by Avery Gale
Colt hadn’t said anything about continuing to see her after she went back to Los Angeles either. And now that her life was going to look a lot like she’d jumped on a runaway train headed full steam ahead toward another epic derailment, who was going to want to align themselves with her? She’d already decided to clean house in her back-up singers and road crew. Anyone she hadn’t personally hired before Todd took over as manager was going to be gone. Basically, she was starting over. The four men in her band had been with her from the beginning, and she’d pay them each a large bonus if they stuck around.
“Going back alone is going to suck, but I can’t hide forever.” When she remembered her rental car had been returned, Josie dropped her forehead to the marble, letting it thump against the smooth surface it several times. “Cripes, I’m an idiot. I don’t even have a car, and I know Sage won’t let Coral drive me to the airport. I wonder if there is a taxi service nearby?” Yeah right, Fred. The sprawling metropolis of Pine Creek probably has at least two taxi companies.
When Josie hadn’t shown up in the den on time, Colt had given her a couple of extra minutes before moving down the hall to see what was holding her up. He was glad he’d waited outside the door, the conversation she’d had with herself had been both informative and heart breaking. Colt knew successful stars were often plagued by insecurities, but many of Josephine Alta’s had been created by her manager. The man had intentionally made her dependent on him, it was the only way to be sure she wouldn’t figure out how much money he was skimming? Skimming, my ass. He’s stealing her fucking blind.
Personally, Colt thought the man was also in love with a woman whose career he seemed to manage well even if he was stealing her blind. Colt had been able to hear the conversation because the wires, but he hadn’t needed the audio to know Todd Richland wanted Josie for himself. After Kyle had driven them back to Pine Creek, Brandt had interviewed Josie at lentgh. An observation she made during that conversation reaffirmed his opinion. She might have framed it as a question, but she already knew the truth. Until today, the incidents had been indirect.
Colt had been grateful his brother had said what he hadn’t wanted to voice. “Is it possible your manager is trying to scare you into his arms, Josie? I’ve read the information Phoenix gathered, and it seems he is definitely the one who stands to lose the most if you quit or cut your ties with his management company.” Colt met Brant’s gaze and nodded at the unspoken question.
“Josie, I watched your manager closely during your interaction in the diner.” Brandt paused to rub his hand roughly over the back of his neck, one of his few tells, and a move Colt knew his brother was more than a little agitated by whatever he was about to say. “Do you think your manager is in love with you? Well, more accurately, do you think it’s possible he’s obsessed with you? Because it looks like everything that’s happened may have been designed to frighten you into running right into his arms.” Her reaction surprised them both. Colt expected her to protest, and he was sure Brandt had as well.
“I hadn’t considered he might be in love with me, but I’d agree, obsessed is possible. But I assure you it’s all about control and money. And he only wants control because he wants the money. It’s the story of my life, really.” He and Brandt had both frowned at her last comment, but Colt let it go because he’d known she was exhausted. But now, standing outside the bathroom listening to her, he understood the depth of her insecurities. And he wanted to kick himself for not calling her out earlier.
He watched her thumping her head on the marble countertop when she finally remembered her lack of transportation. Kip and one of his friends had been happy to return the rental, it had given them a chance to kick up their heels a little with a “whole new menu of women” according to the two younger men. Colt hadn’t cared why they did it—he just wanted to make sure she didn’t vanish in the middle of the night again. That turns out to have been a moment of insight if I do say so myself. My little songbird’s days of flying under my radar are done.
When she stepped out of the bathroom and saw him leaning against the wall, her eyes went wide for a split second. She was definitely surprised to see him. Colt smiled but didn’t say anything for several seconds. When she started to tug on her hair he took one step toward her and she dropped her hands to her sides. “Why didn’t you tell me you couldn’t braid your hair, songbird? I believe speaking up would have saved you a lot of trouble.”
