Apt [Running to Love 6] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Allyson Young

  “I don’t think I’ve met Kyle.”

  “No, you haven’t. I haven’t seen him in a very long time. He knows Jeff and Devon. Devon helped him retrieve his sub after she ran from him. That was a really bad time in Kyle’s life. He’s probably still a silent partner in Unleashed, but Tabitha doesn’t attend, and so Kyle is unlikely to be there very much either.”

  Dave wanted to ask what had happened but bit his tongue. Whatever Kyle had done, Dave had done worse. He’d humiliated and rejected Fiona, and he hadn’t had the opportunity to fix it. Yet. Why hadn’t she at least written him back, even to blow him off? Instead, he contented himself with a nod.

  “I’m leaving the girls at home, and your sister isn’t happy with me at all. I was tempted to take Ash just to piss her off a little more and gentle her when I got home, but…”

  Dave held up his hand. “TMI, buddy. Jesus.”

  Alistair laughed. “You better get used to it, Dave. Once Jackie is back in action, you’re going to be seeing a lot more of her.”

  Dave knew ’Stair was teasing him, just as he heard the wistfulness in the other man’s voice. Alistair was thrilled about becoming a dad, but he also missed the times with Jackie and Ash at the Club. They hadn’t been together all that long before Jackie got pregnant, but life was about balance. Dave was coming to see that in startling clarity, and he again blessed the fact he’d been given the opportunity. He decided to rib Alistair right back.

  “Well, buddy, I’d kind of hoped for more of a look at Ashley, to tell you the truth.”

  ’Stair’s mouth thinned into a straight line, and his eyes narrowed into cold, green slits. Dave couldn’t help it. He couldn’t keep a straight face. He guffawed, and Alistair’s face cleared like magic. “Fuck you, Dave. Don’t even joke about something like that. No way could we keep that dynamic straight.”

  “I think it’s more than keeping that dynamic straight, buddy,” Dave said slyly and was rewarded with a deep flush that crawled up Alistair’s neck.

  “I’m going to be making babies with Ash, Dave, as you well know. That kind of makes her mine, I would think.”

  Dave just chortled and ducked the jab Alistair threw at his head. The old guy was getting soft, and Dave loved the dichotomy. “Friday night should be interesting.”

  “Could be.” That cryptic comment had Dave looking, but ’Stair had already turned his attention back to the paperwork.

  * * * *

  Dave looked around him with interest. The meet-and-greet area of Unleashed was modern almost to a fault, with none of the warmer ambiance of his Club. Well, Alistair’s Club. He liked leather, but not in all of the furniture. Maybe Unleashed allowed sexual stuff out in this area, and leather was easier to clean. Dave pushed away his prurient thoughts. He hadn’t had sex in a long, long time, not even accepting Alysha’s favors of late, although he’d felt badly because it was what she needed. But after seeing Fiona again, his cock seemed to be mighty particular. Picky, even. Oh, he got aroused. Who wouldn’t, with what transpired around him? He just had no sexual interest in anyone he trained or helped to train. It was like he was saving himself, and it should have made him laugh except it wasn’t funny at all. Fiona was a virgin, or had been. That was another reason he’d run. He couldn’t take that from her, too, and it had been getting harder and harder not to bury himself balls-deep within her. His cock was up and raring to go at even the thought, straining against his leathers, almost as though it could sense her through his thoughts. Dave managed his arousal, although sexual excitement fairly seethed around him.

  “Dave? This is Andrew Wright. Andrew, my partner Dave Cutticio.”

  Dave fumbled his grasp at Andrew’s hand, trying not to gape at Alistair’s announcement. He worked for ’Stair. He wasn’t his partner. But Alistair was telling the big Dom that Dave pretty much ran the Club now, and it allowed him to focus on other, even more important things. Andrew shook his hand enthusiastically, and Dave covertly tried the other man’s grip. It was returned in kind, and without a word spoken, the little competition was declared a draw. They exchanged smiles, and Andrew invited them to his office.

