Desert Surrender

by Melinda Barron

“I’m glad.” Very glad, she thought. After he’d gotten off the phone with his lawyer last night, they’d sat and watched movies. He’d attached the leash to her collar and held it while she sat on the cushion at his feet. It made her feel warm and cared for, which surprised her. If someone had said, even just a month ago, she’d be wearing a collar and sitting at some guy’s feet, she would have told them they were out of their mind. She’d done it. And done it very eagerly too.

  Maddox Perry was a man she could see herself staying with forever. Waking up next to him, playing games with him, serving him, making love with him, would be the perfect way to spend the rest of her life.

  She knew some people would say it was a bit early to think something like that, but she knew it wasn’t. It was a feeling she had deep inside her. And she also knew, just from the way he looked at her, that he felt the same way, although neither of them had voiced that option.

  If he did happen to mention it, she would say, Yes, take me, make me yours forever.

  “Well, did you?”

  “What?”

  “You weren’t even listening to me. At least tell me you were daydreaming about my dick.”

  “Most definitely.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Shall I demonstrate?”

  “Tempting but…”

  “Indecency in public not allowed for fear of losing gaming license. Got it.” She put her hand to her neck. It felt strange there was no collar there. In less than twenty-four hours, she had grown used to wearing it, feeling it around her neck, binding her to him.

  “Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan for that too.” He glanced at her hand, and she nodded.

  “I like that idea. Wanna share all the plans for today?”

  “Nope. You had your chance. I was asking questions, and you were thinking about my dick instead of paying attention, so now you have to wait.”

  She pouted, and he laughed evilly.

  “Andrew is bringing the papers you need to sign to have the lawyer start the search, and after that we’re back on our time.”

  “Is Andrew a Dom?”

  “Yes, he is.” He took a right off the highway. “He has a submissive down here that he sees sometimes. If this deal goes through and we get approval for the new casino, he’ll run this branch and that will bring them closer together. I think it will be very good for him.”

  “Why doesn’t she move to Vegas? This place seems pretty remote to me.”

  “It is, and they both like it that way. I’m thinking of selling him the house if he moves here.”

  Her heart beat just a little faster. “I thought this was where you came to get away from everything.”

  “It is. Still, I thought between the sale from this and the house in Henderson, we could find a different place. One that has no memories to make my new sub jealous.” He glanced over at her for a second before turning his gaze back to the road. “Don’t act so surprised. You and I both know I don’t want you to leave here.”

  “Well, I don’t know. I lead a pretty exciting life in New York. What can you offer me here?”

  “I can promise to cherish you, to respect you, and not keep you in a box. Unless it’s part of a scene. And I promise to care for you and see to your needs.”

  “Thank God you didn’t mention love.”

  He pulled into a casino parking lot and put the car in park. “Most women would want to hear the word love in that sentence.”

  “It’s way too soon for that, Maddox. I like you, a great deal. What I feel for you is more than I’ve ever felt for a person, and it scares me. I admit it. It could head in the love direction very easily, except I’ve never been very good with that word. I think it’s because my parents were terrible with it.”

  His touch against her hand was gentle, his fingers warm as they grasped hers. “We’ll take the journey together. Just know if you waver and talk about leaving, I’m going to fight for you to stay. That’s a promise.”

  “How are you going to do that? Wrap a collar and leash around my neck while I’m on the airplane?”

  “If need be, yes.”

  “I’m sure the air marshal would love that.” She gasped softly. “Oh look, there’s the L word. I guess I’m getting better at using it already.”

  * * * * *

  “Is this the casino you’re buying?” Clarissa toyed with the straw in her glass, glancing around. “I have to say it’s not as sleek as Moonglow. Will you change it up?”

  “This isn’t it,” Maddox replied. “We’re considering empty space that’s a little ways down the river. We just thought we’d meet here so there’s a table to sign papers, after…”

  “I read them. I know.”

  “Good for you.”

  “So, will this new place be the Moonglow II?”

  “No, just Moonglow in Laughlin.”

  She put her hand near his on the table. “How did you come up with the name?”

  His smile jabbed at her heart. Yes, the L word could definitely come into play with this man. “You know my father is an archaeologist. He took me to digs with him, and we spent lots of time outdoors, camping and the like. He would always tell me that nothing was impossible. ‘Reach for the moon,’ he’d say. So I did. Turned out to be a pretty good deal.”

  “Sorry I’m late.” Clarissa pulled her gaze away from Maddox to greet Andrew. “There was some traffic, plus I had a run-in with a friend of yours, Clarissa.”

  “Henry.”

  “Yup, he insisted on knowing where you were. He’s outside, or maybe he came in with me and is afraid to come near Clarissa when there are drinks nearby.” He winked at her. “He’s not very good at being secretive. I had to slow down a few times in the city so I didn’t lose him.”

  Clarissa turned to Maddox. “You knew?”

  “Yes. Andrew called me earlier to say Henry started to tail him when he left the hotel. I thought it would be nice if we could have a chat, convince him to go back to New York like a good boy.”

  Clarissa pushed back her chair. “I’ll go talk to him.”

