laugh. Hell, with Lilly West, the width of the Gulf of Mexico might not be enough distance.
He stifled the laughter threatening to break free because saying Lilly West attracted trouble was one hell of an understatement. The last Brandt knew, she was on Homeland Security’s “avoid if at all possible” list. When she’d found out Brandt was a sniper, she begged him to teach her how to shoot one of his preferred rifles. Her husbands and sons had been horrified and threatened him with great bodily harm if he did any such thing. To this day, she still asked every time he saw her if he’d changed his mind. From what Brandt could see, Tobi was well on her way to becoming the next Lilly West—or worse.
Chapter Ten
Joelle tried to bring the world into focus, but the only thing she knew for certain was she was warm and safe. Trying to sort through the source of her confusion felt like swimming in a pool filled with chocolate pudding. The more she strained to see past the goo, the more confused she became. Finally giving in to the lure of sleep, Joelle let the stinging skin on her back and ass warm her so sleep could easily pull her under. There would be time to figure out what happened later, for now, she was going to relish the sweet oblivion of slumber.
Ryan was damned glad Brandt was the one carrying Joelle up the spiral staircase because he wasn’t sure he would have trusted his legs to carry such precious cargo up the curving metal stairs. Hell, he wasn’t entirely convinced they were going to carry him up the stairs. The scene with Joelle had blown apart everything he thought he’d known about topping a sub. He’d known from the outset it was going to be intense but it exceeded his wildest expectations. From the moment he’d told her to strip, Joelle had shifted all of her focus to him.
He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen a sub fall into subspace so quickly or so completely. He and Brandt would have to remember to always secure her safely before beginning a scene. Ryan wondered briefly how she would respond to shibari. Even though he was out of practice, he couldn’t help wondering what she would look like bound in the decorative rope designs showcasing her for their erotic pleasure. He’d studied the ancient Japanese bondage technique years ago because he’d felt drawn to the artistic expression of eroticism. The two elements were simply different sides of the same coin. Sex was, by nature, frenzied and messy, but the artistry of shibari required time and patience; and it showcased not only the subject’s trust in the artist, but it displayed his or her body as well.
Nate Ledek had asked him to do a series of demonstrations at Mountain Mastery once he was settled in Montana. Ryan hadn’t been particularly interested—until now. How would Joelle react? Would she enjoy the intensity of a shibari scene? Because the entire process was extremely intimate, and he’d want to make sure every inch of her sex was beautifully displayed for all to see. Hell, he was getting hard again despite having just experienced one of the most crushing orgasms of his life downstairs a few minutes earlier. He hadn’t intended to fuck her after the flogging, but he’d had to open his leathers and take her or he’d have embarrassed himself in a way he hadn’t since puberty. Christ, if just thinking about how she’ll look in ropes does this to me, I really need to get online and order some supplies.
Stepping into the private room was like stepping back in time. The entire space was decorated in an old west motif reminiscent of every museum he’d been forced to visit as a kid. Ryan’s mother took their Texas heritage seriously, he swore she’d dragged him from one end of the state to the other making sure he understood exactly how wonderful the Lone Star state was. Looking around the room, Ryan wondered if Miss Kitty had picked out the furnishings herself. “Christ, I feel like we’ve just walked onto a Gunsmoke set.”
Brandt’s laughter woke Joelle, and Ryan watched as her eyelids fluttered open as she took in her surroundings. “Wow, this is…well, it’s just…we’re still at the Prairie Winds Club, right? Because this sort of looks like a museum. And I’m not sure how I’d feel about being naked in a museum.”
Ryan couldn’t hold back his bark of laughter. “Hell, I was just thinking the same thing. Next time I’m choosing the room, we’re not letting Marshall Dillon here decide.”
“Har, har. You’re a real comedian. Personally, I think you watch too much late night television, most people probably don’t even take notice of this room.” Ryan stared at his cousin in disbelief—he didn’t think he knew anyone with an I.Q. over dull normal who wouldn’t see the room and wonder what sort of movies had been shot inside. Ryan’s teasing faded quickly when Brandt slid open a hidden panel and began flipping switches. A large screen lowered from the ceiling and flickered to life.
Tobi stomped her foot in frustration. Damn, they make me so stinking mad I could just spit. Kent had scooped her up the minute she and Gracie stepped back into the main room after their conversation with Joelle. He’d begun herding her toward one of the more secluded areas of the club when she’d noticed someone setting up a stage. When she’d inquired about the scene, he’d told her it wasn’t any of her concern and that’s where things started to go south.
“I don’t understand why you won’t tell me who is doing the scene. Is it one of your old girlfriends or something?” The look he’d given her might have deterred a lesser woman, but sometimes Tobi didn’t have the good sense to walk away from a fight.
