Seduced by the Game

by editor Lisa Hollett

  When he’d returned weeks later, he’d expected to have another night of servitude, but the Domme had hooked up with another submissive man. Tim ended up sitting at the bar nursing a beer and talking about the game with the chatty bartender. A sweet, young submissive woman with platinum blond hair had joined them and something in his head had just…clicked. He’d turned to her, and the way she’d lowered her eyes…

  Topping her for the night under the supervision of one of the experienced Dommes had brought out a confidence in him that he’d never known he possessed. The Domme had explained to him, once all was said and done, that he was definitely a switch.

  At the club, he could usually tell whether the night would lead to him playing a Top, or a bottom, to the right woman. But beyond that, he could never be sure. He’d dated vanilla women and easily read the kind of man they needed him to be. More often than not, they expected a gentleman in public and a beast in the bedroom.

  He could give them that for a while, but then his inner balance would shift the other way and he’d crave a powerful woman who could return to him all he gave. Direction, pleasure, control.

  Work and life had kept him from the clubs. Madeline had made him forget how much he needed to maintain that balance. This was less about being a gentleman now than it was a way to prevent disappointing her and ruining a good thing.

  Because they had something good. Something worth taking their time with. Maybe if he found a club and a powerful Domme, spent a few hours on his knees, he’d get rid of those urges. But he couldn’t do it yet.

  “Tonight has been incredible, Madeline.” He kissed her forehead, then took her hand to walk with her away from the waves gently lapping the sand in the darkness. “Will you hate me if I say I can’t stay?”

  She frowned, studying his face before shaking her head. “I won’t hate you, but I don’t understand.”

  “I’m sorry.” And he really was, but if he caved, he’d ruin everything. She needed a strong, alpha male. He’d do whatever it took to become one for her. “Does it help if I promise to make it worth the wait?”

  She laughed, spinning as she wrapped her arms around his neck when they reached the sidewalk. Pressed her lips to his with a contented little hum. “Yes. Bring me to my hotel. I’ll spend the night dreaming of how you’ll fulfill that promise.”

  He chuckled and they continued to a taxi stand so he could ride with her to her hotel before returning to his own. He kissed her again before saying the words that had been on his mind since they’d left the beach. “You’ll dream of me?”

  With a wink and a sly smile, she patted his cheek. “It wouldn’t be ladylike to say what I’ll really be doing, all alone in my bed tonight. Sleep well, Tim.”

  Long after she’d disappeared beyond the rotating doors, Tim let the cabbie run the meter and sat there, wishing he could get out of the damn car and go find her. She was incredible. Amazing. Dean would call him an idiot for letting her walk away.

  And he’d be right.

  But all that mattered was she’d be back. And next time the opportunity came, Tim would be ready.

  Chapter Three

  Sipping at her coffee, Madeline gazed out the window at the snow-covered walkway and the peaceful street beyond. Overnight a blizzard had blanketed everything in white, and she wasn’t looking forward to shoveling out her car, but she had to admit, the pristine stillness outside was beautiful.

  Over the past week, Madeline had managed to unpack all her boxes and make her new house feel like home. She’d had only three flights, which had given her plenty of time to spend with Tim. His schedule was a little more hectic, but he’d taken her out to dinner twice and come over once for lunch. Seeing him here had given her ridiculous ideas of the future, but the way he’d kissed her, telling her yet again to wait, had shifted those ideas to an urge to strangle him.

  Being a gentleman was one thing, but she was starting to wonder if he wanted her at all.

  When he touches me, when he kisses me, there’s no question that he wants me.

  Still, there was something…something holding him back. She’d been perfectly fine not looking deeper into the shallow relationships she’d had with men in the past, but she wanted so much more with Tim. He made her laugh, he was smart and caring, tender when he held her, looking at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

  Being with a man like him, a man who she could already see having a permanent place in her life, was worth the effort. She wouldn’t be stupid about this. Until she figured out what was going on with him, she’d be cautious with her heart, but she wasn’t ready to give up just yet.

