“Everything okay at home?” Neil asked, and it took everything in Steven not to punch his brother. Instead, he just replied, “I don’t know.”
* * * *
The plane landed without fanfare. However, all the excitement was within the plane itself. Tristan had never seen Violet so angry before. For the first half of the flight, she just quietly sat by a window and stewed, letting her anger fester until they flew over American air space, and that was when she blew. His quiet and submissive little flower blossomed into a Venus Flytrap, and she was hungry. Man, Tristan thought he’d seen every side of Violet there was to see, but when she got started, she wouldn’t stop. She let loose every bit of pent-up frustration she had ever since they started dating. From him walking around the plane naked when they first met, to him trying to coddle her from what was going on now. She left nothing out.
Of course, he wasn’t the only person she was cursing into perdition. She was also angry at Sasha, Gabriel, and now that he thought about it, every man on the planet.
Today was not a good day to have a penis.
“Violet, the planes landed,” he cautiously stated, unbuckling himself. In all honesty he was afraid to move, but he needed to get off this plane.
“I know it’s landed!” she shouted at him. “I’m not stupid.”
Tristan refused to reply to that remark. He tried when they were over international waters and got to listen for thirty minutes on the merits of a woman’s ability to micromanage many things and how a man would only screw things up. Tristan wasn’t sure about that, considering he was the CEO of his company and oversaw every aspect of it, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. Instead, he just sat in his chair and listened to her. Okay, if he was being honest, he partially listened, because one half of his brain was figuring out a way to pay Sasha back for this horribly long flight and ruining his vacation. What should have been a true fuck fest for him and Violet and quality time together turned out to be two days of bliss and then total hell, and it was all because of Sasha.
Tristan loved his best friend, he really did, but when he got his hands around Sasha’s neck he was going to strangle the man to death. In all honesty, Tristan thought all of their drama was over, and that the worst of it all was behind them. They hadn’t heard anything about his brother James in over a year and a half, and then to find out that Sasha had been being blackmailed by the son of a bitch the whole time, well talk about a stab in the back.
They were supposed to be friends, partners in loving and caring for Violet. They were supposed to be working together, and at the first chance to implement that fact, Sasha kept that damn e-mail a secret. Instead, his best friend chose to figure it out all on his own and in doing so, alienated Violet and built a rift in their friendship.
Now the truth was out and everyone, including him, was keeping it from Violet. Tristan didn’t agree with the way Sasha was handling everything, but this wasn’t his secret to tell. Sasha gave Tristan the opportunity to tell Violet his when it was learned that the Master Violet kept referring to was his older brother James Master Summerfield, and Tristan was going to give Sasha the same. Only Sasha’s timeline was going to be exponentially shorter, because if he had to listen to Violet berate him one second longer for something he didn’t do, he was going to blow.
“Do you need help with your bag?” Tristan asked and immediately regretted asking because the look Violet gave him would melt the polar ice caps. Yep, his beautiful, loving, and submissive woman was truly pissed off. Instead of answering him, Violet grabbed her bag and headed for the door of the plane. When the co-pilot opened it and lowered the stairs, Tristan followed as Violet marched down them, refusing to wait so he could open his umbrella.
Running after her, he managed to catch up just as Steven and Neil Conner ran over, as Violet continued to walk on by them as if she didn’t even see them.
“What are you two doing here?” Tristan asked, looking around for Sasha.
“We’re here to take Violet home with us,” Neil replied.
“She’s has a home,” Tristan said then added more forcefully than he intended, “With me.”
“Look, man, I get it. I really do, but Hazel insisted that we come get her,” Steven informed him, reluctantly.
“Why? Has something happened?” Tristan asked, as Violet walked into the airport hangar. He didn’t like seeing her like this. She was making him nervous. In his experience, when people acted out of anger and frustration, things went badly quick. He didn’t want that for Violet. He wanted to protect her, but he didn’t know how if he couldn’t get her to talk to him.
