by Jane Jamison
“Okay. Thank you. And, Paul, my regular phone’s in the locker. But it doesn’t have anything on it.” She brought her head up. “I want you to know that I intended to fix all the pictures I was going to send him. I’d blur their faces and as much of their, um, private parts as I could. Wilburt wouldn’t have been happy about it, but I think he’d use them anyway. But I know that doesn’t make up for what I did.”
“Okay, thanks. I’m sorry about all this, Jewel.”
“Paul, we’ll handle things from this point on.” Ryce crossed his arms, determination setting in. “You can count on us. One way or another, we’ll get rid of the pictures and get her sister’s video destroyed.”
Paul took a moment to consider what he’d said. “Okay. I’ll let you take care of it. As long as Owen promises not to deck another member.”
Only then did Ryce notice the red marks on his brother’s knuckles.
“Max deserved it.”
“I’m not arguing the point. But you should’ve let me handle it.”
Owen shrugged. “Yeah. I should’ve, but I’m glad I didn’t.”
For the first time since Jewel had walked onto the stage toward Max, Ryce felt a moment’s relief. At least Owen had taken care of Max. He’d been too intent on getting Jewel out of the club. “Paul, once we take care of things, I want you to think about giving her another chance. If she wants it.”
She nodded quickly, emphatically. “I’d like that so much. But I’ll understand if you don’t want to.”
The reluctance in his friend’s face was more than evident. “Just get those pictures taken care of and then we’ll talk. But the final decision won’t be mine alone. If, and that’s a big if, I choose to let you back in, you’ll have to face the members and get their approval.”
“Fair enough.” He couldn’t expect more than that.
Paul nodded, then heeled around and left the barn. After several moments to think, Ryce turned back and knelt in front of her again. “I’ve got an idea of how to get that video.”
“You do?”
“Baby, I’m going to say this one last time.” He stood up, bringing her along with him. “Trust me.”
Chapter Eight
“I will. I do.” Jewel couldn’t believe her luck. Not only were the men she loved willing to forgive her, they were ready to help her and Jacee. She was finally able to give her entire trust to them and knew, without a doubt, that they deserved it.
“Hell, bro, spit out your plan. What’s up? Are we going to find this Wilburt ass and beat the shit out of him?”
Ryce motioned for them to follow him. “Do I want to? Hell, yeah. Is that what we’re going to do? Naw. But what I have in mind will hurt him more.”
She hadn’t felt as light and free of worry for a long time. And it was all due to her Doms. “Then how? You can’t expect to go waltzing into his office and demand he delete the video.”
“Demand it? Naw. That won’t work.” He pulled her into an embrace just as Belinda came out the side door with Jewel’s purse and phone in her hands.
If she hadn’t had them beside her, she doubted she would’ve had the nerve to face the woman she’d considered one of her friends. One of her friends she’d lied to. “Belinda, I know it’s too much to ask, but can you ever forgive me?”
Belinda didn’t crack a smile. Instead, she gave her the purse and phone, then turned around and walked away. Jewel would’ve felt better if the woman had struck her. Yet when Belinda turned back around, she was almost ready to run.
“Paul told me why you did it, though it doesn’t make it feel any better.” She crossed her arms and glared. “Am I in any of the pictures?”
It was even worse to tell the whole truth. “Yes. But I wasn’t going to show your face.”
Belinda’s glare transformed into a frown. “Shoot, girl. Here I was hoping you’d make me some kind of big Internet star.” She finally smiled, making that one of the sweetest sights Jewel had ever seen. “Don’t worry too much, sugar. People around here have too many skeletons in their own closets to throw stones at you. Give it some time. They’ll come around.”
Did she dare to hope? “I hope so. I really liked working here.”
“And we all liked—” She paused, then smiled wider. “We all like you. Just because Paul’s giving you the boot doesn’t mean you can’t still give us a call. Check in so we know how you’re doing. Oh, and Wilson wanted me to tell you that he’s never had a better waitress.” She blew on her nails, then rubbed them on her halter top. “Besides me, of course.”
