She cuddled against his chest. “Yeah, just getting a little tired, and I think I might be getting a migraine, so I want to take my meds as a precaution. Is there a place I can lay down for a bit?”
“Sure. We have some bunk rooms above the offices. We’ll be staying there tonight anyway.” He helped her to her feet and then stood as well. “I’ll grab our bags and take you up there.”
“I can read you a bedtime story if you want. Women tell me I’m quite entertaining in bed.”
* * *
Kat gaped at the stranger grinning at her, amusement swirling in his dark blue eyes. He’d been talking to Jake when she first walked over, but now that his attention was on her, she wondered how she hadn’t notice what a hunk he was. His dark blond hair must fall right below his shoulders because he had it tied back in a small ponytail. A snug T-shirt covered his upper torso and his jean clad legs were long and lean. From how he had them stretched out in front of him, she guessed he was a few inches taller than Benny. And like the men of Trident, he had the physique of a warrior, sculpted from hard work and training. No health club or steroid needle could produce such a perfect male specimen. Holy crap, the man was gorgeous in a dangerous, bad-boy sort of way. “Um…”
“Stop being an asshole, man.” Benny snarled, putting his arm around her and drawing her into his side. It was a blatant possessive gesture and made her shiver in delight.
The hunk feigned being insulted, his large hand spread across his broad chest. “Who me? I’m a jackass. Egghead’s the asshole.”
“I heard that!”
As Brody plopped back down in his chair, the other man chuckled. “You were supposed to hear it, asshole.” He turned his attention back to Kat and his gaze softened. “Sorry, little one. The name is Carter, and your boyfriend here should know me well enough by now. I’m just joking, although his obvious jealousy tells me you’re something special to him. If he treats you wrong, you just let me know and I’ll kick his scrawny ass for you. Okay?”
When he winked at her playfully, Kat couldn’t help the smile spreading across her face. It was hard not to like the man instantly. “Nice to meet you, Carter. I’m Kat. And thanks for the offer, but he treats me just fine. He knows I swing a mean baseball bat if he doesn’t.”
“Ha! You’ve got claws. I like you already, Miss Kitty-Kat. It’s my absolute pleasure to meet you.” Her heart clenched at the nickname her father used for her as his eyes flickered toward Benny. “She’s a keeper, man. Don’t let her get away.”
“Yes, she is.” Lowering his head, he gave her a quick kiss. “And I don’t plan on losing her again.”
* * *
A few minutes later, Kat was stripped down to her underwear and Boomer was pulling the covers up to her chin. Some of the six spare bedrooms had bunks, but this was one of two which had a queen-sized bed. An attached bath meant she didn’t have to go out into the hallway for any reason. He placed the bracelet Brody had given him around her left wrist. “This has a tracking device in it, Kitten. If something happens to you, which we’re going to do everything we can to avoid, it will help us find you. It’s just a precaution.” He brushed her hair away from her cheek. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay with you?”
She nodded, her eyelids growing heavy. “I’m good. Your parents aren’t staying much longer, so go sit with them. I’ll be asleep in no time.”
Kissing her on the forehead, he saw she was right. By the time he shut off the light and opened the door, she was already going under. When he returned to the backyard, he noticed a few people had left. Jenn had gone into work, having switched shifts with another waitress at the pub owned by Jake’s brother. Marco and Brody were also gone, and Devon mentioned they were in the office working on an embezzlement case. Kristen and Angie were over by the outdoor kitchen, getting a dinner of grilled chicken, salads, corn, and potatoes ready while Ian turned on the huge gas grill.
Boomer sat down next to his mom, who’d joined his dad by the fire pit. Eileen smiled at him. “I’m still having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that she’s back, but I have to say, I haven’t seen you this happy since high school. And I’m thrilled for you too. For both of you. Back then, I could see how good you two were together, even if you didn’t.”
Blushing wasn’t something he did often, but he never talked about women with his mom. He knew she wanted grandchildren one day, but wasn’t one of those mothers who nagged their sons to get married. “She’s the one, Mom. She always was, and I’ve said it several times within the past few days, I’m never letting her go.”