  “No.” Maddox stood, putting his hand on her shoulder to hold her in place. “You stay here and do your paperwork. Let me handle him. I can promise there won’t be any video from this encounter that will find its way on the Internet.”

  “Spoilsport.” She picked up the papers Andrew placed in front of her. “If you knock him out, at least snap a picture for me.”

  “I want you to stay here.” She responded to his stern look with a nod; then she watched him walk away, his butt encased in tailored pants that made him look like a finely carved statue. She wanted to go with him, maybe get a chance to punch Henry in the nose for so obviously being in collusion with her father to try and get his hands on her money.

  If no one had access to her trust fund but herself, how were they doing it? What was going on?

  “Do you need some help signing those? Or reading them, maybe? I thought you were a Sarah Lawrence graduate.”

  “Good one, Andrew.” She took the pen he held out. “If you’re not careful, someone might think you’re funny.”

  “Happens to me all the time.” He winked at her, and she picked up the papers, skimmed them. It seemed a standard contract with the law firm to hire services of a “consultant” to look into records. The opening paragraph asked for a retainer of two thousand dollars, and Clarissa pulled out her checkbook. She wrote the check, signed it, then scribbled her name on the contract, handing them all back to Andrew.

  “Thanks for doing this for me.”

  “No problem.” He tucked them into an envelope, then put it in his pocket. “I’ll wait with you until Maddox gets back.”

  “Really? He led me to believe you had someone to visit here. A woman. Does she work at one of the casinos?”

  Andrew’s laughter made her smile. “No, she owns one, the one we’re in right now.”

  “A rival. That ought to make for interesting pillow talk.”

  His smile increased. “We never talk about work, only sex.�
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  “Always a good thing.” She looked toward the doorway. Maddox should be coming back at some point soon, shouldn’t he? How long could it take to tell someone to stay the hell away?

  “Stay here,” Andrew said. “He’ll be back.”

  She wiggled in her chair, knowing she needed to follow Maddox’s instructions, yet wanting to tear out the door and confront Henry again. “That rat bastard.”

  “Well, Maddox is good at exterminating rodents, so you needn’t worry. Just relax and take another drink.”

  She knew Andrew was right. Plus she didn’t want to disappoint Maddox by disobeying him. She would stay here, and then, if Henry happened to follow Maddox back into the building, all bets would be off.

  * * * * *

  Maddox had to give the other man credit. When he saw him coming across the walkway, he didn’t run. Instead he stood, his back to the Colorado River, and crossed his arms over his chest. He’d expected to find him in the front of the casino, waiting for them to come out. Instead he’d been in the back, watching Clarissa and Andrew through the glass doors.

  “I want to talk to Clarissa.”

  “Clarissa doesn’t want to talk to you. And right now what she wants is the most important thing to me. Mr. Isaacs, I strongly suggest you leave. Clarissa and I are very happy right now, and frankly, all you’re doing is making a fool of yourself.”

  “Is that so? Her parents will never let her marry you.”

  Maddox put on his poker face. He could tell it was effective by the nervous look that came into Isaacs’s eyes. “She’s a grown woman, and can do as she pleases. Plus, what makes you think we’re talking about marriage?”

  The other man snorted, and Maddox wanted to plant his fist in his face. “That’s the only way you’re going to get her money.”

  The urge to say, Just like you want to do, pushed forward, and he suppressed it. That would give Isaacs the knowledge they knew something was up, and he didn’t want that. If they knew, they would have time to try and hide things and possibly get away with whatever they were doing.

  “Do you need directions back to Vegas? Or would you like to wait for Andrew to leave so you can follow him? I think he has a lunch date with a friend first, so it might be a while.”

  “Fuck you, Perry.”

  Maddox leaned against the railing, keeping his expression neutral. “Impressive. Can you say that in more than one language?”

  “You son of a—”

  “Listen, before you insult my mother, let me remind you that Clarissa is inside. Last time she had a few drinks at her disposal. This time she has the whole Colorado River. Who knows what she could do with that.”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  He loved the red that appeared in the other man’s face. It meant he was rattled. Good, hopefully he’d just leave now. And stay gone. “Just stating facts. You should leave before she comes out. Sometimes it’s tough to control her, especially when she’s angry. On the other hand, I love the way she loses control. I’m sure your buddies at the club are laughing about the video floating around.”

  For a minute, Maddox thought Isaacs would throw a punch. Instead the other man turned sharply and headed toward the front of the building, hopefully for the parking lot. He wouldn’t follow him, though. He had better things to do than that, like play a game with his new sub.

  This was supposed to be a vacation, and he wouldn’t let Henry Isaacs ruin it. He looked through the open doors, saw Clarissa sitting at the table, toying with her drink. Andrew sat across from her, a smile on his face.

  He was proud of her for following his instructions and not causing a scene. Now it was time for a reward, something that would please the both of them.

  Desert Surrender

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Let me get this straight? It’s a race?”

  “Sort of.” Maddox stopped the car in front of the empty hotel he hoped to buy. It was a little less than a mile down the river from the casino they’d just been in. “I left something with Emily, Andrew’s friend. Your job is to make it back there, on foot, without me catching you. If you make it and retrieve the item, you win. If I catch you, I win.”