“Oh, of course.” Jewel returned her smile, her body shaking with relief. The only thing that could’ve made the moment better happened when Owen came behind her and wrapped his arms around her, cocooning her in a protective embrace she so badly needed.
Ryce, however, brought her back to the problems still hanging over her. “Here’s what you need to do, baby. You’re going to call this shithead Wilburt and tell him you’ve got an even bigger story. Tell him you’re going to get a video of an initiation, but that he’s going to want a better quality picture than what your phone can deliver. Tell him it’s happening tomorrow night, but you can’t get off work long enough to drive into a major city and buy a camcorder. At least not without drawing suspicion to yourself. Tell him it’s up to him to bring you one. Tell him you’ve also managed to wrangle him a membership to the club. If that doesn’t get him up here, then nothing will.”
He couldn’t be serious. Since she’d started working there, she’d only seen the one. It had been a beautiful, touching, and extremely sexual experience. But to think of taping it? How could she after she’d already hurt the members? She hadn’t even mentioned that they held initiations, knowing Wilburt would insist she take pictures of it. Hell, he’d probably jump at the chance to see the initiation in person. And he’d definitely want to use the membership.
“But why? How will having him here help?”
“She’s right. He’ll show up and find out she got caught.”
Owen loosened his hold on her, but she grabbed his arms to make him stay with her. She needed all the support, both emotional and physical she could get.
Ryce’s confident expression made her feel better. “When he gets here, you meet him at the watering trough and tell him that you need to get things set up. When he starts checking things out, then you come on to him.”
“What?” Wilburt Flaxsom was the last person she’d ever want. Not as her boss. Not as a friend. And definitely not as a lover.
“Easy, baby. You know we won’t let him get his grubby paws on you. Remember, you’ve got to—”
“Trust you. I do.” She gathered her courage. “So once I get him turned on, then what?”
“Then you get him to strip. Once his butt’s naked, we’ll start taping him.”
Wilburt was a sleaze who didn’t mind taping anyone else with their pants were down—literally—but he hated having photos of himself taken. Part of being able to do his shady business was keeping the anonymity of his position intact. He’d likely have a fit if he found out he was being videotaped. “I get it. You get the video exposing him and we trade it for Jacee’s video. Plus, I get to tell him I destroyed the pictures I took.”
“Sounds like a fair swap to me,” added Owen.
“So, baby, do we have a plan?”
She couldn’t help but be excited. After all the torment Wilburt had put her through, he deserved some payback. “We sure do.”
“Then call him. And make it an offer he can’t refuse.”
“Trust me.” She grinned as Ryce caught her joke. “He’s hit on me a lot in the past. If I show him even the slightest interest, he’ll be here.”
“Then let’s get the show on the road.”
* * * *
“Sissy, I’m so scared. Wilburt’s getting really angry. If he doesn’t get the photos soon, he’s going to show my videos to everyone. Please, please. You’ve got to hurry.”
Jewel wished her sister could se
e the smile on her face. She hadn’t wanted to risk calling her yesterday. “I know you’re scared, but you’ve got to trust me.” She sounded like Ryce and Owen. “This whole horrible nightmare is almost over.”
“So you’ve got enough photos?”
“Yes. I finished taking the last of them.” She yearned to tell her sister about the plan the men had hatched, but no one, not even Jacee, could know. If Wilburt got wind of anything and became suspicious, it would all be for nothing.
Jacee sighed. “Thank you so much. You’re a terrific big sister.”
She preened under her sister’s praise. After years of taking care of her little sister and watching her change from a happy little girl to one filled with anger after their parents’ deaths, she was thrilled to know her sister appreciated everything she’d done. “Yeah. I kind of am, aren’t I?”
She hadn’t heard Jacee laugh so easily in a long time. “Hey, don’t go getting a big head.”