He had to give her credit, she hid all those insecurities well. To see her now, chin up in defiance, eyes blazing in challenge, you’d almost wonder if the little chat she’d just had with herself had been a ruse. But one of the things he’d learned over the past few days with Josephine Alta was she was the real deal. For a woman who literally had the world knocking at her door, she was remarkably down to earth—a little naïve maybe, but she didn’t have a dishonest bone in her body. The confidence might not be soul deep, but he’d happily spend the rest of his life helping her overcome it if she’d let him.
“I didn’t want you to be disappointed. I wanted to do it, but after the third try I was already so late…”
Fuck a duck, how long had Colt been standing outside the bathroom door? Josie watched Colt warily. There was something in his eyes she’d only gotten glimpses of before tonight. She’d seen the look in Sage’s eyes several times when Coral pushed him and she’d definitely seen the same look in Kyle’s eyes when he was trying to rein in his wildcard wife.
“Yet, here we are. And the only thing I’m disappointed in is the fact you didn’t tell me something that would have made life easier for both of us.” He paused and reached for a strand of hair she’d missed entirely in the hideous braid she’d finally given up on. Wrapping the still damp strand around his finger, he pulled her close as he bent down so close he knew the warmth of his words would brush over the shell of her ear. “Songbird, you’re in a lot of trouble. Late is the least of your worries right now. Turn around and stand very still.” He let go of the stray strand and stepped back.
Josie turned and was surprised when he stepped into the bathroom. She knew he hadn’t been gone long, but it seemed like forever when she couldn’t see what he was doing. Jumping when he pulled the battered braid back over her shoulder, he put his hand on her shoulder. “Easy. I’m going to fix your hair and then we’ll go back out and join the others.” A shiver ran up her spine as her imagination started spinning all sorts of tales about what he might have planned.
He finger combed the misshapen braid before recombing her hair. She’d always loved having someone mess with her hair and she closed her eyes, humming in appreciation. His soft chuckle made her open her eyes and she realized he’d been able to see her in the mirror across the room. “Like that, do you?”
“Yes. I love to have someone brush or comb my hair. It always calms me.” Biting her lip to keep from revealing any more, she met his gaze in the mirror. He watched her for several seconds before the corners of his lips tipped up.
“Your emotions play out in living color in your eyes, songbird. You’re an open book, it’s part of the reason you’re so successful. The music is beautiful and the lyrics touch your fans’ hearts, but your sincerity is what captivates them. Don’t ever let anything change who you are. Someday you’ll see the woman I see.” She wasn’t convinced, but didn’t think it would be prudent to say so. If he’d been standing outside the door and heard her plans to leave, he was probably pissed enough already.
Colt had never seen a woman have such an emotional reaction to him braiding her hair. He often braided subs’ hair simply because it was too dangerous to leave it loose. Most of the equipment in kink clubs had far too many places long hair could become tangled. He’d even seen a Dom rip out a handful of hair one night with a single-tail whip. The man had been beside himself as his sub sobbed uncontrolably on the St. Andrew’s cross where she was tethered.
He and Nate had helped the young Dom release her, because the man’s hands had been shaking so badly he hadn
’t been able to loosen the straps. The last he’d heard they’d finally returned to the club, but her hair had been tightly braided and pinned up.
Nate had shaken his head and laughed saying he hadn’t been surprised when her headache forced them to leave the club early. “Fuck, I’d have had a headache too if my hair was braided that tight. She actually stuck it out longer than I expected her too. They’ll be great mentors someday because they’re making a lot of mistakes.”
As Nate’s words echoed through his mind, he was brought up short by the realization it wasn’t the mistakes Josie was making that would be important. But the way he responded would make or break their future. Colt wasn’t a fool and he didn’t believe in coincidences. If fate chose this moment to remind him of Nate’s words, then there was a damned good reason.