“Gabriel and Ms. Grey are waiting for you at the Pleasure Cave. Apparently there is a guest there waiting to see you, and Hazel thought it best that Violet come stay with us for a couple of days, since Sasha is occupied with other things.”
“Did any of you think to ask Violet what she wanted?” Tristan asked. “She’s been perfectly clear with me since we let the island. In fact, she’s been downright determined.”
“I don’t think Hazel was going to give her a choice,” Steven replied.
“Who’s here?”
“Your ex.”
“Fuck,” Tristan growled. “I don’t need this shit. I’ve had to deal with a very angry woman for the last several hours. All I wanted to do was to get Violet home and maybe grovel at her feet.”
“You can do that later,” Neil stated ominously, looking at his brother. Tristan had the distinct feeling that Neil and Steven were withholding something. It was more of a gut feeling, but his gut never let him down before, so he just asked, “What? What else is there?”
“Pisces called Garret and Zac a few hours ago. Angelica spotted your brother in Celestial. She’s trailing him now, and she called her buddies over at the bureau.”
“And she didn’t arrest him!” Tristan shouted, dropping his bags, running after Violet. There was no way in hell he was letting Violet out of his sight with his brother James in the area. He knew he should have kept her on that damn island, even if he had to bind and gag her to do it. As soon as he got his hands on her, he was forcing her ass back on that damn plane and he was getting her the hell out of Treasure Cove.
* * * *
Violet had just entered the hangar when Billy, the young man who worked there, stepped out of the bathroom and collided with her. She’d met Billy a year and a half ago when she herself wanted to get the hell out of Treasure Cove. That seemed like such a long time ago, and just remembering that day heated her cheeks. She’d been so brazen, so fearless, and she was going to need some of that gumption today because if she was going to put an end to all these lies, she was going to have to muster all the courage she had.
“Oh gosh, Violet, I’m so sorry,” he apologized profusely as he tried to help her to her feet. Billy was a sweet man who loved his job. She knew he wouldn’t hurt a fly and that he didn’t mean to knock her over. The youngest brother of Johnny and Kenny Edward, the brothers owned and operated the Treasure Cove airport. Though Billy was only regulated to booking flights, he was good at what he did and helped his brothers out as much as possible.
“It’s all right, Billy. I should have been watching where I was going,” she replied, picking up her bag. “Can you call me a cab, please?”
“Sure thing, but I don’t think I’ll be able to get you one out here. Old Mine road is washed out. It’s going to be a while.”
“Damn,” Violet muttered. She didn’t want to be stuck at the damn airport with Tristan and Hazel’s men. All she wanted was to find Sasha and force him to tell her what the hell was going on. She was tired of all this crap and she figured the sooner she knew all the details, the quicker she could get her life back.
“Billy, do you still own that big truck of yours?”
“Yeah I do. I just got new mud tires for it last month. I’ve been waiting for a good rain so I could test them out.”
“That’s great.” Violet smiled up at him. “I can test them out for you.”
>
“Huh?”
“Billy, I need your truck.”
“But it’s a stick shift.”
“I know how to drive a manual.”
“But I wanted to test out the tires.”
“Billy, I will be very careful with your truck, but I can’t wait. I need to go find Sasha. It’s important. I promise to return your truck in perfect condition, but I really need to borrow it.”
Violet looked pleadingly at the young man. She hated putting him in this position, but she refused to be stuck at the damn airport with Tristan. She couldn’t listen to him explain one more thing. She needed the information from the source, and if she had to walk to get it, she would. So, when Billy reluctantly got the keys to his truck out of his front pocket, Violet smiled and leaned up and kissed the young man on the cheek. “You are a true gentleman, Billy!”
She grabbed his keys and ran for the employee exit.
Violet stopped in her tracks when she spotted Billy’s large pickup truck and wondered just how in the hell was she ever going to be able to get into it. The thing was huge. The tires alone came up to her chest. For a split second, she wondered if maybe she’d bitten off more than she could chew, when Billy’s older brother Johnny walked out of one of the hangars.