  “We would like to refer some of our members, ’Stair,” Andrew concluded. “I know you’ve been exclusive to those individuals who serve or who have served the public, but I think we can assure you that those we send will fit in.”

  It sounded to Dave as though they were doing Andrew a favor and not the other way around. As a “partner,” he figured he could say something about that.

  “How do you know they’ll fit in, Andrew?”

  “They’re older, for one thing. And I think they see our younger members as being contaminated by the sense of entitlement that’s becoming common.” The big Dom laughed and shrugged at the same time. “I don’t see why the two can’t mix, personally, and lead to a positive outcome, but that’s the way of it. And quite frankly, our two clubs have always supported one another, if in different ways. I’d like to see that continue, as would Kyle.”

  Dave figured he knew what that meant. It made sense to have a connection with law enforcement, not corrupt law enforcement, but this was a business that tended to walk the fringes of society, and a balance was good. Effective, too. And Unleashed clearly had moneyed members. “Makes sense.”

  “Ah, another man of few words, ’Stair. I like him. So, I’ll drop the word in some open ears after tonight, and you can expect contact almost immediately.”

  It was apparent Andrew had expected this outcome and that it would be no surprise to his membership, or at least a part of his membership. Alistair would enlighten their own members shortly, if he knew his friend, and Dave didn’t anticipate any issues. In fact, he rather looked forward to the change, another sign that he was expanding his horizons and joining the real world. Well, maybe not the real world as some people would view it, but it was definitely part of his world. Even if Fiona wasn’t in it.

  “Now come into the Club proper. There’s several scenes being played out tonight, and I’m actually taking part, if you’d like to attend. My new little sub pushed me this week, and it’s time she was presented publicly. I suspect she has exhibitionistic tendencies behind her shyness, and I intend to exploit them tonight.”

  “You’re training again?” Alistair sounded surprised.

  Dave checked Andrew’s left hand, and sure enough, there was a wide gold band on his ring finger. Married. Committed. His wife must be one of those twenty-four-seven subs if Andrew was working with subs and she was okay with it.

  “I am. Elaine is enceinte once again. I keep telling myself this is our last, but she loves children so much and is such a wonderful mother that I can’t deny her. But I will not play when she is pregnant, and she knows it. Normally I simply run Unleashed and monitor, but I recently had a young woman present herself, and I found I couldn’t turn her training over to just anyone.”

  “Jackie would kill me.” Alistair’s tone was dry but certain, and Dave picked up on suppressed mirth too.

  “Oh, I assure you it is simply training. No sex of any kind. I reward her of course, but Elaine, too, would make my life hell if I took anything for myself! She actually met this little one and has approved of my role. We’ve even had her over for dinner, and she has cared for our children on occasion. Elaine believes the girl needs this badly, seeing as her self-esteem was battered and her sense of self-worth damaged by someone she believed to have loved her. She actually thought herself lacking intelligence for misreading the situation and for loving him. I’m correcting a minor setback in that regard tonight, actually.”

  Dave warmed to the older man. This then could be his role in the future, seeing as he’d probably screwed himself out of the one he could have had. Fiona would have come home from Scotland by now and have figured out that her feelings for him were confused with love, or she’d have found someone over there. She hadn’t responded to his note, and he had to accept it. He could now help women who didn’t feel positive about themselves, ones who were
reeling from unacceptable treatment by an asshole. Yup, he could walk a mile in those shoes.

  “We’ll catch up with you, Andrew.”

  Dave nodded his agreement as well.

  * * * *

  Fiona paced nervously around the room where she awaited Master Andrew. She wore a short silk robe and nothing else. Not even shoes. She was both terrified and aroused at the thought of being disciplined in front of several of the club members tonight, although she understood why her punishment had been ramped up. Her parents had called earlier in the week, back from their cherished trip to Scotland. She’d been thrilled to hear from them, having had nothing more than a few postcards and the occasional phone call all this time. It seemed they’d had the absolute best experience of their lives, connecting with various relatives and finding several family members they had no idea about. Some of those relatives were planning to visit them in the States in the near future, and Fiona celebrated right along with her parents.

