by Avery Gale
“Josie? You haven’t answered my question.”
“Damn, this is embarrassing.”
He didn’t give her a chance to continue—stepping forward to sandwich her between himself and Kip. “Embarrassment has no place in our lifestyle, songbird. And I realize we are just beginning, but I assure you nothing you can say will shock either of us.”
“One of the aspects of the lifestyle most people find most appealing is the lack of judgement. As long as things follow the three main tenets of BDSM play—safe, sane, and consensual—everything is on the table.” Again, Kip had known exactly what to say, and he saw some of the tension leave Josie’s shoulders.
He was relieved when she nodded. “Earlier, Tobi said something about not really having any motivation to stop cursing because she enjoyed the spankings so much…and, well, I just don’t understand what she means.”
“You don’t understand what, songbird? Why he’d spank her? Why she’d enjoy it? Or the fact her words struck some cord deep inside you, but you don’t know why?” Colt was fairly certain he knew the answer, but he wanted to see if Josie was brave enough to be honest with herself and with him.
He watched as she seemed to find the courage to answer, and wished he’d moved her inside the playroom before pushing her for an answer, but it was too late now. She finally took a deep breath before answering. “I didn’t understand why I wasn’t appalled. Shouldn’t I be mortified by the idea of being spanked? But that wasn’t what happened, and my reaction doesn’t make any sense to me…no sense at all.”
Colt looked over her shoulder at Kip, who was grinning like a damned fool. This was Kip’s favorite part. The man loved introducing subs to the lifestyle, while Colt had always played with women who were already trained. Before now he’d never been particularly interested in training a submissive, but he found himself looking forward to introducing Josie to all of his favorite ways to bring a woman pleasure. They needed to have a long discussion about both hard and soft limits, but that would have to wait. Right now, whether or not she knew it, she’d just told him exactly what she needed. And who am I to deny my lovely songbird what she needs?
Josie wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole. Damn she couldn’t believe what she’d just admitted to Colt and his brother. They probably thought she was fucking nuts. Hell, she thought she was fucking nuts. Why did she just blurt that out? She knew better than to put herself on Front Street as her younger fans would say. Shit, shit, shit. Where’s a good sinkhole when you need one?
There seemed to be some sort of silent communication taking place between Colt and Kip, she didn’t even want to consider what that might be about. Her face flamed red hot, and she silently cursed her pale complexion. It was time to retreat. As an entertainer, Josie considered herself moderately adept at reading her audience and the continued silence surrounding them didn’t bode well for her…it was time to get the hell out of Dodge. Taking a small step back from Kip, Josie’s back pressed against Colt’s chest, the heat of his body stoked the fire already building in her core and made her almost dizzy with desire. He wrapped one muscular arm around her, his fingers gripping her waist and used the other hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. “Going somewhere, songbird?”
Taking a deep breath, Josie nodded. “I think I’ve embarrassed myself enough for one day.” Just thinking about what she’d revealed made her cringe again.
She’d kept her eyes focused on the floor, but Kip used his fingers to lift her chin until she met his gaze. For the first time since she’d met him, Kip Morgan wasn’t smiling, and it startled her to realize how different he looked. “Darlin’ you are pushing buttons you don’t want to push. It’s no secret my brothers are more into the lifestyle than I am—hell, a couple of them are downright anal about all the rules. Even as easygoing as I am, I’m not going to stand by and let you beat yourself up. Don’t ever feel bad for being honest. Hell, you did exactly what Colt asked you to do.”
When Colt turned her to face him, Josie’s eyes were glassy with unshed tears. He was shocked at the realization a woman who was such a presence on a stage could feel so unsure about her own sexuality. “I can’t tell you how pleased I am you answered so honestly. Being brave is hard, but it’s essential. Some Dom’s don’t allow you to ask questions once you’re inside their playroom, but I will welcome your questions as long as you ask in a respectful manner. Remember your greatest assets in the playroom are honesty and an open mind. Those two things will bring you more pleasure than you’ve ever dreamed existed.”