“Hey Violet, you need something?”
John Edward, or as he preferred to be called, Johnny, was a tall brute of a man, with a wicked sense of humor and a mind for anything mechanical. So when he walked over, Violet didn’t waste any time. “Billy loaned me his truck, but I don’t know how to get into it.”
“I can help with that.” The man smiled, shoving a red grease rag into his jeans. Before Violet could say another word, Johnny opened the door, grabbed her bag, and threw it into the cab. He picked her up easily and before she could blink she was sitting behind the wheel. “Billy must like you, Violet. He doesn’t let just anyone borrow his truck. Be careful, second gear tends to stick sometimes.”
“Thanks, Johnny.” Violet smiled at him. Closing the door, she put the keys in the ignition, just as Tristan, Steven, and Neil ran out the employee exit. Violet started the truck, took off, and didn’t look back.
Chapter Twelve
“What do you mean she’s gone!” Sasha roared. He had enough on his plate already. He didn’t need to add a missing Violet to the mix. All Tristan had to do was to escort Violet to her sister’s house, where she would be safe until this mess was over. Instead, Tristan let Violet commandeer a truck getaway.
In the last twenty-four hours, all hell had started break loose in Treasure Cove. So much so, that he was about to call Tristan and have him keep her there on that damn island. However, when he went to make the call, he was detained by the news that James Summerfield had surfaced. The need to find the man and make sure he was behind bars was paramount. He prayed that the authorities captured him before Tristan’s plane landed, but that wasn’t the case. To make matters worse, the FBI had arrived with news that Sergio Pavlov was in the area. As to exactly where, they didn’t know.
Now, Violet was home, without help and apparently driving a souped-up truck made for mudding! His only consolation was that Garret told him that Rafe Anderson knew what Billy Edward’s truck looked like and was out searching for it now.
“We’ll find her, Sasha, and bring her in. Don’t worry. You just help the FBI with finding Summerfield. He is the bigger concern right now,” Garret Riley stated, grabbing his hat before walking out Sasha’s office.
“Sasha, I didn’t think she’d take off. I thought she just went into the hangar to get out of the rain,” Tristan said, worriedly pacing the floor in front of Sasha’s desk. “I should have never brought her home. I wasn’t going to, but she was so damn insistent.”
“You are a dominant, Tristan! You should have gone with your gut!” Sasha yelled angrily.
“You try ordering her around when she puts her mind to something! I’d like to see you tell her no,” Tristan shouted back. Arguing was getting them nowhere. They had to find Violet before James found her first. The only thing going for them was that James didn’t know the area well and Violet did.
This whole mess was his fault. His woman was out there alone, with no one to protect her. James Master Summerfield was in the area looking for her and a known human trafficker wanted Violet for his wife. Sasha couldn’t wrap his head around all of this. It was all too much. What made things worse was all of this could have been avoided if he’d just said no in the very beginning. Why he agreed to be a procurer was lost on him. Oh, the money was good, there was no doubt about that, but morally, he knew it was wrong. The only reason he agreed to it was because he set up a contract so airtight, that if he felt or the submissive felt she were in danger, Sasha had the legal right to terminate the contract immediately. In all the years he procured, he only had to do that twice and those circumstances were far less detrimental than the one Violet was in.
“We have to find her,” Tristan muttered as he continued to pace the room. “I’ve called Mrs. Prescott. She said the house is quiet. No one’s been there since we left.”
“Do you think she went to Kelly’s? Violet told me she’s been seeing her again once a week.”
“I’ll call her and find out,” Tristan said, reaching for his phone, when Violet stormed into Sasha’s office.
“Violet!” both men shouted in relief. Tristan was the first to reach her and gave her a lung-crushing hug. When he was done, Sasha stepped forward, grabbed her by the arms, and lightly shook her. He was so worried, relieved, angry, and happy she was safe all at the same time. “I should paddle your ass for that stunt. Do you know how worried I was?” he said, then something inside him snapped. No, this was not how he wanted their reunion to go. He missed her over the last few days and then she goes and runs away like a temperamental child who didn’t get the toy she wanted. Well, Sasha knew how to handle a bratty submissive and it was going to be his extreme pleasure to show her. “You know something, I think I will.”