  Draining her coffee, she stood and went to the kitchen to deal with the breakfast dishes. There was no game scheduled tonight. She’d be leaving Sunday for a longer flight, and he was going on a road trip with his team. She wanted to see him tonight.

  So she’d damn well call and tell him so. She dried her hands and picked up her phone.

  He answered on the first ring. “Good morning, sweetheart.”

  An involuntary smile came to her lips at the warm tone of his voice. She rested her hip against the kitchen counter. “Good morning.” The sounds of the ice came through the phone, telling her he was at practice. He didn’t usually bring his phone out to the rink. He must have been expecting her call. “I didn’t know you’d be working today. I can call back.”

  “That’s not necessary. I wasn’t sure if you’d be sleeping in, so I wasn’t going to call for another hour, but I wanted to talk to you so we could make plans for tomorrow night after the game.”

  Tomorrow night? She frowned and pushed away from the counter. “You’re busy tonight?”

  He went quiet. Spoke quietly. “Yes. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be.”

  “But I am. And…there’s something we need to discuss which might change everything. I’ll know by tomorrow. Just know I will be completely honest with you.” The sounds of the ice became muffled, as though he’d covered the phone. Then he let out a heavy sigh. “I’d take you out for lunch today, but it doesn’t look like I’ll get out of here any time soon.”

  “I could always bring you lunch. There’s leftover pulled pork from the other day.” Damn it, did she sound desperate? Pathetic? But no, she couldn’t start thinking like that. There was nothing wrong with going out of her way to see a man she was interested in. She wasn’t a little girl who needed a man to chase her to show his interest.

  He made a low sound of appreciation in his throat that quickened her pulse and reminded her exactly why she wasn’t ready to give up on him. “You spoil me, woman. There’s no way I could turn down an offer like that. Having you and your delicious food for lunch would be perfect.”

  She laughed. “If I didn’t know better, I’d wonder exactly where you intended to ‘have me,’ Tim.”

  “Not here, Madeline. As much as it tempts me to have you come down now so I could ravish you right here on the bench—stop grinning like that, White! Go practice on the face-off!” Tim snorted and she could hear White in the background shouting “Hi, Madeline!” Clearing his throat, Tim continued. “I want more for you. I’ll be able to give it to you tomorrow, if you can wait that long.”

  Again with tomorrow. She shook her head. “I don’t understand. Tim, you don’t need to plan anything extraordinary. Let what happens, happen.”

  “I know what will happen if… Look, I have to go. But I’m looking forward to seeing you at lunch.”

  There wasn’t much more she could say besides “Goodbye.” She hung up and put the phone on the charger, standing in the kitchen for a time simply giving the irritation within time to fade. She went about her morning without letting herself dwell on the conversation, watching a few of the shows she’d recorded during the week and then calling her mother to catch up on family drama. Her second youngest brother had gotten fired. Again.

  News of her brother moving back in with her parents did nothing to improve her mood. Mother would do everythi
ng for the boy and he’d laze about, taking advantage of her mother’s guilt in having been away at work most of his life. Which was unfair and had Madeline wanting to go back home just to smack some sense into the ungrateful child.

  By the time she’d finished shoveling out her car and was ready to head out to the Forum, she had half a mind to call Tim to cancel. She had to force herself to pull out onto the street and drive into Dartmouth. The streets were slick and most people seemed to have forgotten how to drive.

  There was no available parking near the Forum. She parked two blocks away and trudged through the snow, her arms full of Tupperware with enough food in them to feed the whole team. She reached the Forum and struggled to open the door. For some reason, the automatic doors weren’t working. The handle slipped from her numb fingers.

  A man in a suit stepped up to hold the door open for her. She smiled up at him, then swallowed when she realized it was Tim’s brother, Dean.

  “I didn’t realize we were having lunch catered.” Dean chuckled as he took the two largest containers. “It’s pretty nasty out. You did all this just for Tim?”