  She told them all about her new job and how she liked her colleagues, but avoided sharing her evening and weekend activities. Her parents would accept her and love her for who she was, but Fiona didn’t think they were ready to hear about her interest in BDSM. At least not until they did some reading on the subject. She thought she would introduce the idea the next time she went to visit and go from there. She did tell them about Master Andrew, his wonderful pregnant wife and their four children and how much she enjoyed spending time with them. It was like having a replacement family. She assured her mom and dad that she was fine financially and would come to visit in the near future. Then her mom diffidently shared some information, alert as always to her daughter’s tender heart.

  Her mom told her that Dave must have been down to visit because he’d left a note for her. Fiona’s first impulse was to ask her mom to open it and read it, but then had second thoughts. What if it mentioned her going to his club uninvited? What if it mentioned his new profession? More likely, he would have come to put her gently into her place as he probably would have done if she hadn’t been so forward by tracking him down and confronting him. Yes, that was probably it, come to let her down gently and say that damn personal, formal good-bye because he was ready. In denial to the bitter end.

  Fiona had learned a great deal from Master Andrew, and one of the most important pieces was the issue of knowing one’s place and trusting one’s Dom. Except Dave hadn’t been her Dom, never would be her Dom, and Fiona had suddenly become enraged and nearly unable to hide it from her mom. She was tired of cutting Dave slack, tired of making excuses for him. He had acted like an ass, and Master Andrew was both right and wrong. She should have been able to trust Dave, Dom or no, and she had been forward, but he hadn’t handled it. He hadn’t given her what she needed and what was right. He did so love her. He was just being dense and continuing with his stupidity. So shame on him. Although it took one to know one, because she still loved him regardless of the hopelessness of it all. Stupid.

  She told her mom she would read the note when she was next home and managed to restrain her curiosity. She even refused the offer to have it forwarded to her. Her unsettled feelings intruded on a training session that night, and Fiona knew she’d pushed Master Andrew. She had acted like a brat, alternately sullen, noncommunicative, and challenging. When he had demanded an explanation, Fiona had quipped that her stupidity had bitten her on the ass again but refused to share further. It was her burden, and he wasn’t really her Dom. The look that came over his face made her tremble in her shoes, had she been wearing any, but he’d instantly composed himself and told her that she would be corrected in one of the viewing rooms Friday night.

  “I’m sorry, Sir,” she stammered. “I just…”

  “Not interested, Fiona. I won’t tolerate that from you. Be here for ten this Friday night, or use your safe word.”

  She had managed not to cry until he stalked out of the room, and then wept a veritable storm of tears. She had done it this time. He was her friend, her training Sir and like family, and she’d broken the very first rule he’d imposed on her. The other rules were around not coming without permission, not speaking without permission, and the like. Not always easy for her to obey, but the consequences for failure weren’t really related to disappointment. Fiona knew that he wouldn’t cut her out of his life and his family, but she’d actually disappointed him, and it felt bloody awful. So, here she was, ten to ten on Friday night, about to be put on the St. Andrew’s Cross and disciplined for the world to see until he deemed her capable of taking her self-deprecating comment back. She wondered if it would happen before or after an orgasm. Probably before. The big Dom was also big on reward.

  The door opened, and there he stood, larger than life itself. He was such a huge man, and while stern and oh so firm, one of the kindest men she’d ever known. Fiona instantly knelt.

  “Good evening, Fiona. I’m pleased you came.”

  She didn’t reply. There really wasn’t anything to say, just as there had actually been no real choice. Fiona loved this lifestyle, the certainty, the routine, the expectations, and above all, the safety. It might make no sense to others who weren’t involved, but she felt embraced by it. She even dared hope that someday she would have her own Dom and her whole sexuality would be explored and celebrated. She so wanted to please and serve.

  “We’ll leave in a moment, little one. But first, a couple of things. I had thought to use the flogger, but I believe I’ll employ the single tail tonight, and I’ll plug you before we go.”