“Will what?” Violet asked petulantly, then immediately regretted it when he stepped forward and grinned wickedly at her. “Paddle your ass.”
Violet gasped. She had to have heard him wrong. She had to. Sasha had never paddled her before. He had only ever used his hands on her. She knew he was a dominant and a good, caring one. He loved her and she knew he would never hurt her, but the excitement she saw in his eyes gave her pause. She wasn’t sure about this. Maybe she had pushed him too far. All she wanted was answers. She tried to get him to talk, many times, but he refused to tell her anything. She was tired of hearing that everything was fine and that she didn’t need to worry about anything. She was worried, and the more Sasha said that, more worried she got.
“You can’t paddle me,” she whispered, stepping back.
“Oh, I can, my little flower,” Sasha said moving closer. “And I will.”
Before Violet could flee, Sasha grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the bed Sasha kept in his office. She looked to her left and saw Tristan leaning against Sasha’s desk, slowly taking off his tie, his face void of any expression. She wondered if he was going to stop this madness, but when he took off his suit coat and started unbuttoning his shirt, she knew she wasn’t going to get any help from him. She was on her own so to speak, only she didn’t know what to do.
“Sasha, please,” she begged. “I didn’t mean to upset you or worry you. I just couldn’t stand around and wait to see you. I wanted to find you so we could talk. We need to talk about what’s going on with you.”
“The time for talking went away when you put your life in danger. Now strip,” Sasha ordered harshly. Violet blinked a couple of times, wondering if she should press the matter, but when Sasha growled angrily, she kicked off her shoes and did as he instructed as Sasha opened a sliding door she never knew was there. What she saw next chilled her to the bones.
Before she could utter a word of warning, she found herself standing blindfolded, ankles bound to the heavy wooden cross behind her, arms
bound behind her and fastened to a tight chain extending to the ceiling. She could not change her position, only able to shift her weight from one foot to the other. She waited, not knowing how much time had passed, or knowing how long she has been bound. Only waiting on him to return after he left, securing her. She was thankful that Tristan was still in the room with her or at least she thought he was.
“Tristan,” she whispered softly.
“I wouldn’t talk, Violet.”
“I didn’t mean to upset him. I just wanted to see him.”
“Well you’re about to get your wish,” Tristan said as Violet heard a door open. All talking ceased as she heard Sasha enter the room. A brief brush of air against her naked body had her heart racing. He said nothing and she heard him move around the room. She heard the clink of metal against metal and the chain binding her arms slackened. He twined his hand through her hair at the base of her head and pulled her roughly to her knees. The chain tightened as she knelt. He slapped her lightly across the face and forced her head forward until it met his cock, freed from his jeans, the rough zipper scraping her cheek as she opened her mouth willingly to accept him.
Initially, Violet tried to control the movement of her head, to control the blowjob, but Sasha wouldn’t allow her. He roughly shoved his cock deep down her throat until she choked on it, holding her there as she struggled internally to open her air passages to breathe around it. He pulled her away from his cock and Violet gasped in air, just enough before he shoved his dick back down her throat. Two more times he did this before he pushed her away from his cock and lightly slapped her across the face again.
Violet had never seen this side of Sasha. Though she was a little frightened, she knew he would never hurt her. His extreme dominance was interesting to her and something dark in the deep depths of her mind expanded. A door opened and then there was light. She wanted this. She needed this. For so long, she thought the soft, fluffy love that Sasha and Tristan gave her was what she wanted, needed to heal, but kneeling there before him, watching him be the person he was meant to be, Violet realized she, too, had been hiding her true self from them. She liked a bite of pain.
The Reluctant Submissive: Accepting the Change [The Men of Treasure Cove 15] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 13