Colt waited quietly for a few beats, letting his words to settle in her mind. It wasn’t complicated information, but he knew the shift in mindset wasn’t easy for a lot of women. And it seemed the more successful the woman, the more difficult it was for them to see the advantage to letting go. “Now, once we cross the threshold, chit chat stops. You’re expected to answer direct questions quickly and honestly. If you have a question—ask. This won’t work if you aren’t comfortable. But I’ll remind you to think carefully before you just blurt out a question, it’s entirely possible I won’t answer because anticipation is a large part of what makes playing so much fun.”
Josie took a deep breath and nodded. “I’ll do my best. I read a little bit about the lifestyle after reconnecting with Coral and the night we spent together.” Her cheeks turned a sweet shade of pink and Colt was struck by how young she looked at that moment. Josephine Alta was so successful it was hard to remember she was only twenty-five. Their conversations the past few days shed a lot of light on what her life was like, and it saddened him to realize how isolated she felt most of the time. He couldn’t imagine not being able to walk down the street without being chased by photographers and mobbed by fans.
“Kip is here to help me gauge and monitor your reactions. Since this is your first time in the playroom, I don’t want to risk missing anything, and sometimes a new sub’s physical responses are fleeting.” When he didn’t see any reaction the news Kip would be joining them, Colt let the corners of his mouth curl up and hoped she saw the challenge in his eyes. “I also think Josephine Alta is a bit of an exhibitionist, and I’m looking forward to finding out if Josie will enjoy it as much as I think she will.”
It felt so odd speaking of Josephine and Josie as if they are different people—but in many ways the two had vastly divergent personalities. His hope was to help her merge those personas as much as possible. He’d seen rodeo stars struggle to maintain a public image far different from who they really were and it never ended well. Alcohol and drug abuse were the Band Aids of choice inevitably leading to what was often a very public fall from grace.
Moving into the playroom, Colt stepped away from Josie and felt Kip step up beside him. His brother would play his role perfectly. And if Colt played his as well, he’d be able to lay a solid foundation and begin building the bond that would insure Josie wouldn’t ever leave him. He wanted her to experience a level of intimacy she’d never known in any of her previous sexual encounters. For Colt, the real appeal of kink was the depth of the connection between a Dom and his submissive—and he wasn’t talking about the scenes he’d shared with casual play partners at the club. He wanted what Sage and Brandt had found—and he wanted it with Josie.
Kip watched the expression on Colt’s face and wanted to laugh out loud. Jesus, Joseph, and sweet Mother Mary, the man is a goner. His brothers were falling like flies, and it was starting to give Kip the creeps—like waiting for the next shot to be fired. But then he gave himself a mental slap, love can’t sneak up on you if you keep your head out of your ass and pay attention. Besides, Phoenix is next up, and he’s so fixated on some gamer he rarely leaves his office—not much chance of him meeting the woman of his dreams hiding out in his hovel.
Kip watched Josie’s eyes widen in surprise as she stepped into their playroom. Other Doms might get off on modeling their private play space after a Middle Ages torture chamber, but when the five of them sat down to design this space, they’
d all agreed that wasn’t the look they wanted.
The entire design process had been surprisingly easy considering how different they were. It wasn’t just their differences as sexual Dominants, but they all also had different interests professionally. Hell, even their tastes in women covered the entire spectrum, but the one thing they’d always agreed on—play with sparkle and shine, but marry smart and classy because substance lasted far longer than appearance. Applying that principle to the design of the playroom meant the space looked more like the inside of a high end spa than a BDSM play space.
Soft, indirect lighting and music they could control by speaking were just the tip of the high-tech amenities iceberg. Instead of black leather coverings on the benches and tables, soft, warm shades of brown made equipment look deceptively inviting. During the warmer months, they could open the French doors and move the equipment onto the cobblestone patio. An eight-foot rock wall surrounded the outdoor space ensuring their privacy. The gate was solid wood and could only be opened by tapping in an alpha-numeric code. That damned code was so long Kip had wondered if he would ever memorize it.
