The Strand Brothers Series: Complete Set

by Lora Ann

  *****

  I respectfully knocked on the door. “Come in,” Jules answered.

  “How is she?” I inquired as I closed the door and walked towards the two women.

  “Better, Sir. I think she just needs some rest.”

  I shook my head and leveled a look. “Drop the ‘Sir,’ Jules.”

  Her eyes came up to meet mine. “E, she needs stitches.”

  “Here, let me.” I reached for the cloth wrapped around the young lady’s arm.” As I swabbed the dripping blood, I replied, “Go call Becky for me.”

  “Yes…” I shot her a warning glance to not call me Master again. “Right away, E,” she answered as she left the room.

  I really liked Jules, but she needed to understand that Sir or Master was only acceptable when she was my sub, which she hadn’t been in a couple of years. Yes, she had originally been mine, but then she went and fell in love with my manager, Henry. I released her from our contract and watched as the two fell deeply in love. They’d been married for a year now and couldn’t be happier. And I was elated for them. They deserved a long, joyous marriage, just like Nik and Aimee. Both couples had been through enough awful shit to last several lifetimes. Maybe that was the catch; you had to go through some really hard times before you were granted the ability to fall in love. Hmm…wonder if dark was considered the same thing. Nah, my demons were a bit too much for one woman to handle. Not that I wanted one to, mind you. Guess Alex would be up next. Funny, out of all of us, I would’ve bet money he’d be the first one married with kids. Goes to show what I know.

  Beside the bed, I sunk down on my haunches and leaned over to gently stroke the young beauty’s brow. “Hey there,” I greeted.

  “Hi,” she rasped.

  “Mind telling me your name, beautiful?”

  She smiled. “I like that you call me ‘beautiful.’” She closed her eyes for a moment before she answered, “I’m Brianna.”

  “See, lovely name for an attractive girl.” I grinned at her. “Do you know who I am?”

  “I heard Jules call you ‘Sir.’” Her brow furrowed in distress. “Are you going to hurt me, too?”

  I eased in next to her on the bed, never releasing her wrist, and tucked her head under my chin. “No. I won’t harm you. I promise.”

  She sniffled, “’Kay.”

  “Wanna tell me what happened, exactly?”

  She began to spill the whole sordid tale. For all intents and purposes, Nash had been fulfilling a bloodletting fantasy with her, although, Brianna wasn’t completely onboard with the scene or what he expected from her. The prick had taken full advantage of her naiveté, which, in my opinion, made him the worst kind of Dom in existence. If I ever got my hands on him again, so help me. At least he had counselled her in use of a safe word. Most unfortunate that he hadn’t adhered when she put it to use. But that was neither here nor there. What was done was done. “Would you like to press charges?” I asked soothingly.

  “No.” She shook her head for emphasis. “I just wanna forget.”

  “You do realize that you can ruin his career forever, right?”

  “But then I destroy my reputation, too,” she pointed out. “No thanks.”

  Wise girl to comprehend how things like that worked. Also, she was a sweet little thing. There was no denying that. If she didn’t press charges, then I wanted to help in another way. So I inquired a little further. “Tell me what you want, Brianna.”

  She stroked between my legs and looked up at me. “You.”

  I chuckled, “Sorry, beautiful. I’m taken,” I lied. Did you? Shut the fuck up!

  Her sweet little pout almost brought my lips to hers. “What else would you like?” I hedged.

  She sat up and pulled her wrist from my grasp, causing blood to drip down on her lap. She blanched and her lip began to tremble. Yup, if I ever saw Nash again I would put a boot up his ass so far he’d choke on the leather! I reached over, grabbed a clean cloth and rewrapped her wound, holding it in my hand. “Thank you,” she whispered. Then, “I like being a sub,” she admitted.

  “We can work with that, beauty. Anything else?”

  “Yeah, I’d like to go to college.”

  “This is good news, indeed. What would you like to study?”

  She bit her lip. “History.”

  “Very well, then. Are you already taking classes?”