  The question made her feel like maybe she’d gone a little too far. Of course, as she’d been putting together lunch, she’d thought about White and wondered if anyone would make sure he had a good meal. Before she knew it, she’d prepared way too much food. And wasn’t about to let it go to waste.

  “I enjoy cooking. And I had extra—”

  “You were thinking about the boy again.”

  Am I that transparent? She grinned. “Yes. I’m used to feeding big boys and ended up overdoing it.”

  “I’m positive you won’t hear any complaints in the locker room.” He nodded toward the elevators and continued speaking as they descended. “But I can see why Tim speaks so fondly of you. Those boys mean a lot to him. I was afraid that would be an issue when I hired him, but he’s an amazing coach.”

  “And an assistant coach can be a bit more of a friend to the players than the head coach.” Not that she knew for certain, but it seemed likely. Tim spent more time with the players than the Cobras head coach, Paul Stanton. Whom she’d admitted to Tim she didn’t like at all. Paul was aloof with the players, and she’d seen him shouting at White on the bench during the last game. Granted, coaches did yell at the players—Tim hadn’t looked too pleased with White after the penalty he’d drawn—but it wasn’t the same.

  Dean watched her, his expression unreadable as they stepped off the elevator. “Have you only started watching hockey recently?”

  “I’ve become more interested in it, but I’ve watched it before. Why?”

  “No reason.” Dean led the way down the hall, stopping in front of the locker room. “Tim’s whole life is the game. Not many women can put up with that. You might want to make sure you can before you get in any deeper.”

  “It won’t be a problem.”

  “Good. You’ll both have enough challenges in your relationship without your careers coming between you.” He moved to pull the door open. She reached out to stop him. His lips thinned. “I could be wrong about you. You’re pushy for a sub.”

  She blinked at him. Took a step back. “How did you know?”

  “I didn’t. I guessed. You have a way about you that reminds me of the women I play with at the club.” He gave her a slow smile as his gaze traveled over her body. “The way you go still when I use the right tone… I believe you’d kneel quite gracefully if I asked you to.”

  At one point, she’d have done so without a second thought. But not anymore. She hiked her chin up and sniffed. “You are well aware that I’m seeing your brother. Speaking like this to me is inappropriate.”

  “Is it?” He moved closer and his tone turned rough. “I could give you what you need and then we could both carry on with our lives with no harm done. Tim will do everything in his power to give it to you. And he’ll fail.”

  “I don’t understand. Do you have a problem with me, Dean? I’ve treated your brother well. We’ve only been dating for a week and—”

  “And he’s already trying to change for you. I don’t have a problem with you, Madeline.” He gave her a stiff smile. “Yet. I’ll wait and see how you handle this situation. As of right now, I believe the best thing for you both is to end things before he goes too far.”

  “He goes to the club too, doesn’t he?” She took a deep breath at Dean’s sharp nod. “And he’s not a Dom.”

  “He’s a switch.”

  Madeline wrinkled her nose. “Oh.”

  With a bitter laugh, Dean inclined his head. “Yes. Oh. Exactly the reaction I expected.”

  That was quite enough. Since the man didn’t affect her as a Dom anymore, she had absolutely no issues with putting him in his place. She smiled sweetly up at him. “Duly noted. I must say, I wasn’t aware you were so opinionated about your brother’s life. It’s admirable. Really.”

  “Careful, pet.”

  “I would advise the same to you, Sir. One might get the mistaken impression that you’re a self-important alphahole rather than a respected Dom.” Her mother wouldn’t be pleased with her language, but Madeline’s smile held as she pictured her father cheering her on. “I respect your concern for your brother, but you’ve overstepped.”

  “You think so?” Dean stroked his smooth jaw with his finger and thumb, then nodded slowly. “We shall see if you still believe that tonight. Come to the club, Madeline. I can almost guarantee you’ll reconsider.”