“Be very careful, baby. You’re getting dangerously close to the edge of my patience.” Oh yeah? Well, news flash for you, husband mine. I’m pretty close to my own limit. When you won’t tell me what’s going on it just makes me all the more curious.
“Is that right, well, hell….o. Sure wouldn’t want that, now would we?” He moved so quickly, all she saw was a black leather blur before he’d thrown over his shoulder. Well, it looked like he hadn’t been ki
dding, his patience had indeed been hanging by a thread…a thread that seemed to have snapped. Even from her upside down position, she could tell he was heading out the back door. Damn and double damn, she’d hoped he’d, at least, stomp through the main room so she could get a glimpse of who was putting on the demonstration.
“Find my brother and tell him I need his help. I’ll be waiting for him at the gazebo, but he better hurry it along.” Kent’s voice sounded rough and Tobi wasn’t sure who he’d sent to find Kyle, but the young man’s voice had been all breathless and sickeningly sweet with its “Yes, sir. Anything you say, sir.” Good Lord, she wanted to gag. Hell, she was never going to be that kind of submissive. Cripes, so much for trying to go a whole week without a punishment paddling. The last she knew there was still some kind of betting pool among the club Masters about how long she’d make it each week. They really should be donating all that extra money to charity if you ask me.
The air blowing up the pretend skirt they’d given her to wear was warm, thank God Spring had decided to drop in on the Hill Country early this year. “You made it almost six days this week, kitten.” Tobi shrieked in surprise as Kyle stepped out of the shadows as Kent moved down the path.
“Holy shit, you…” A stinging swat landed on her ass and she gasped as the heat spread quickly between her thighs.
“Watch your language, baby. I’m really not it the mood for you to push my boundaries.” Kent was usually the easier going of the two of them, but something had clearly set him on edge and for some reason, Tobi didn’t think it was her.
“I believe you were going to inquire how I knew where you were. Well, I was tipped off by the new fellow we have working in the control room. He is going to work out well I do believe.” The smug tone laced through Kyle’s voice told her he knew he was going to get to play good cop tonight and the jerk seemed to be looking forward to the change. Fuck a fat fairy. There just isn’t any way this is going to work out well for me.
Kent was damned glad Tobi couldn’t see his face because he was having a hell of a time not laughing. One of her most endearing quirks was her habit of speaking her thoughts out loud when she was stressed. He and Kyle had worried she was breaking the habit because it hadn’t happened in months, but evidently she was worried enough tonight the useful little tell had returned. Neither he nor Kyle cared if she knew her new friend was being flogged into subspace by Ryan Morgan, but they also knew the best way to set up the scene they had planned for their sub was to pique her curiosity a bit. Nothing got their willful wife in more trouble than her curiosity.
“Put me down you, big oaf. I’m getting motion sick hanging upside down. We all know you aren’t going to do anything in that darned gazebo. It’s too open and all those uptight ninnies on the river would have a conniption if they saw anything that might give them an erection. I swear some of those people need to get naked and nasty just to find out how much fun it is.” Well hell, he couldn’t put her down now because he couldn’t wipe the damned grin off his face to save his soul.
Thank heaven his brother seemed to be maintaining some measure of decorum. “Well, kitten, I think you may find we’ve made some improvements to the gazebo. A few modifications that will allow us more opportunities to use it in a way we use the lovely facility we know you’re so fond of.” Oh yeah, they’d made changes alright. The electric privacy screen was a state of the art design allowing anyone inside the structure to see out but no one outside could see in. The retractable device was virtually hidden when not in place and could be set up remotely from an app on their phones.
Tobi’s assessment was true of many of the boaters behind their property. It amazed him how dedicated the penis police were to anchoring behind the club on the weekends during fair weather. He knew they were hoping to catch a glimpse of the activities rumored to be taking place at Prairie Winds. He, Kyle, and their whole staff took every possible precaution to make sure they left each week disappointed.
Rounding the corner, Kent was pleased to see the gazebo had all but disappeared from view. If you didn’t know where it was, you’d be hard pressed to find it; and that was exactly what he and Kyle had hoped to achieve. He set Tobi on her feet and turned her slowly—her soft gasp told him she was surprised. “How? I can barely even see it and we’re so close.”
Moving forward quickly, Kyle opened the door and the three of them stepped into a sea of soft white fairy lights. The view of the riverfront from inside the gazebo was perfect. The light of the full moon illuminated the surface of the water making it shimmer with a vibrancy they’d have otherwise missed simply because they never wanted to give the gawkers a reason to snap their picture. They’d learned the hard way most of the clothing they chose for Tobi disappeared when photographed with a flash. Kent didn’t even want to think about that particular fiasco.