  “Yes, but the student loans are already piling up.”

  “Consider it handled, Brianna.”

  “What?” she asked with confusion in her eyes.

  I leaned into her personal space and murmured, “My gift to you. No strings attached.”

  “Really?!” Her voice raised a full octave.

  “Seriously. It would be my pleasure.”

  She squealed as she threw her arm around my neck and peppered kisses all over my face. Cue the door opening. Jules stood there with Becky beside her and queried, “Should we come back later?”

  Becky’s brow arched. “If that’s her blood all over you and the bed, I wouldn’t suggest that.”

  I gently tucked Brianna into the bed with one of my hands still firmly holding the blood-soaked cloth on her laceration. “Now, hold this tightly until Becky,” nodding my head towards the door, “can patch you up.”

  Brianna smiled. “Thanks again.”

  “Not a problem, beauty.” I tapped her on the nose. “I’ll see you later.”

  I walked over to the other two ladies and addressed, “Becky, if you need anything I’ll be upstairs.”

  “I’ll send Jules up when we’re finished here, Mr. Strand,” she replied.

  I patted Jules on the shoulder before taking my leave.

  I would definitely put a call in to Alex regarding Nash. He wasn’t going to do this to another woman. He either got help for his violent tendencies, or I would ruin him. Simple as that.

  *****

  What I needed to relieve the stress brought on with the whole Brianna mess was a warm and wet pussy bent over my office desk, begging for my cock. And I knew the one I wanted. I strode into the nightclub upstairs with purpose. Whether I liked it or not, I was going to break my own damn rule—to hell with the consequences. For the first time ever, an employee was going to be my submissive. My eyes lit on the dancer that was mine as she moved her scantily clad ass to the Pussycat Dolls’ “Buttons.” I would do more than loosen her up. That was for damn sure. Fuck me. They were doing that chair scene and I immediately knew we would be replaying it in my playroom. My dick flinched at the thought. Down boy, let her finish the set. I adjusted the fly on my jeans. I’d had to change out of my ruined Armani, so I was beyond uncomfortable in the unforgiving denim.

  I strode towards the hallway off the stage, pacing like a caged lion as I watched her move. God, she was fantastic. What I could teach her to do with those assets was making me even harder. As if that were possible. The dance had finally come to an end, and one by one the girls passed me. Stella winked on her way by, promise in her sexy sway. She had always been a flirt. I liked her and her boyfriend, one of the bartenders, Gary. She should’ve known me well enough by now that I didn’t mess around with another man’s woman. Plus, I wasn’t into threesomes. I inclined my head when she peeked back over her shoulder at me, acknowledging her flirtations would need to be discussed sooner rather than later.

  All of a sudden the hairs on my body stood at attention—joining my erection—as the current of awareness slid over me. Sweet baby Jesus, what this woman did to me should’ve scared me shitless; instead, it made me want her more. I slowly turned just in time to place my body in direct contact with hers. My eyes closed at the intensity. Fire swirled in my gut as electricity sang in my veins. In a swift movement, I locked her in my arms and trapped her against the wall. Whoa, she was tall. With those four-inch CFMPs on, we were eye to eye. Such possibilities we had with that advantage. I leaned in, stroking her jaw with my teeth, as I lightly bit my way to her rosy, full bottom lip. She gasped at my forwardness when I suc
ked said lip into my mouth. Just what I need to make my entrance. I claimed her mouth with all the pent-up desire I had in me. Holy hell, she was as sweet as I had imagined. After a few minutes, I pulled back for air and clasped her hand, “My office,” I demanded, “Now.” At least one of my fantasies was being met tonight. Because I already knew, I wasn’t letting her go any time soon.

  Chapter Three

  Lacey

  The moment he returned to the nightclub I knew. His presence alone made my skin tingle with anticipation. Every cell cried out for his touch, his taste, his…Oh, my! Did I just think that? I almost lost my footing in the routine as I watched him prowl out of sight. Where had he gone? My shift was over in another fifteen minutes. So I beelined for the dressing room, hoping I could escape the powerful man before he found me. And, yes, I was aware of his determination just by the look he gave me earlier. I had no doubt that man got what he wanted—when he wanted it.

