Commanded

by Stacey Kennedy

  Voice tight, Dmitri interjected, “You want to leave Club Sin?”

  Sawyer experienced a pinch of disappointment, knowing he was letting the others down. But that he could handle better than the tension he’d been feeling around Chloe. “I think it’s time for that, yes.”

  “Fuck.” Miles straightened on his stool, ignoring the food on his plate. “This is not what I expected to hear tonight.”

  There was an awkward pause among the men, while all around them the noises of the busy pub continued. Finally Dmitri asked, “Are you sure this is what you want?”

  Sawyer knew the implication of that question. His decision would be final. If he walked away from Club Sin, he couldn’t go back. It would leave the members with a bad taste. They needed stability and strength, not Masters coming in and out of their lives.

  With no indecision in his mind, he nodded. “Chloe is not made for the lifestyle in the sense that we have lived it. It’s different with her.” He spotted both apprehension and sadness in the expressions around him. “I want to see where this takes us. And to do that, I can’t have the responsibility of being a Master at Club Sin. I need to focus on her. I can’t be divided between two separate worlds.”

  Dmitri gave his friend a soft smile. “I hope you know that this changes nothing. That tattoo made you one of us. That won’t change because you are out of the dungeon.”

  “Thank you.” Sawyer exhaled a relieved breath, glancing at his tattoo. What once meant so much to him now would become something like his military life: a life that he had once lived, but which he’d given up for something better.

  Kyler picked up his burger again. “Besides, it gives us an excuse to get together outside of the club.”

  The other men around Sawyer nodded.

  Porter grinned. “This is good. You’re doing right by her.”

  “Is that the big brother giving his approval?” Sawyer mused.

  Porter shrugged. “Chloe deserves the world, and I’m glad you’re giving it to her.”

  Some decisions were tough, Sawyer realized, but this one wasn’t. “She deserves me at my best. And this is how I’ll give it to her.”

  —

  “Wine. It’s a girls’ night must.”

  Chloe sat in the small living room above the bookstore and glanced up from her spot on the couch, finding Presley offering her a glass. “Thank you. It sure is!” She accepted the glass, and Presley dropped down next to her. The apartment had knickknacks everywhere. Kenzie had a tiny, cute apartment, but Chloe knew that Porter would never live here. He liked open spaces, or so he’d told her once.

  She sipped the dry wine. Ella and Cora were on the love seat, and Kenzie had taken the recliner in the corner of the room near the bay window. It’d been so long since Chloe’d had a girls’ night, and giddiness coursed through her. Before coming here, she’d tried on three outfits, finally opting for jeans and a simple blouse. Which made her glad, because the other girls were all dressed down, too. And these women certainly knew how to look sexy. She took another sip of her wine, noticing that Cora held a glass of juice. “Not drinking tonight?”

  “Well, it’s not a good idea.” Cora smiled. “I’m pregnant.”

  “Oh,” Chloe said in surprise, spotting the huge smiles on every face. “That’s amazing. Congratulations!”

  “Thanks.” Cora ran a hand low across her stomach. “I’m only a few weeks. I know you’re not supposed to say anything until after the first trimester, but hell, I couldn’t keep this a secret.” She shrugged. “Besides, I have the worst morning sickness ever, so I thought it would be pretty obvious.”

  “I hear morning sickness is the worst,” Chloe replied. “But a baby is great news.” Babies? God, she couldn’t even imagine that for herself right now. Her life wasn’t stable enough for a child, but she did have dreams of becoming a mother one day. First she needed a husband, though. And she smiled at the thought that maybe she’d already found him.

  Ella plopped her feet on the coffee table, holding her wineglass on her lap. “Look at us. We’re all turning into a bunch of housewives.”

  Kenzie laughed. “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m looking forward to it. And how weird is that coming from my mouth?”

  Confused by her statement, Chloe glanced to Kenzie’s hand, noticing a diamond ring. “Oh my God, did Porter propose?”

  Kenzie nodded. “He did. A week ago.”