“I won’t. I’ll be happy when it’s all over.” The plan was in motion, but why not take another safeguard to keep it on track? “Jacee, would you do me a favor?”
“What?”
Typical Jacee. Ask first before committing herself. But Jacee was Jacee and she loved her no matter what. “If Wilburt contacts you for any reason, don’t answer.”
“Urgh. Like I’d want to? But why?”
“Just do it for me, okay?”
“Okay. It’s not like it’ll be hard to do.”
“Great. Hopefully, soon enough, we’ll have your video destroyed and life can get back to normal.”
The hesitation from the other end of the call unnerved her. “Jacee, are you all right?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. It’s just that…”
Another pause. Please. Not something else.
“It’s just that what?” Was she into more trouble?
“Look, sissy, I know it hasn’t been easy. I’ve gotten into trouble before—although not as bad as this time—and I’m sorry. You lost Mom and Dad, too, but you had me to think of and you took over. I didn’t have to worry about anything. I’m so sorry I wasn’t a better sister.”
“Damn.” Jewel wiped away a tear and cleared her throat. “You’re going to make me cry. But listen, okay? I didn’t do anything I didn’t want to do. You’re my little sister and I’ll always be there for you.” She couldn’t resist adding, “Just try to think before you jump into something next time. Okay?”
“Okay. I will.”
“I love you, kiddo.”
“Yeah, yeah. Me, too, sissy.”
Jewel clicked off the call and stared at the phone. All the years of arguing with Jacee, of trying to raise her right, had just paid off. She was proud of her younger sister and now she knew her sister was proud of her.
“Everything okay with your sister?”
She wiped away another tear, determined not to keep crying, then faced Ryce. “Yeah. She’s doing great.” She looked behind him. “Where’s Owen?”
He took her by the arms, drawing her attention back to him. “He’s inside talking to Paul and Destin. They have to be in on this from the beginning.”
“Sure. Of course.” For one of the few times she could remember, Ryce was all seriousness. “I can’t thank you and Owen enough for helping me. For helping us.”
“We’re just glad you finally told us. If you’d only told us earlier, we could’ve helped then.”
“I know. But it was my problem to solve.”
“Don’t you get it yet, Jewel? Your problems are our problems. I know I joke around a lot, but when it comes to you, I’m not kidding. You’re the woman we want as our sub. Hell, we’d do anything for you.”
She went on to her tiptoes. His gaze lowered to her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Anything?”
“Yeah. Anything.”
“Then kiss me.” She closed her eyes, ready for him to kiss her.
“Hey, you two. We don’t have time for that stuff.”
She smothered a giggle at Ryce’s perturbed expression as he groaned. He didn’t turn to look at Owen.
“As much as I hate to admit it, he’s right. We’ve got to get ready for tonight.” Ryce uttered a curse as he turned her loose then pivoted to join his brother.
* * * *
Jewel wiped her sweaty hands on her skirt for what she figured had to be the hundredth time. Yesterday’s call to Wilburt had gone easier than she could’ve imagined and she’d even thought she’d heard him salivating over the phone. She didn’t know whether it was the idea of videotaping an initiation or the lure of her saying she’d “had a change of heart and couldn’t wait to see him” that had him promising to arrive as soon as he could.
With Paul’s help, Ryce and Owen had reserved the trough for the evening and borrowed the Casing brothers’ video camera. At first, they’d been understandably hesitant, but had finally given in, reaffirming them as good men.
“Are you guys ready?”
Ryce poked his head around the far side of the water trough that served for most of the club’s initiations. The initiations weren’t mandatory, but those members who loved exhibitionism liked using the trough. It had never been used for the animals and was always filled with fresh, clean water. “Ready. Don’t worry about us. You get him to strip and we’ll catch him in action.”
“I’ll do my best. He just texted to say he’s almost here. Are you sure he can get through the main gate without a problem?”