Tobi started toward the perimeter but Kyle stopped her. If they let her start asking questions they’d spend most of their playtime explaining all about the fabric and mechanical features of the Prairie Winds Club’s newest feature. Kent could practically hear the wheels of her quick mind spinning and knew there were probably a hundred questions bubbling their way to the surface—it was definitely time to get things started. “Come here, baby.” She seemed startled out of her thoughts, but he was pleased she didn’t hesitate to move back to him. Once she was standing in front of him, Kent didn’t hesitate. “Strip.”
Micah Drake rechecked the information he’d received minutes ago before sending a quick text to everyone working on Joelle’s case. They’d only had a few suspects left on the list Joelle had given them, and now they’d finally identified the person responsible for the break-in at her apartment and the attempted breach of her home in Pine Creek. Micah agreed with the others, both attempts had been more about theft and intimidation than physical harm. But he also believed former Senator Helen Rodrick would step up the game she was playing now that all the major news agencies were chattering like magpies about Joelle Phillips’ upcoming news conference. The former senator was the most corrupt politician in recent history, but her loyal followers continued to drink the Kool-Aid as if the news stories about the women were pure fiction.
Shaking his head, Micah sent a final message to all the club’s security personnel. They didn’t have any reason to believe Ms. Rodrick knew where Joelle was staying, but he sure as hell wasn’t taking any chances. First thing in the morning the entire team was meeting to discuss the upcoming news conference. They’d enlisted some big players in both the news and medical communities as well as several celebrities who’d been touched by cancer in one way or another. The up side? Joelle’s announcement was going to get the hype it deserved. The downside? The whole dog and pony show was going to be a fucking security nightmare.
Pushing back from the bank of computers he’d been monitoring, he put everything in the capable hands of the men waiting to take over and made his way downstairs. He was anxious to get his hands on his luscious wife. He and Jax had been looking forward to his week for a long time. He adored their daughter, but Deaga’s mama deserved this well-earned adult time. He’d been watching Jax escort Gracie around the club for the past hour and it was easy to see she was becoming concerned by his absence. If things hadn’t finally started falling into place he would have joined them much sooner, but even his impatient cock understood Joelle’s safety was more important than another hour of playtime.
Walking up behind Gracie, Micah slid an arm around her pulling her against his chest. He loved the way she fit against him and her sweet gasp of surprise. “You should be careful, Sir. My Masters take exception to strange men having their hands on me. I’m not sure they’d appreciate the way your muscular arm is lifting my breasts to the point they may well pop out of this hooker Barbie dress they gave me to wear. I don’t even want to think about the fact you’ve raised the hem of this little frock so high my pink bits are probably displayed for all to see.” Micah chuckled against her ear, the saucy little sub was obviously wound up a
nd ready to play.
“I think I’ll take my chances, baby. I think you’re worth the risk. Besides, I only see one Master and I think I can work with him to make sure you have an evening you’ll never forget.” He hoped like hell their calendar wasn’t off, they’d all been devastated when Gracie miscarried a year ago, but they’d known her body needed time to heal so they’d been biding their time. But she’d recently gotten the green light from both of her doctors so they’d been tracking her fertility very closely. Dr. Brian Bennett and Dr. Kirk Evans were members of the club as well as excellent OB/GYNs and having physicians who understood the lifestyle saved a lot of embarrassing explanations.
Wrapping her in the shelter of his embrace, Micah moved so he could slide both hands under the fabric of her halter dress. The soft, sheer fabric did little to hide her peaked nipples and he wanted to moan in satisfaction as the hard nubbins traced a line of fire over his palms. “You are so fucking hot, baby. Your body was made for us, your heart had our names written on it before we ever met. He felt her shudder before a soft gasp of acquiescence whispered from between her soft rose-colored lips.
Micah looked at Jax, who was watching them, the fire in his eyes assuring Micah their plan was still firmly in place. Yes, indeed. They planned to love their sweet wife seven ways to Sunday and then after a nap they’d start again. She might view this week as a break from their adorable daughter, but to her husbands, it was “make a baby week.” They had a plan.
Gracie wanted to laugh out loud at the two Neanderthals she’d married. She knew they were itching to give Deaga a sibling. She wanted that too but losing the baby had shaken her confidence. What if she couldn’t carry another child? What if something went wrong and she left her beautiful daughter without a mother? What if her husbands decided they wanted another child more than they wanted the woman who’d only given them one little girl? Pushing her worries aside, Gracie concentrated on staying in the moment. She’d promised Tobi she would try to reclaim the carefree spirit she’d been before the miscarriage. One of Tobi’s best attributes was her ability to empathize without claiming to fully understand someone else’s grief. She’d spent hours with Gracie doing nothing but holding her hand, and it had been exactly what Gracie needed most.