  She agreed, careful to hide how much it bothered her that Tim had put off seeing her so he could go to a BDSM club and…and what, exactly? Play with a Domme? She remained in the hall for a few minutes after Dean went into the locker room with the large containers he’d taken from her, and tried to see Tim groveling to a statuesque woman who’d exude more power than Madeline could ever imagine possessing. Bound, crying out in ecstasy as a sleek goddess in leather toyed with him, using all the erotic tools Madeline enjoyed having used on her.

  What if Dean was right? What if the needs they’d explored before they’d even known one another were the very thing that kept their relationship from going any further? She didn’t want Tim to change for her. She didn’t want him to change at all.

  But she didn’t know him that well, did she? She refused to lie to herself and pretend the idea of his submitting to anyone didn’t bother her.

  And that was what Dean was counting on. She schooled her features as the door opened to reveal Tim’s smiling face. “Hello, beautiful. You coming in? I couldn’t keep the savages away from the food.”

  She smiled back, took his hand, and followed him into the locker room, laughing when she spotted White tearing into a sandwich packed with pulled pork, his eyes closed in pure bliss. There wasn’t much talk going on because most of the men were chowing down around him.

  The players moved as she approached the table, quickly finishing their mouthfuls and thanking her before digging into the last two containers full of macaroni and potato salads. She inclined her head in acknowledgement and took out two soft buns to make herself and Tim some sandwiches before there was nothing left to make them with. Across the room, Dean watched her over a coffee mug, something in his gaze wary.

  Tim’s brother seemed like a bit of a jerk, but she had a feeling he was simply looking out for Tim. Which she could understand to a point. She chatted with Tim about her last flight, about the game, never giving him a hint of where her mind was at. Until she figured things out for herself, she’d simply enjoy being near Tim. For now, that had to be enough.

  Too soon, it was time for her to go. She packed up the Tupperware, pausing for a moment before White could slip away to call him over. He grinned when she gently nudged his chin to the side to study the worst of the bruises on his jaw.

  “You’ve healed up nicely.” She patted his cheek lightly, laughing at the way he ducked his head. “You staying out of trouble?”

  “Yes, Miss Madeline. Ain’t got in a fight all week.”

  �
�That’s good.” She lowered her voice and leaned close. “Don’t take it too easy on the other teams though. I don’t want Tim thinking I made you soft, and you know I’ll take the blame.”

  White nodded, his expression grave. “No, ma’am. You won’t see me going soft. Coach just said if I’m gonna get hurt and sit in the box, it better be for a good reason.”

  “I agree.” She glanced over at Tim, who had his coat on for some reason. Had he managed to get out of practice with the team?

  His lips curved as he stepped up beside White and squeezed the young man’s shoulder. “It’s been snowing pretty heavily for the past hour. Would you come help me clean off Miss Madeline’s car?”

  Not only did White enthusiastically agree to help Tim, but a few of the other players got changed and joined them. Madeline was a little worried that they’d get a hard time for not being out on the ice with the rest of the team, but Tim told her not to worry. He seemed more concerned about the fact that she’d parked two blocks away than anything.

  “I’m going to arrange to get you a spot in the Forum parking with us. This is ridiculous,” Tim said as he used the snow brush to clear her windshield while his players shoveled away the pile blocking the driver’s side door with gray snow from the mini-plow. “But you don’t have to worry about feeding the whole team every time you come down.”

  “We’re grateful for any leftovers you bring, though!” White shouted out before growling at Kral who’d dumped snow on his head. “Hey!”

  “It’s snow, White. Get it, Snow Wh—” Kral sputtered as Perron tossed a fistful of loose powder in his face.

  Madeline bit back a laugh and frowned at Kral as he dried his face with his sleeve. “If you don’t behave, you won’t get any more of the food I bring. I happen to enjoy cooking, and I’ve been craving a nice pot roast with mashed potatoes. I couldn’t possibly eat it all by my lonesome.” She winked at White when he grinned. Then slipped up to Tim to kiss his cheek. “Really, it’s my pleasure. But I would love a spot to park inside. You have no idea how much I appreciate you all doing this for me. I’ve had enough of shoveling snow today.”