  “What are the stakes?”

  “Winner’s choice.” He leaned toward her and kissed her gently. “No holds barred.”

  “I like the sounds of that. Is this a BDSM game?”

  “Yes, the hunter and the hunted.”

  She frowned. “I just didn’t expect this type of thing. I guess I expected whippings and the like all the time.”

  “Don’t look so shocked. Those books I sent you are guidelines. I’m sure you read that every Dom is different, and there is no right and wrong, really, unless you’re abusing a sub. That’s wrong. I like games, and I like to enjoy myself. I don’t think Andrew would ever do something like this.”

  She glanced out the window. The building in front of them was obviously empty, but the parking lot was full. “So all I have to do is make it back, either by way of the street or the boardwalk. And avoid you.”

  He murmured an assent, and she reached for the door handle. “Where shall I meet you when you fail to find me?”

  “If I haven’t caught you within the next thirty minutes, meet me in the bar at Muir’s.”

  “Are you going to move the car down there and wait so that I have to do all the walking and you’ll just nab me when I walk into the building?”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know? You have a five-minute head start, beginning right now.”

  Clarissa barreled out of the car, taking off for the abandoned building as quickly as she could. She spied a walkway between that building and the one to its left. Maddox was watching, she was sure, so he would know she was using the boardwalk. When she was around the back, though, she would go into the casino and come out the front way, wind her way through the parking lots. That way she would have cars to use as coverage while she walked. Hiding behind vehicles was much more effective than hiding in a crowd.

  And maybe it would throw him off her trail. Thinking of that made her think of Henry. Had he left after his little talk with Maddox or was he hanging around, waiting to find her alone? Maddox didn’t seem worried that he was still here, so she shouldn’t be either. Besides, she could handle him. This time maybe she’d kick him in the balls. That would be satisfying.

  She wished Maddox had related more of their conversation. Instead he’d just said, “He’s gone.” Somehow she didn’t expect Henry to give up that easily, not when there was money involved, which there obviously was. Maybe she would find out what was going on. If the hacker was as good as they said, it should be pretty quick.

  The boardwalk was crowded. People jostled for position as they made their way from one casino to the other. Heat rose from the sidewalk, and Clarissa looked down at the Colorado River. Maybe for her reward she’d tell Maddox to rent a boat. They could take a leisurely cruise, enjoy the cool breeze off the waters. That would be perfect.

  And they could fuck. Almost right out in the open, really. There had to be some way of doing it without being caught, maybe lying with her back to his front while on a ski boat. After they were downriver, of course. It was best not to do things too close to shore, where there was a chance they could be caught.

  She darted into the hotel, looking around. No Maddox, and more importantly, no Henry. Maybe the creep did leave. The bells and whistles of gaming machines filled the air. She wound through the crowd, enjoying the hoots of people who won as money dropped from slot machines. She wanted to tell those people to cash in now, that the old saying the house always wins was generally true.

  When she was almost to the front door, she stopped. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. She stepped back inside to consider her options. Maybe she should go back to where the crowds were. She thought about what Maddox would do. He would stay outdoors; she knew that. And if she stayed inside, walking between the people would slow her down, keep her from meeting her time frame.

&nb
sp; Then again, she would have the same problem with the crowds on the boardwalk. Still, she didn’t know this area, and he did. Did one parking lot bleed into another, or were there hedges or, worse yet, fences between them, trying to keep patrons from going over to the competition? She should have paid more attention on the trip over. Instead she’d been distracted by the gorgeous hunk of man sitting next to her.

  She looked down, a smile brightening her face when she saw a large white boat pull up to a dock. The word taxi was printed on the side. A glance at her watch showed she’d been gone for ten minutes. She had twenty left. Surely the taxi would make it back up the river in plenty of time. She hurried down the steps toward it, trying not to knock into too many of the people who were coming up. Damn, this was easy. The only thing she had to worry about once she got there was getting to Emily before Maddox found her, and that shouldn’t be a problem.

  She’d just gained the last step when a hand on her shoulder made her stop. “I thought you said you were going to walk.”

  She’d been so busy patting herself on the back for finding the water taxi that she hadn’t looked around to see who was behind her. She wheeled on him, sticking her finger in his face. “I’m warning you, there better be an orgasm involved in your reward.”

  “Oh, there is. For me. I don’t know about you. Sticking your finger in my face, making demands. I thought we’d already discussed things like that, remember?”

  “So I suppose you’re going to pull out a deck of cards, sentence me to forty lashes?”

  “Maybe thirty.” He gave her a cockeyed grin, and she laughed.

  “Are we going back to the house now?”

  “Not yet.” He indicated she should walk, then fell in step beside her, his hand on the small of her back. “We’re going to the old casino.”

  “I didn’t know you owned that building yet.”

  “I don’t. But it’s pretty much a done deal. The meeting this week is more a formality.” They wound through the crowd, and he unlocked the door, ushering her inside before locking it behind them.

  “We’re going all the way to the top floor.”