  “I didn’t know!” Of course, she hadn’t seen Porter since she’d been abducted. Both Porter and Sawyer had thought she deserved a week off, and she’d happily agreed, pretty much abandoning her phone for the entire week. Now she wished she’d called to check in with Porter.

  “Don’t worry, only our tight circle knows right now,” Kenzie announced. “But to be honest, I think you had a hand in his proposal.”

  “Me?” Chloe exclaimed. “How?”

  Kenzie pulled her legs underneath her. “When we heard what happened to you with that crazy fucker, we were here at home. After Porter got off the phone with Kyler, he went into the bedroom and came back out with the ring. He told me he was tired of holding on to the ring and waiting for the right time. That he realized life was damn short and he needed to do what he’d been thinking of for a long time. It was pretty sweet. And I never thought I’d be one to love the gushy romance stuff.” She glanced down at the princess-cut diamond, sparkling in the light. “We were going to call you, but Porter thought you and Sawyer needed time alone.”

  “You should have called!” Chloe placed her glass on the table and rose from her seat, moving to Kenzie. “I’m so happy for the both of you.” Even if she didn’t know Kenzie all that well yet, she offered a hug. “Congratulations all around, then.”

  As she released Kenzie, Chloe glanced at Presley, seeing her downcast gaze. Chloe had the feeling that while Presley was mostly happy, sadness lived in her, too. And Chloe supposed she could understand—Presley didn’t have a ring on her finger.

  Thinking it not her place to comfort Presley, since she didn’t know her, she returned to her seat as Ella asked, “How are things going with Sawyer? You guys make a cute couple.”

  “Things are going great.” She took another sip. “And they’re also confusing.”

  Cora frowned. “Confusing how?”

  Chloe nibbled her lip, wondering how much to say. Everyone here belonged to the sex club. They were all kinky and understood Sawyer better than she did in that way. “I’m just not sure…”

  “You’re like us?” Kenzie offered.

  Chloe smiled. “Something like that.”

  “But isn’t that okay now?” Presley asked.

  Chloe glanced from face to face, taking in their expressions. “What do you mean?”

  The girls shared a perplexed look before Kenzie said, “Sawyer left our club for you.”

  “He what?” Chloe sputtered.

  Cora nodded. “Aidan called me a bit ago and said that Sawyer told them he wouldn’t be attending the club anymore.”

  “I see.” Chloe glanced at the wineglass in her hands, feeling sadness swell inside her. “I didn’t know he was planning to do that.”

  “Look, don’t let that upset you,” Cora said, drawing Chloe’s gaze. “It shouldn’t. Sawyer is happy with you. He’s found something better in you than what he gets in the club. Believe me, it’s a decision he wouldn’t have taken lightly.”

  “Yeah, but you’re all his friends,” Chloe retorted, a thick lump in her throat. “He’s leaving all his friends for me. I don’t like that.”

  “So what?” Kenzie quipped in her sassy way. “We were his friends before and we’ll still be his friends. Not much will change except he won’t be at the club. We still do a lot of things outside of the club. And maybe this will make us do even more.”

  While that made sense, Chloe didn’t like that he was walking away from a life that gave him stability. In fact, this was exactly what she hadn’t wanted. In the club, she didn’t know if she could be what he neede
d. Out of it, she was even more unsure.

  Presley reached over, taking Chloe’s hand. “Why does that upset you so much? I would think this would be good news.”

  “I mean, it’s sweet of him.” Chloe squeezed Presley’s hand before releasing it. She really appreciated these women and their openness. Yet somehow the kindness they showed only made her feel shittier. “To put me first like this should be what I want, but—”

  “Let me stop you there,” Kenzie said. “A Dom would never, and I mean never, do something that he didn’t think was in the best interests of both his…um, girlfriend and himself. Sawyer knows what he’s doing. So stop looking like the world has come to an end.”

  Chloe laughed it off, not wanting to be a downer on their girls’ night. She wanted the women to know how fun she could be and how much she appreciated them including her. “Okay. You’re right. I’m sure he’ll tell me about it later.”