Eileen reached over and squeezed his hand. “I know you won’t, Ben. Just keep both of you safe.”
“I will.”
“Fuck!” Boomer’s dad leapt from his chair, holding his shoulder. “God-fucking damn it! I just got stung by a fucking bee. Leaned back on the fucker.”
His wife and son jumped up and began pulling on Rick’s shirt, trying to get a look at the site. The last time he’d gotten stung, his foot had blown up like a balloon, and they knew if a bee got him again, the reaction could be worse. Eileen now carried an Epi-pen and Benadryl capsules in her purse just in case.
Boomer saw the large welt forming at the back of his shoulder. “The stinger is out. Any trouble breathing, Pop?”
“No. But look, I’m already getting fucking hives. Eil, just give me the Benadryl. I’ll take the pills first, and if it gets worse I can use the pen.”
She dug them out of her purse as Kristen stepped forward with bottle of water. Rick quickly popped the pills into his mouth and washed them down with the cool liquid. “Fuck. How the hell could something so damn tiny hurt like such a bitch? ‘Scuse my language, ladies.”
The women all chuckled at him, having heard a lot worse from the men. Angie had made an impromptu icepack with a zip-lock baggie and handed it to Boomer. After ordering his father to sit back down, he stuck it between the affected shoulder and chair. “Mom will have to drive home. The last time you got stung, the Benadryl knocked you on your ass, old-man.”
Rick grumbled and cursed the dead bee some more.
“You don’t have to drive home tonight,” Kristen informed them. “You know you can always crash in one of our spare bedrooms.”
Smiling at the younger woman, Eileen shook her head. “Thanks for the offer, Kristen. But I have an early dentist appointment in the morning. It’ll be better if we go home. I just want to wait awhile to make sure Rick’s reaction doesn’t get worse.”
About a half hour later, Rick’s hives were gone, but he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open and was barely touching his dinner. Boomer helped him to their car while the women packed up some food for Eileen to take with them. Opening the driver’s door for his mother, Boomer gave her a kiss on the cheek before she climbed in. “Text or call me when you get home, so I know everything is okay.”
“We’ll be fine, but I’ll text you anyway.” She glanced at her husband who was trying to stay awake, but failing. “He’ll be asleep before we hit the highway. Love you, Ben. And tell Katerina we said goodbye. Try and come visit us next weekend, please.”
“If this is all over, we will, Mom.”
He shut her door and watched his parents drive away. For the first time since he was a teenager, Boomer saw his future and loved it. He was going to make Kat his wife and they were going to give his parents grandchildren to spoil rotten. Maybe he could convince them to move closer than Sarasota. Smiling, he went to fix Kat a dinner plate, looking forward to feeding her in bed…among other things.
* * *
“Following car with same last name as boyfriend. Must be parents.”
Viktor smiled as he walked down the hallway leading to his plane. His men had taken down the license plates of vehicles driving toward the Trident compound. It was the only property off that road, so it was easy to assume someone using it could be a possible target. Thanks to his contacts in law enforcement, they’d been able to run the plates and find out w
ho they belonged to. If they couldn’t get into the compound to get the girl, they’d have to make the girl come to them.
“Don’t lose them. I’m on way.” Disconnecting the call, he winked at the pretty stewardess as he boarded the plane. Things were looking up.
Chapter 18
Kat tried to pull the short skirt lower, but it wouldn’t go any further. After taking a nap and eating the dinner Benny had, literally, fed her in bed, she felt confident she’d nipped her migraine in the bud. She’d been surprised and then excited when he’d asked if she wanted a tour of The Covenant. Sunday nights tended to be their slowest nights, he’d told her, but it didn’t mean there wouldn’t be plenty to see. He’d provided privacy papers she had to sign, as well as a limit list and protocols she needed to adhere to. Most of them were easy enough to remember, and Benny had assured her everyone would help her if she accidentally did something wrong. She hadn’t been cleared to play since she needed a mandatory background check and blood work, so he told her they would fill out the limit list together at another time. Tonight she was only allowed to observe and learn what BDSM was all about.
