“No more waiting.” She grinned. “And coffee soon, I promise. The answer is yes. Yes, I’ll go back home with you.”
He flashed her his million-dollar smile, and pulled her into a sitting position on his lap, facing him, her hips straddling his own. “That’s very good news. Do you want to go ahead and finish out the weekend here like you planned? I’d be more than happy to if that’s what you want, but I have to be honest, my own plans don’t include leaving the room much.”
It was tempting to give in to his offer, and spend the rest of the weekend in the room, gorging themselves on room service only to burn off all the calories with marathon sex sessions. But the truth was, if she was going to move on, she didn’t want to even be in the same hotel as Jase for a minute longer than she had to. “No, I’m good. I’ve had enough of Vegas to last me a good long while. Let’s go home.”
“We will. Soon. There’s just one more thing I want to do before we go.” His erection pressing into her belly left her with no doubt as to what that one thing was.
Chapter 12
He went to Rojo the following night, couldn’t have stopped himself if he wanted to. And he had wanted to. Everything in his brain told him to stay far away. She had walked out of his life and he had let her, because it was the right thing to do. That’s what his head was saying. His head wasn’t what was guiding him as he made the short trip across the highway that separated Aubergine and Rojo. Thoughts of a certain redheaded temptress carried him in the dark of the night.
He entered through the back door of the club, using his master key, and made a beeline for the bar. The club was still hopping for a Sunday night, but that was to be expected with so many having come into town for the grand opening.
He was a man on a mission as he weaved his way through the crowd of regulars, gruffly nodding as he walked by The Tanners, Master O, and Mistress Carrie.
Pax stood near the stage entrance at the end of the bar, deep in conversation with Crystal, one of his main hostesses, and William, his favorite jack of all trades employee. Pax had his Dominant face on, and their body language made it clear the boss was none too pleased.
Jase could guess what it was about, he had heard the rumors floating about, there were no secrets at Rojo. Deciding his question could wait, he paused near the middle of the bar, giving the trio a wide berth for privacy and nodded to the bartender, who poured his usual without being told.
He knocked it back, enjoying the burn as it glided down his throat, and turned his back to the bar, leaning against it as he scanned the room for Diamond and her sister.
A redhead was prostrate across a spanking bench in the center of the room, and for a minute, the image filled him with jealousy, but that was quickly diminished when he saw Adrian Tanner wielding the cane that was being used to mark her pale skin. The Tanners didn’t play with others, so the woman on the bench obviously belonged to one of them.
The room was dark, the lighting low, and he couldn’t see too far in front of him, but the red hair was hard to miss, and he wasn’t seeing those luscious tresses anywhere.
A hand on his shoulder startled him, and he looked over to see Pax standing to his side, and Crystal and William dispersing in opposite directions.
“What’s up with those two?” he asked making small talk.
Pax only grunted. “Wasn’t sure I’d see you around this weekend.”
“Wasn’t sure I’d be around.”
“Was gonna check in with you, but I’ve been pretty busy.” Pax leaned against the bar, taking the same position Jase had earlier, keeping his eyes on the floor, watching the action.
Jase shrugged in response. “You don’t need to check in with me, Man. I’m a big boy.”
“You’d have checked on me.”
Jase didn’t argue. They both knew it was true.
“Business looks good,” he observed casually.
“Yup,” Pax agreed. “Let’s hope it stays this way.”
The conversation fizzled out as they took in the scenes unfolding around the club. The redhead was dismounting the spanking bench, aided by her Dom, and a male sub was being secured onto a St Andrew’s cross by none other than the renowned Mistress Carrie who was known for being masterful with a whip. Anyone who cared to watch would be in for quite a show.
They stood in silence, Jase’s nerves on edge as he wondered on the best way to bring up the question of Ruby’s whereabouts.
Did he just go for it, and hope Pax didn’t bite his head off? Did he casually ask after Diamond’s whereabouts and hope that the answer would include the one he was seeking? He was still mulling when Diamond appeared in front of him. She was alone. One arm was around Pax as she leaned into him, and angled her body towards Jase. Her demeanor was rigid, her regal face regarded him coolly, but her eyes were filled with fire.
“Jason.” She spat the word as if it tasted dirty and he winced. “I didn’t expect to see you here tonight.”
He hated to be called Jason, and everyone knew it, including her. He had to work hard not to smirk when her expression suddenly changed from one of barely contained anger to one of pain, and he knew Pax had just exerted his dominance over his subby wife.