Stepping into the den, Colt smiled when he saw everyone already in place. “Sorry to keep you waiting, but my sub needed help with her hair—something she failed to mention earlier.” The other men nodded their acknowledgment. Tobi and Jen were both dressed in men’s dress shirts similar to the one Josie wore. And Colt would bet that was all they were wearing as well. Seeing her in his shirt, knowing there wouldn’t be anything between her bare ass and his hand in a few minutes sent a surge of blood to his cock making his jeans feel uncomfortably tight.
He was surprised when Josie tugged on his hand to get his attention. “I don’t know some of these people. I’ve not been introduced to everyone.”
“What is it about not knowing everyone that bothers you?” The way she answered would determine the way he would handle the situation. If she was simply nervous about being naked in front of other like minded players, she was going to have to cope or safe word out. But if her reluctance was related to having her kinks splashed across the front page of some tabloid because of her celebrity status, that was an entirely different concern.
“I’ve always been very careful to keep my private life private. The temptation to sell out celebrities is pretty strong when there are publications willing to pay six figures for even small bits of information.” Her voice had grown stronger as she’d spoken—it was fascintating to watch Josie morph into the woman the world knew as Josephine Alta. Looking down, he smiled at her, grateful she’d trusted him enough to be honest.
“She’s got a point. Hell, she hadn’t even seen my ugly brother until she walked in, and I’m just some guy from the diner who winked at her.” Colt was surprised when Sam McCall was the first to speak up. He stood and stepped in front of Josie, but didn’t speak to her directly, directling his question to Colt instead. “Permission to speak to her?” Even though they weren’t in a club setting, some rules were universally recognized and Colt appreciated Sam’s acknowledgment of him as Josie’s Dom.
When he nodded, Sam extended his hand. Colt almost laughed as he saw Sam’s massive mitt swallow Josie’s much smaller hand. “I’m Sam McCall, Josie, and the man who can’t keep his hands off our lovely wife is my brother, Sage. He was close to getting the information we needed from your back-up singer until a certain hellion burst through the door and blew his cover.”
Even from across the room, Colt could see Jen McCall’s face turn scarlet. “Nice to meet you. What do you do when you aren’t watching over pop singers in small mountain diners?” Colt heard chuckles from the men around the room and knew their respect for her had just notched up. The shift in her body language was amazing to watch, her spine was straighter, she met Sam’s gaze directly, and she’d just politely told him she wanted to know why he’d been there.
Sam smiled over at him. “Smart, too. I’m impressed.” He returned his attention to Josie, “Sage and I are former Navy SEALs which means we’ve know most of the men in this room for longer than we’ll admit willingly. Sage, Jen, and I all work for the Wests. Specifically, I was in that diner to provide back-up for two very beautiful and spirited women who also tend to underestimate their opponants and over estimate their abilities to deal with situations.”
“And just in case Sam wasn’t clear, Josie, he was talking about Tobi and Jen. The two of them have tested our team more than any exercise my brother and I have ever dreamed up. And I’m damned devious when it comes to training, I assure you.” Kyle’s response caused the men in the room to laugh out loud. Colt had the feeling Kyle’s words were a momumental understatement when he saw Jen roll her eyes—a move that wasn’t lost on Sam, who glared in her direction.
Nate and Taz introduced themselves and explained they’d also been SEALs. Before they’d finished, Colt noticed a tear slide down Josie’s cheek. “Songbird?”
“I’m sorry, it’s just that I’m overwhelmed so many people stepped up to help me. I mean, some of you don’t even know me and the others don’t know me well.”
Colt watched Tobi pull on Kent’s pantleg from where she’d been kneeling quietly on a large pillow. He smiled. “That didn’t take long.” Kent slid his hand under Tobi’s long blonde braid and cradled her nape, turning her to fully face him. “Yes, you can speak, but I’m warning you right now to be very careful. Neither my brother nor I are willing to be pushed any further tonight, sweetness.”