When Angie and Kristen discovered she would be joining them, they’d been thrilled and offered to lend her something to wear. They’d taken her over to the huge apartment Ian and Angie shared on the first floor of the compound’s last building. Kristen and Devon had the unit above theirs and it was just as spacious. Since her stress-induced weight loss, Kat had dropped to a size six from her normal size ten, but Angie had a few items they’d been able to adjust to her smaller frame.
The black skirt she now wore was a wrap-around which tied at the back of her narrow waist. It had a slight A-line cut and covered her ass as long as she didn’t spin around, making it flare outward. On top she sported a teal-blue camisole with lace trim. While her assets were covered, barely, she was still self-conscious of the fact she had no underwear on. Benny had insisted, and she had to admit, doing so made her feel naughty and sensual. But that didn’t mean she wanted to be flashing anyone other than him.
Glancing at Kristen and Angie as the three of them walked across the compound to the club, she realized she was the least scantily dressed. Angie wore a snug pink teddy which stopped at the middle of her thighs. The stretchy lace material was just sheer enough to see through, but the woman acted as if it was no big deal her nipples could be seen. Kat could also see she was wearing a matching thong, and she was almost jealous of the woman’s toned yet curvaceous body. Angie had told her Ian had a thing for lingerie. He loved to browse through some of the nicest and naughtiest intimate catalogs looking for new things for her to wear.
Kristen’s outfit fell somewhere between the other two. She had on a matching black bra and panty set with a sheer black overlay. While it was sexy, it wasn’t any less than what some women wore poolside or at the beach.
As they walked through the gate separating the club from the rest of the Trident compound, flip-flops slapped against their heels, almost in sync. The girls had told her the floors of the club were carpeted, with the exception of inside the scene areas, so most of the submissives went barefoot. No glass was allowed in what they referred to as ‘the pit’, so they didn’t have to worry about anything which might cut their feet. The scene areas were polished wood and constantly being wiped clean by the staff to eliminate any ‘ick’ factors.
Walking up the stairs to the second floor entrance, the butterflies in Kat’s stomach took full flight. Her nervousness must have shown on her face because Angie gave her an encouraging smile while holding the door open for her. “Relax. You’ll be fine. Boomer is going to give you a collar to wear, so no one else will be allowed to touch you. If you have any questions, just ask one of us. We’ve all been in your shoes before…well, actually, your flip-flops.”
Kat walked through the door and her eyes immediately found Benny’s. He was waiting for her in the club’s lobby along with Devon and Ian. And holy hell, did they all look like they just stepped out of a Playgirl magazine photo-shoot. Ian and Devon both wore leather pants, but the styles were slightly different. Ian’s had a zippered front and he paired the black pants with a snug grey T-shirt. Devon’s crotch was laced up and he wore a matching black leather vest sans shirt. But it was Benny whom she thought was the sexiest and she hoped she wasn’t drooling. Under his open brown leather vest, he was shirtless with his rock-hard chest and abs showcased in skin bronzed by the sun. His faded jeans fit like a glove and the bulge behind his zipper made her mouth water. A brown leather belt went through the loops at his waist and was a close match to the well-worn boots on his feet.
He held his hand out to her, grinning broadly as she took it. “Damn, baby. Just when I think you can’t get any sexier, you prove me wrong. I think I’m going to start calling you my little sex-kitten.”
Pulling out a simple, black leather collar, he indicated for her to turn around and lift her hair. His fingers brushed against her skin as he placed it around her neck and connected the hook and eye clasp in the back. Fingering the thin strand, she faced him again. “Okay?”
“For now. I’m going to have to start thinking about a permanent one for you, like Angie and Kristen have. I want to design it myself.”