  Yet as the girls shifted topics and began chatting among themselves about Cora’s pregnancy and Kenzie’s engagement, her thoughts returned to the fact that she’d changed Sawyer. He had left his club because of her, because she couldn’t see herself in that lifestyle.

  Was that fair?

  He was kinky. He liked being in control. She couldn’t help but ask herself, Why is he so willing to change for me, but I can’t change for him?

  Chapter 17

  The following day, Sawyer arrived home to see another, most unexpected car in his driveway. He parked behind the white Volkswagen Golf, then stepped from his truck into the hot night to find Chloe sitting in the driver’s seat. He leaned down into her open window. “This is a nice surprise.”

  She startled, her hand coming to her chest. “Oh, my God!”

  Sawyer chuckled, thinking she must’ve been stuck in her head if she hadn’t noticed his truck pulling in behind her. While he understood her being jumpy, he didn’t like the darkness in her face. Perplexed, he opened her car door. “Come on inside.”

  He noted how shaky her hands were as she pulled her keys from the ignition and placed them in her purse. His chest tightened; something seemed off. Her brows were drawn together, the usual blush not showing when he raised his hand to her cheek. Nor did she melt into him when he dropped a quick kiss onto her mouth.

  He frowned. “What’s wrong?”

  “We need to talk.” She turned and headed for his front door.

  He had no idea what had happened between the last time he’d seen her and now, but he intended to find out.

  Once inside, she kicked off her shoes and went into his living room. Her silence unnerved him.

  He joined her on the couch, taking her hand in his. Yet she didn’t entwine her fingers tightly with his—a sign, he thought, that whatever was on her mind would disappoint him. “All right. You wanted to talk. So talk.”

  A rough breath rushed through her lips. “I heard from the girls last night what you did.”

  “Ah, so that’s what this is about.” He’d wanted to tell Chloe that he’d left Club Sin, not to have her hear it from anyone else. “I see that for some reason this isn’t good news for you.”

  She turned her head to him, lifting her chin. “I don’t want to change you.”

  “You’re not changing me.”

  Her expression was pinched, and she said in a soft voice, “But I am. You’re giving up your old lifestyle for me, and that’s not what I want. All your friends go to this club. I’m stealing you away from them. I don’t like that.”

  Before she could get carried away, he shook his head at her. “Yes, I’m leaving the club because I know I don’t want to go there with you, but I’m not giving up my lifestyle. I still have a submissive in my life.”

  She paused and frowned. Then she snorted. “Are you implying that I’m submissive?”

  The expression on her face made him chuckle. “Perhaps not in everyday life. Sexually? Yes, you are.”

  She dropped his hand and folded her arms, giving him a glare he found utterly cute. “You are out of your mind if you believe that.”

  One brow arched. “Oh, is that so?”

  “Yes. That is so. Which is exactly why this is a problem. I know that’s the type of woman you need, and I’m not that type of woman.”

  The hardness in her eyes amused him, and he rather liked knowing he could make her eat her words. “Please wait here a moment.” He rose and went to his bedroom, where he opened a dresser drawer and pulled out two skeins of black rope.

  When he returned to her in the living room, he noted she hadn’t moved. If she were a Dominant-type personality she would have, simply because he’d told her not to. “Stand up,” he told her.

  She gawked at the rope in his hands, her eyes going wide, before she angled her head up to him. “Pardon?”

  “I said, stand up.”

  She gulped. “Why?”

  He dropped his head to hers, meeting her at eye level. “Just do this for me. I’m trying to help you understand.”

  Hesitation crossed her face. He also spotted the arousal there, too. “Fine. But I don’t see how putting that rope on me is going to teach me anything. We need to talk about this. I don’t want to change you, Sawyer.”

  He allowed her to vent, but those words rolled right off him. Soon she would understand. Only when she rose did he add, “Take off your clothes.”

  Her mouth fell open. “What?”

  “You heard me.”

  “Why?”

  Amused at her insistence on controlling the moment, he shook his head. “You already know that I want to put this rope on you. I need your skin available to me.”