  Andrew wasn’t asking. Fiona didn’t hesitate. “Yes, Sir.”

  “I was going to blindfold you, but we have some new people here tonight, and I think the lack of anonymity will serve to underscore the lesson.”

  Her heart pounded against the walls of her chest. The single tail didn’t worry her. He was an expert. But she’d expected a blindfold, and while she trusted Master Andrew with her life, Fiona panicked. She had met the other members many times. She’d seen them doing scenes and knew that being displayed had been in the cards eventually. She secretly wanted it. But she’d thought to avoid seeing their faces, even as she wanted the blindfold to enhance her senses to the absolute maximum. She was so conflicted. And there would be newcomers! People she didn’t know. Her breath whistled in and out of her lungs, and Andrew moved quickly to calm her.

  “Fiona. Breathe. Gently now. It will be fine. You may have the hood.”

  Her pulse dropped instantly, and she settled. He simply knew her, knew what she needed, even if Dave didn’t. Although he did, in fact. She remembered one instance in particular.

  The big storm had hit while her parents were in town, and Fiona freaked out. She had been visiting her cousins in Kansas when a tornado struck. The childhood memory of being in that storm cellar, while all the world above went insane and the doors of the cellar had lifted and creaked as if with Satan’s baleful breath, had resulted in what could have been a lifelong phobia of any storm. She was convinced they would all spawn tornadoes, and her reaction to even a hint of one bordered on psychotic, building from a difficulty to draw a full breath to curling in on herself in any available corner, screaming into her closed fists. Fiona had understood Dave’s PTSD because she had her own, even if the two probably weren’t nearly the same. They both got triggered and reacted in incomprehensible ways that distressed most people around them because it made them feel so helpless in the face of it.

  And on that day of the first storm of the season Dave had scooped her up and held her, murmuring against her hair and rocking her gently. Fiona simply relaxed and let him take care of her, the threatening weather forgotten and the tornado phobia fading like mist before the sun. He’d inherently known what she needed. She needed him, him to ride out the storm with, regardless of any outcome, because they were together. And she’d only known him a week. Tears pricked her eyes, and she swallowed against them. Enough. This was the here and now.

  Andrew drew her up, and she waited patiently while he fit
ted the soft-as-butter leather hood over her head. It was more of a mask than a hood, because he understood she needed the bottom half of her face uncovered, but it laced up the back in the manner of a full hood, and it spoke to her like most fetish wear did. The brief moment of disorientation passed, and he set his big arm around her shoulders, his strength apparent even through the silk of the robe, and guided her along. She felt the changes in flooring beneath her feet and gave over to the moment, pretending it was Dave who eased her with him so gently and lovingly, totally trustworthy. She could never feel for Andrew what she still felt for Dave, but it was okay to fantasize a little. Or a lot.

  She could hear the soft comments of women and the lower rumblings of men, and the temperature dropped. Andrew kept these rooms a bit cooler despite the nudity that would be prevalent because everyone got hot when a correction scene was underway. She was the star of the scene, and already she was totally hot, although she felt the change in the air more when he slipped her robe off. Andrew checked to make sure her brain had equalized from the lack of movement and that she wasn’t anxious. Nervous was okay, but he wouldn’t want her terrified. Fiona successfully fought the urge to cover herself. If she had learned anything, it was that she’d come to accept her body and was very comfortable in her own skin.

  He bound her wrists while another pair of hands held her to steady her, and then a length of something was wrapped around her waist to help her stand unsupported while her ankles were secured. Fiona held the moment in her mind’s eye. She was stretched tightly, presented before a myriad of gazes, about to be corrected for a very real infraction of the rules, and she welcomed it. He appeared to have forgotten the plug, but Andrew didn’t forget anything, so Fiona accepted his decision. Then she understood. She quite liked anal play and how it enhanced her climax, so Andrew had taken it from her to evoke his mastery even as he’d allowed her the hood. She took a breath, only to gasp on it as Andrew murmured in her ear.