“Holy crap on a cracker. This place isn’t at all what I was expecting. I’ve been in spas in five-star hotels that don’t hold a candle to this place…well, except I didn’t notice any straps on the tables or St. Andrew’s crosses on the wall in any of them. This looks more like a kinky Caribbean resort than a private playroom.”
Kip saw awareness of her mistake flit across her face a split second before Colt’s palm slapped hard enough against her ass to rock her up on her toes. She gasped in surprise and Kip was impressed with how quickly she managed to regain her composure and jump out of Colt’s reach. Damn, the little subbie has quick reflexes even if she did just pour gas on the fire.
“Hold up, hotshot. What was that for? All I did was compliment you on the room. You can’t expect me to step into a room like this and not make any observations. That’s just fucking unreasonable.” Oh damn, sweetness you are getting your ass in a real bind, and we haven’t even started yet. He’d bet his last nickel she was going to—and there it was, the hands on the hips gesture that was as good as waving a red flag in front of a bull when it came to Colt Morgan.
Nobody knew what had started it, but his brother had paddled subs just for that defiant stance alone. Colt swore it was the attitude it exuded, but Kip hadn’t ever been convinced. In Kip’s opinion, any and all issues with Colt led back to Colleen Dent. His brother’s high school girlfriend had been a piece of work.
The pretty brunette had grown up a pampered princess but had changed dramatically once she’d started drinking her junior year. By the time she and Colt graduated, Kip knew his brother had been doing the lion’s share of the young woman’s homework.
Their relationship lasted until she went on the road with him that first summer. When she found out the reality of traveling with an up and coming bull rider wasn’t as glamourous as she’d imagined—she’d bailed.
As Kip recalled, she’d called her banker daddy begging him to send her an airline ticket home. Arthur Dent was nobody’s fool; he’d known exactly how much Colt Morgan had been doing for his alcoholic daughter. He’d sent her a ticket alright, but it hadn’t been to come home.
Arthur called Colt to let him know his daughter had been met at the gate in Denver by representatives from an intervention facility. Colleen spent the next six months in rehab. One of the other patients slipped LSD into her drink the night before she was supposed to return home and she’d jumped off the roof of an eight-story building. Colt hadn’t had another exclusive relationship since. Hell, he hadn’t had one then—he just hadn’t known it at the time.
Chapter Eleven
Josie wasn’t sure what surprised her the most…the fact Colt had swatted her or the way her entire body was reacting to the heat spreading over her ass cheek. Fire flashed over her skin despite the fact she was still wearing her well-worn jeans. A white hot bolt of desire arced out from where his hand had connected, reaching out to singe every cell in her body. She’d gasped from surprise, not because he’d hurt her. Almost as quickly as her body reacted, her brain kicked in, and she was swamped by embarrassment and foolishly lashed out rather than admitting the truth.
As soon as the words left her lips, Josie realized her error. From the grin on Kip’s face, she guessed she’d just handed Colt everything he’d needed to show her exactly what Tobi had meant about spankings. But, Colt surprised her by stepping back. She’d expected him to land a couple more swats, so she was unnerved when he moved back and crossed his arms over this chest.
He watched her for several long seconds without speaking. She’d never seen the stern expression on his face, but she recognized it. She’d seen that same look on Sage’s face and from what she could tell, it was pretty much the way Kyle West looked all the time. The way he was studying her and the way he seemed to be assessing everything about her was making her really nervous, but as it turned out…her unease was about to be ramped up several notches.
“Strip, songbird.” Two words…with just two words he tilted her entire world off its axis. She was frozen in place. Even if she’d wanted to comply, she couldn’t get her arms or legs to cooperate. If? You know you want to play. You’re just scared he’ll be disappointed. And thinking about Kip witnessing her humiliation made her almost sick to her stomach…it was like the worst case of stage fright ever.