  While I did my best to stealthily make my way behind stage, I ran right into a solid wall of male muscles. Wow, talk about hard as a rock. Spectacular in definition but not heavily built up, yet ripped all the same. The desire to run my tongue over every inch of him suddenly overtook me. Warm liquid wet my panties when he forcefully trapped me against the wall. I became fully pliant as he plundered my mouth with his incessant tongue. Never had I been kissed like that! To feel so desired made me feel like the powerful one. Though there was no doubt, this man demanded control. So help me, I wanted to give it to him. No questions asked. And that scared me more than I wanted to admit, even to myself. Therefore, when he demanded I follow him to a back office, I knew I had to do something quickly before I completely submitted to him. I leaned in and confessed, “I’m a virgin.”

  Like I had just burned him, he jerked away from me. While that had been the reaction I aimed for, a part of me was disappointed. As if I needed him to declare it didn’t matter to him. Affirm that I was his, and he would have me. How messed up was that? Seriously, what a freaking head case! He smirked, “Did you just play the ‘virgin’ card with me, sweetness?”

  “I…Well, yeah I guess I did,” I admitted, “But it wasn’t a fabrication.”

  Now there was no trace of humor on his chiseled face. “You’re not dickin’ around, are you?”

  I wouldn’t have put it that way. I’m neither a prude nor offended by profanity, which I used myself when the situation warranted it. He simply caught me off guard by his bluntness. I answered, “Sorry. I probably should’ve eased into that little piece of information.” I touched my fingers to my swollen lips. Of course, the very reason they were was now glowering at me.

  He grabbed my arm. Not too gently, either. “Move,” he barked.

  “What?” I stupidly queried. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how to handle a man like him. Okay, I wouldn’t know how to handle any man, actually. But still…

  He wasn’t taking my hesitation very well, at all. The strong tug brought me forward. “Either you do this on your own accord or I will carry you.” He growled, “Your choice.”

  By how quietly he had spoken, I knew he meant it. Somehow that was always more threatening than when someone yelled. I capitulated, matching my stride to his as we walked down the hallway to the office at the end. Scared of what lay ahead once we were inside and behind a closed door. Would he hurt me? Did he even care that I was a virgin? Was this about something else altogether? I supposed I was about to find out. The door closed on a snick and then the lock slid into place. Crap! Unsure of what to do, I paused. He marched past me to a black, vintage bar hutch across the room. After he swallowed a healthy shot, he offered, “Would you like one?”

  “No, thank you,” I replied as I crossed my arms over my breasts. Anger was shooting off him in waves, and, for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why he was so mad. I didn’t have to wait long for the answer.

  He held eye contact intensely. “You need to gather your stuff and get the hell out of my club.”

  “Excuse me!”

  “You heard me loud and clear.” He acknowledged, “Tonight.”

  “Wait. You can’t throw me out because of my sexual status.”

  “The hell I can’t, sweetness. My place, my rules,” he blatantly pointed out.

  Of all the low down, dirty… Arrogant bastard wasn’t getting away with this. Not if I had any say. “It’s illegal.” I threatened, “I’ll sue you.”

  The chair he had been sitting in flew back against the wall with enough force to knock a picture askew. He leaned forward. “Do you have any idea who I am?”

  Hold on. Hadn’t he said a few moments ago he was the owner? Great! I wasn’t dealing with some manager type. Of course, he was the proprietor. Just the kind of luck I was known for. Intimidated by him—and I hated how that felt—I swallowed before I replied, “Owner of this place.”

  “And?” he countered.

  I threw my hands up in exasperation. “You’re going to have to enlighten me here.” Then admitted, “I have no clue what you’re hinting at.”

  “You don’t know whom you work for?” he chuckled without humor.

  I fired back, “If you have your way, I don’t work here anymore. So what’s it matter now?”