Kat was thrilled he wanted to show everyone she belonged to him. She’d noticed the other women’s collars earlier. Kristen’s was a platinum choker with evenly spaced diamonds along its entire length. She’d showed Kat the removable sapphire pendant which she occasionally wore with it. The custom-designed collar matched the engagement ring Devon had also given her, which had tiny blue stones surrounding the large teardrop diamond. Angie was wearing one of two collars Ian had gotten for her. Her everyday one was a yellow-gold, Byzantine-styled chain with a padlock pendant which she’d been wearing earlier. The one she had on now was a two-inch wide, white-gold necklace with a diamond heart in the center. It was stunning and must have cost a fortune. But Kat didn’t care what collar she wore, as long as it was Benny’s.
He reached for her hand again and placed a yellow ‘no-play’ band on her wrist. “Are you ready to go in?”
A nervous giggle escaped her and she took a deep breath. “Oh, what the hell. You only live once, or in my case twice. Or is this my third life? Oh, who knows. Anyway, let’s do this before I lose my courage.”
The group laughed with her as she followed Benny to the large wooden doors leading into the main club. Tiny was standing guard and pulled open one of the doors for them. It didn’t escape Kat’s notice he was wearing a holstered gun on his hip. She’d been told they’d increased security at the compound until she was out of danger. The huge man smiled at all three women as they were escorted past him. “Hello, Miss Katerina. Hello, ladies. Looking beautiful as always. Have a nice evening.”
Kat thanked him as she crossed over the threshold on Benny’s arm. Her jaw dropped as the sights, sounds, and smells of the club assailed her senses. She tried to look everywhere at once, but it was physically impossible, so she took in one section at a time. The second floor was basically a horseshoe which overlooked the floor below. To their left at the base of the ‘U’ was a curved, dark-wood bar with intricate carvings. A shirtless bartender was serving drinks to the members. His red bowtie and black pants were what she’d been told was the submissive male employee’s uniform. A female server was waiting for her round of drinks, dressed in a short black skirt, red bra, and bowtie.
But it was the patrons who had her agape. While some were dressed in clothing which would be suitable for any club in the city, others were practically, if not completely, naked. Chatting at the bar were two women dressed in fashionable outfits, but kneeling at their feet was a guy wearing only a thong and black collar attached to a leash. Other people were walking around in various stages of dress, and Kat was grateful for what little she was wearing. At least her tits and ass were covered.
Scanning the area, Kat loved how the grey carpet and burgundy walls gave the club a warm atmosphere. Lighting consisted of wroug
ht iron chandeliers and sconces, and there were numerous seating areas with couches, chaise-lounges, winged-back chairs, and dark wood tables. Across from the bar was a grand staircase to the floor below. Brass railings ran down the side of the steps and around the balcony. More seating, in the form of pub tables and stools, allowed members to sit and observe the activities in the pit from above.
Two men, one of whom looked eerily similar to Ian and Devon, approached the group and she guessed this was their cousin Mitch. He was a little shorter than the brothers and his blue eyes weren’t as striking, but his hair and facial features were definitely from Sawyer DNA. Dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a snug black T-shirt, he carried himself with confidence. The other man was slender and, with his salt and pepper hair and goatee, she assumed he was in his fifties. With his black leather pants and dress shirt, an image of Dracula popped into her mind. All he was missing was a cape and some fangs. The way he looked her up and down made her shiver and step closer to Benny. Studying the two men, the first word which came to mind was dominant, and Kat realized she was able to categorize the club patrons by their dress and/or manner.
Next to her, Benny put his arm around her shoulders and gestured to the two new-comers. “Kat, this is Master Mitch, co-owner and manager of the club. And this is Master Carl, who better be nice if he wants to remain standing.”
Master Carl ignored Benny’s warning as he took Kat’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “So this is the little kitten Carter was talking about. He didn’t lie when he said you were one mighty fine-looking feline. Me-ow. You’re welcome to use my scratching post anytime you want, my little pussy…cat.”
While Benny growled and plucked her hand from the other man’s grasp, Kat blushed awkwardly. The group laughed and Ian tugged on Master Carl’s arm forcing him to step back out of her personal space. “You’ll have to forgive Master Carl, Kat. We’ve been trying to house-train him for a while now. One of these days he’s going to piss in the wrong sandbox. Aside from being a sadist, he’s harmless.”
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