Lost in her thoughts, Josie wasn’t aware of how long she’d remained perfectly still except for eyes blinking as her mind spun in circles. “Is there some reason you are still dressed, songbird? Because if you don’t start moving quickly, I’m going to strip you and I assure you I won’t be nearly as careful with your clothing as you’d be.”
“But…”
“No buts, Josie. Strip now or use your safe word. If you’re afraid of this, say so. Otherwise, strip and submit because it’s the only way you’re going to know what Coral, Tobi, and Joelle have been taking about.” He knew he was taking a huge risk by giving her an out, but he recognized the look he’d seen in her eyes anytime one of the others made a reference to some form of BDSM play. Nobody took stages around the world, laying down everything they had night after night without being damned brave or completely stupid—and Josephine Alta was anything but dim.
After glancing at Kip, Josie’s eyes flickered with something too close to fear for his comfort. And for several long seconds, Colt wondered if perhaps he’d overestimated her interest in being watched. His brother leaned against a bamboo wardrobe, arms crossed over his chest, and one booted foot crossed over the other, looking like he had all the time in the world.
“You aren’t gonna disappoint Colt if you tap out if that’s what you’re worryin’ about. Personally, I think you’ll regret not taking a chance.” Kip shrugged nonchalantly. “But then maybe that’s just me. I always regret missed opportunities. Do I screw up sometimes? Sure. But with four older brothers, I learned early on playing with the big kids meant I had to learn to run to the roar.” She’s worried about disappointing me? Seriously? What the fuck? As if that would be even remotely possible.
When she looked puzzled, Colt stepped forward and using his fingers under her chin, turned her face back to him, lifting it until her gaze met his. “It’s an old saying based on African lions. The oldest lion isn’t a threat to most of the other animals on the savannah, his only skill is to sound frightening. The younger lions—the strong hunters, lie in wait on the opposite side as the old lion roars. The prey between them would be able to escape if they’d run to the roar. But they don’t, because they are frightened by the fearsome roar. Even though they don’t know what they’re running from, they flee in the opposite direction and run right into the danger they were trying to avoid.”
Kip laughed. “Josie, that was a really long way around the story, but I’m sure you’ve gotten the idea. Sometimes running away from something that appears frightening sends you straight into something far worse. In this case, proba
bly a lifetime of regret—and as you know, that what if game sucks.”
True to form, Kip seemed to have tapped directly into Josie’s thoughts because he saw her muscles relax just before she nodded. She took a deep breath then toed off her sneakers. He nodded to the small table near the door and in a few seconds all of her clothes were folded neatly and set aside.
Colt wasn’t sure what all her workout routine encompassed, but she obviously spent some serious time in the gym—the woman was in phenomenal physical condition. They’d managed to get a little bit of color back in her cheeks while she’d been at the ranch, but so far she hadn’t put on the pounds he knew she lost during the final weeks of her tour.
Whoever was charged with feeding the star or the show was doing a damned poor job of it. For just a heartbeat, the list of things he’d feed her ran through his mind, and he made a concentrated effort to push back the distraction. She deserved his complete attention, they were on a tight timeline so it was time to get started.
Taking her hand, Colt led her to the other side of the room. Sitting down on a straight back chair, he gestured to his lap. “Lay over my knees, songbird. Let’s get your punishment out of the way first. Then I’ll show you the difference between a punishment spanking and an erotic spanking.”
“From what I remember, spankings hurt so I can’t imagine…” Colt saw Kip roll his eyes and almost laughed out loud. Cutting her off, he wrapped his hand around her wrist and gave her a quick yank. Josie was draped over his lap with her ass perfectly peaked in no time. “Hey, what the fuck…I wasn’t ready.”
Colt slid his fingers into her soft folds and smiled when he found her already slick with moisture. “I disagree, songbird. You seem very ready to me.” Pushing a finger deep inside, he fought back the desire to carry her the short distance to the spanking bench where he could paddle and fuck her at the same time.