  “Don’t disrespect me.” He stalked around the desk. “I’m doing this for your own good. Trust me.”

  “Really?” I stamped my foot for emphasis. “You have some nerve, mister.”

  Once he stood in front of me, he half-smiled, showing off that sexy cleft in his chin. Gah! Beyond furious and, still, I was attracted to him.

  Damn man!

  Stupid hormones!

  He leaned into my hair and inhaled deeply, then with his nose he traced along my neck. “I’m Even Strand. What I say goes. I’m not a man who will tolerate defiance in my own damn establishment. Are we clear?”

  “Again, I don’t see why it matters,” I huffed. “You just fired me.”

  He stepped away from me and stated, “You don’t belong here.”

  “Because I’m a virgin or because you’re attracted to me?”

  His brows shot up to his hairline at my audacity. Truth be told, I had no idea where such boldness had come from. But it was out there now, so I couldn’t very well back down. Could I? He replied, “Both,” before I paced across the room. Next, he dismissively affirmed, “Go on, now. I’m a busy man.”

  To this day I didn’t know if it was his arrogance or the emotional turmoil that set me off, I suppose it really didn’t matter. I got right up in his face and hissed, “Listen to me. I have to stay here. I don’t give a flying fig who you are or what you own”—he fought back a smile, probably because I used fig instead of the f-bomb—“You don’t own me! And I’ve done nothing wrong. So I suggest you get your lust under control and deal with the fact that I’m a great dancer, as well as an asset to this club. The fact that I’m a virgin is neither here nor there!”

  There was no hint of a smile now. The realization you didn’t put Even Strand in his place came quickly. He shoved his body into mine and held me there with his corded arms. I felt every hard edge he had, including the impressive erection he shoved into my hip. He whispered, “You want me, too. There’s no point in denying it. Right now, I can smell your arousal.”

  He could? Well, damn. No point in lying about it. “I am,” then met his heated gaze, “But I have no plans of doing anything about it.”

  He continued to torture my body with his, rubbing himself against me. “Why would you want to stay?”

  I bit my lip, willing myself not to cry. “I have to.”

  He stepped back abruptly, and I almost fell. He held his hands out to steady me. Now his gaze was shrewd. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  I looked down at the floor. “I need the money.”

  “Bullshit,” he growled, “The truth.”

  When our eyes locked, I felt the tears trickle down my cheeks. “I’m searching for my sister,” I confessed.

  I saw the confusion as his brow knitted. “She w
orks for me?”

  I struggled to keep the tremble out of my voice. “Not that I’m aware of.”

  He walked over and sat on the edge of his desk, motioning for me to take a seat in the chair in front of him. After I complied, he inquired, “Then why would you need to stay here?”

  I took a deep breath and went on, “I need to be around your clientele. My hope is that they will lead me to her.”

  “Go on.”

  “She’s a heroin addict.”

  He blanched. “You think I’m a drug dealer?”

  “No! But this was the crowd she was known to be around.”

  “I see.” He nodded. “She’s accustomed to sugar daddies.”

  “Yeah, she was.” Swallowing hard before I continued, “Now…I’m just not sure.”

  He ran his hand through his chin length hair. “You think she may be hanging out with a little seedier crowd now?”

  “Seems that way,” I sighed. “I can’t seem to get a lead on her whereabouts.”

  “So, why stay on here?” he queried.

  I exasperatedly replied, “Because I’m hoping I’m wrong.” I stood and walked away from him. “Maybe you’re right. I should go and get a job at a strip club.”

  He roared, “The hell you will!”

  I turned back towards him. “Why do you care?”

  Once again, I found myself pinned to a wall. Whoa, I didn’t even see him move. This time my hands were locked in place at my sides. He was grinding his hips against mine as he took my mouth without mercy. Hunger. Passion. Control. It was all there as he forced me to accept—and then some. I tried to pull away from him, but he was far too powerful. After a beat, I didn’t want to. My body prepared for his, fully submitting. He broke our kiss, but not body contact.