“Positive. Paul’s left word to give him admittance. Try and relax, baby. You don’t want to tip him off and send him packing.”
“I’m trying. Really.”
The sound of a car pulling into the back lot rattled her nerves. She was already on edge and every time a member parked then walked toward the building, she’d had to jump behind the trough and hide. This time, however, she recognized the huge Hummer as being Wilburt’s.
“A Hummer? Who drives a Hummer anymore?”
She smothered back a nervous giggle at Owen’s astonishment. “Haven’t you heard? Men with little dicks drive big cars. To compensate for their lack of a package.”
“Naw, that’s not true. If it was, I wouldn’t be driving a Ram pickup.”
“Owen’s right,” whispered Ryce. “Hell, I should be driving one of those little bitty foreign cars.”
“Hush. He’s coming this way.” She squinted at the dark figure striding toward her. The area around the club was well lit, but there was still a small patch of grass at the side that had fewer lights, giving members a dark place outside to “look at the stars” in privacy.
“Jewel, is that you?”
“It is. I’m glad you came.” Was she getting too good at lying? Or was it just easier to lie to Wilburt than to good people?
He stepped into the brighter area of the yard where the trough sat. “Is this it?” He slid his hand over the steel-encased side of the wooden trough. “I can’t believe these perverts have sex in a damn horse trough.”
Perverts? He was the real pervert.
“They sure do. The initiation’s starting soon. You brought the video camera, right?” She pointed at the satchel flung over his shoulder. “You need to hurry and get it ready to go.”
He dropped the satchel to the ground. “All I have to do is pull it out and get going.” His beady brown eyes locked onto her, then slid up and down her, taking in her skimpy outfit. “Fuck, but you look hot.”
“Thanks.” Please, please, don’t let him touch me.
He acted surprised that she hadn’t ignored his compliment as she’d always done before. Or told him to fuck off. “You said something about changing your mind about me?”
She swallowed as he took a step toward her. Getting him to strip without having to disrobe, too, wasn’t going to work. Yet if she could stay far enough away from him, then Ryce and Owen could still keep her out of the shot. Ryce was manning the camcorder while Owen had opted to bring a camera to snap photos as a backup.
“As long as you k
eep your word about Jacee’s video, then, yeah, I’m willing to get to know you better.” Saying the words burned her throat as though she’d eaten acid.
“Getting this video, along with the pics and the article you’re going to send me, will more than make up for her video. Yeah, honey. We’re good after tonight.” His grin crooked to the side. “Better than good once I get between your legs.”
She inched away, determined to keep a good six feet between them. “Then before the initiation starts, how about we do an initiation of our own?”
“Sure thing.” Yet when she stepped back again, he frowned. “Where’s all this sudden interest coming from?”
She had to remember not to go too fast. He was slimy, but he was also smart. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s from working here.” She cast her gaze to the ground, trying to act innocent. “I guess what they do in the club kind of loosened me up, sexually speaking. And since I can’t get it on with anyone here and risk exposing myself”—she looked him in the eye to put more emphasis on the word—“then I kind of got to thinking what it’d be like to be with you.”
Was there enough soap in the world to wash the taste of her lies out of her mouth?
Her next words were true, albeit it not in the way he’d take it. “You’re a dirty, dirty man, Wilburt Flaxsom.”
The suspicion left him as the shit-eating grin returned. “Yes, I am. Now let’s see just how dirty you can be. Take it off, honey. Show me what you’ve got.”
If she managed to keep her dinner down, she’d be lucky. Casting a quick glimpse at the trough and spotting the end of the video camera poking over the top, she made a quick and decisive decision. One she hated making, but desperate times called for desperate measures. And she was as desperate as she could get.
“Sure thing. But since you can already see a lot of me,” she twirled, bending over just enough to give him a flash of her naked butt, “let’s even it up a bit.” He was wiping the back of his hand over his mouth when she straightened up. “You first.”