  She tilted her head, regarding him. “But then we’ll talk?”

  “Yes, Chloe.” He sighed in frustration. “Then we can talk.” But we won’t need to.

  Keeping her eyes on him, she removed her outer clothing, dropping it onto the floor next to her. His eyes roamed her beautiful curvy body, spotting the goose bumps rising across her flesh. He was amused to see that she’d worn sexy lingerie. While she said she’d come here to talk, he figured that deep in her subconscious she knew there was a good chance he’d see her naked. That wasn’t the thought of a woman who planned to walk away from him.

  She simply needed to understand all this.

  And he planned to help her.

  Seeing her body, the body that belonged to him, he admired her perky breasts. He wanted to taste those rosy nipples calling to him. And he itched to run his tongue over every inch of creamy flesh. He was rock hard.

  “There. I’m naked. What now?”

  He chuckled at her nervous question, loving this about her. Kink in any sense was new to her, and he relished letting her experience just how incredible it could be when done right. He noticed the sexy flush of her cheeks as he stuffed one of the bundles of rope into his pocket. Her breath hitched as he unwound the other, letting one end fall onto the floor. “Offer me your wrists.”

  “Like this?” She raised her hands.

  “Yes.” He loved the shiver running through her when the rope touched her flesh, and he understood that desire perfectly.

  In silence he made a cuff with the rope and then wrapped it around one slender wrist. Her harsh intake of breath made his cock twitch. He bound the other wrist, leaving her hands in front of her. Then he asked, “How do you feel with those bindings on—excited or nervous?”

  She stared at the rope around her wrists. “Both.”

  “Good.” Turned on himself by seeing Chloe in his rope, he grabbed the two ends hanging down from her wrists and tugged her forward against him. “Which emotion is stronger than the other?”

  She lifted her head, gazing seductively at him. “I feel more excited than nervous.”

  “Excellent.” He pulled again, moving her next to the coffee table. Inhaling her sweet scent, he helped her lie down on the table on her back. When he spotted her holding her breath, he whispered, “Don’t be scared, Chloe. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  Once she ex
haled, he took one end of the rope and knelt on one knee. Feeling his cock swell further with need, he wrapped the rope around the coffee table’s leg, pulling tight.

  As he rose to move to the other side of the coffee table, she asked, “Don’t I need a safe word? Isn’t that how this goes?”

  So she doubted his care of her, did she? That he didn’t like, but he also understood her concerns. While safe words were important, they didn’t belong in his relationship with Chloe right now. “No.” He knelt down and tied the other wrist to the table, pinning her down. “If you say ‘stop’ or ‘no’ or ‘I don’t like this,’ we stop.”

  She turned her head, watching him work as he pulled on the knot, ensuring she couldn’t move. “I thought safe words are a must-have in the lifestyle.”

  “Safe words are used to keep people safe.” He rose, glancing down at the way her breasts rose and fell with her hands positioned above her head. “Tonight nothing will happen that will warrant you needing a safe word. I’m going to bind you and then I’m going to fuck you.” A flush crept over her chest as he added, “Until we play with the type of intensity where a safe word is warranted, I don’t see why it’s necessary.” He dragged his fingers over her nipple, loving how it puckered beneath his touch. He reached into his pocket and yanked out the other rope, moving to her legs. “Like I said to you before, Chloe, if you don’t like what I’m doing, tell me. If being bound scares you, tell me and I’ll make it better for you.” He grasped her hips, igniting a loud gasp from her as he pulled her bottom to the edge of the coffee table, making the bindings on her arms nice and tight. “If any of this becomes not okay, we stop. This should be fun, not serious. I want us to play together and enjoy this.” Before he knelt down, he looked into her eyes. “All right?”

  “Yes,” she breathed, squirming against the table.

  Once he unwound the longer of the two ropes, he lowered to one knee and made another cuff for her thigh. Drawn into the moment himself, he placed her foot through the cuff, moving the bindings up to below her knee. Consumed by how the dark rope caressed her flesh, he bound the end to the coffee table, intending to spread her wide.