Her eyes flashed something close to a challenge, but in the end, she whispered, “Yes, Sir.” Kent released his hold. She turned to Josie looking for all the world like she understood exactly what she was feeling. “Josie, you remind me very much of the way I was when I first met Kent and Kyle. My homelife might have been worse, but your career has inflicted a lot of the same damage. I remember being completely blown away to find out there were people who’d never met me who were willing to put everything, including their own lives, on the line to protect me. I was baffled by it, actually. I assumed they must have an angle because I’d never met anyone with that sort of integrity.”
Tobi gave Josie a sad smile before she continued, “My Masters worked hard to prove to me integrity does exist and suprisingly it’s more common than you might think. But strange as it seems, it was my mother-in-law who drove the point home. You see, she’s the one who told me about the link between integrity and the ability to love unconditionally because the two go hand in hand. Only people with integrity can love unconditionally because their hearts are in the right place. And only a person who loves without any thought of what they can gain will act with integrity when there is a temptation to sidestep doing what’s right.”
By the time Tobi finished speaking, you could have heard a pin drop in the room. Josie and Jen had tears running down their cheeks, and every Dom in the room was looking at her with a mixture of surprise and admiration. Colt was speechless, Tobi had shown him exactly what it was going to take to show Josie she was worthy of everything she wanted in life. She’d become so accustomed to being surrounded by parasitic people, she’d forgotten what it was like to have a family. Damn, he wanted to pull the petite bundle of trouble to her feet and hug her senseless for opening his eyes.
Nate finally broke the silence when he started to chuckle. “Damn, spitfire, you just slayed every single person in the room. I don’t think I’ve heard anything that poignant in a long time.” Colt had asked Nate to supervise the evening’s play, as the Resident Dom of his own club, he was uniquely qualified. Kent and Kyle also owned their own club, but they’d planned to play with Tobi. Nate had teased them saying next time he was bringing a sub with him if they were going to put him to work.
Nate looked around the room and shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think you gentlemen should reconsider what you had planned. In light of everything that’s happened and Tobi’s insightful comments, I think it might be a good idea to revisit and revise.” Colt couldn’t have agreed more, the last thing he wanted to do was punish Josie for putting herself in danger and then wanting to run. Hell, it was a hundred and eighty degrees out in his opinion.
Colt knew there were subs who craved the discipline, it assured them their Dom cared. He was sure someday they’d get to a place in their D/s relationship where she’d enjo
y a well staged funishment scene, but they weren’t there yet. Turning her so her back was to the others, Colt slid his hands slowly down her arms as he spoke. “This doesn’t mean I’m not going to play with you, songbird. Or that we aren’t going to have a very real come to Jesus meeting about your plan to skip out on me again.”
Her surprised gasp made him smile. “Oh yeah, I heard it all, my love. Tobi very literally saved your lovely ass tonight, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to enjoy showing you off.” He moved his hands back up slowly, watching the pulse pound frantically at the base of her throat. Her nipples were tight buds pressing against the white cotton letting him know they were waiting impatiently for his touch, and he obliged giving them a quick pinch, just enough to make them tighten further. Patience little pink rosebuds, I’ll get to you soon enough.
In a move so quick, he was sure she hadn’t even seen him move, Colt pulled the front of the shirt apart sending buttons pinging across the hardwood floor. Her soft gray eyes smoldered with shock-laced desire, but she didn’t move. “Good girl, you didn’t move. God damn, you are so fucking perfect.” Skimming his hands over her breasts, he cupped them, and watched as they swelled with desire as he pinched the tight buds of her nipples. Everything about her turned him on and feeling the weight of her breasts in his hands sent enough blood into his cock to make his head spin.
“Changing a scene at the last minute isn’t something that happens often, and I’m not sure any of us have ever known Master Nate to make a change like this.” There were murmers of agreement from around the room before he spoke again. “But just because the plans have changed, that doesn’t mean I’m not going to play with you.” While he’d been speaking, he’d pulled the front of the shirt further apart and rolled the tail up in the back, baring her spectacular ass to everyone’s view. He tied the two tails together at her waist and separated the front so her breasts were framed by the white fabric. Fucking perfect.