Pax’s growl was low, but Jase heard it, clear as day, and knew he was meant to. “Jase is my best friend. As such, you will treat him with the same respect you do any other Dom in here. If there’s an issue that needs to be addressed, I will be the one to do it, princess, not you.”
Jase didn’t have to look at Diamond to know that such a dressing down would have done nothing to calm down whatever fire was brewing. He ignored them both and acted as if he hadn’t heard. He respected the hell out of Diamond, and had no desire to make things worse for her.
“You’ll have to ignore my wife, Jase. She’s a little sore because her sister left early.” Pax grinned. “Not as sore as she’s gonna be though.”
Jase barely heard the second comment. Ruby had left. She was gone. Back to California, and who could even blame her? He had been an ass. His heart sank into his stomach as he relieved their last interaction in his mind. Fuck.
He didn’t say anything to his friends, there was nothing to say, so he simply turned and walked away, out of Rojo and back home as fast as he could go. It was for the best. She was way too good for him; their last time together was proof of that.
Ruby walked in the door, kicked off her shoes, and flopped on the couch with a dramatic sigh. The house was a wreck, and had been for days. The Van Doyle project was kicking her ass. Mrs. Van Doyle changed her mind about something every five minutes, and Ruby’s patience was wearing thin fast. Her stress level was through the roof, and she was too overwhelmed to do a damn thing when she got home each night.
That was part of it. The other part of it was that deep down, she wanted Trevor to take control, either by sensing her distress, and forcing her to take care of herself and being more helpful himself or putting his foot down, recognizing that the mess wasn’t helping her stress level and make her clean. Preferably after he spanked her for not doing so. Good lord, she wanted a spanking. She had gotten a taste, and now she was obsessed with the idea of a man’s hand on her ass, raining down one punishing blow after another, until she could no longer take the pain, and her face streaked with tears. It didn’t matter if it was punishment, or fun, or stress relief. Each was equally enticing in its own way, but for all his perfect words in Vegas Trevor hadn’t broached the subject once since they had gotten home.
She had tried to be patient, to tell herself they were both busy and equally stressed. She knew it was true, but patience had never been her strong suit. And it wasn’t like things hadn’t changed. They had. The sex was amazing and more frequent than it had been since they were teenagers exploring their newfound sexuality, but she was even starting to resent that. After all, Trevor was getting what he wanted, why shouldn’t she?
“He’s not a Dom from one of your books, Ruby, you can’t expect perfection. He’s also not a mind reader, and he might
feel as awkward broaching the subject as you do. You have to find a way to tell him what you want.” Her sister’s advice rang in her ears, and she groaned. Diamond was right.
Ruby pulled herself off the couch, and forced herself to straighten up as she made her way to the kitchen. She peered in the fridge, but found no source of inspiration. On top of everything else, she desperately needed to go grocery shopping. She slammed the fridge shut with a sigh. Take out it was. She’d call out for Chinese. While she waited, she would psyche herself up to take her sister’s advice, and plan her attack.
By the time Trevor came home, Chinese food was on the table, the bedroom was decently clean, Ruby was dressed in a pair of panties and Trevor’s old football jersey from their high school days. It wasn’t the sexiest garment in her collection, but it took the least amount of time and energy and he had always liked it.
Taking a deep breath, she met him at the door, and knelt before him. It wasn’t subtle, nor did she prefer it, but it was easier than talking. Or so she thought.
“Smells like Kung Pao Chicken!” he exclaimed, stepping through the door, and inhaling deeply. He hadn’t noticed her yet. When he did, he frowned and his forehead crinkled as he stared at her obliviously. “Roo, what are you doing on the floor? Are you hurt? Get up!”
She stared up at him, finding it suddenly hard to breathe. How could she have thought this would work? How could she offer submission to a man who didn’t even understand what it meant yet? It was a far stretch from a spanking to kneeling, especially for an inexperienced newbie.
“I… uh… I thought I stepped on something sharp,” she lied, patting the carpet around his feet. “I didn’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’m wearing shoes,” he deadpanned with only a hint of a smile.
“Oh, um, yeah, right. Silly me.” She made to stand, and he took her hands, pulling her up, before kissing her deeply, and patting her ass with an unusual amount of force.
When he let her go, she was breathless and he eyed her shrewdly. “You’ve been stressed.”
“Mmmhmm. Slightly.”
“Things haven’t been getting done around here, which only serves to stress you out more.”
“Mmmhmm,” she murmured in agreement, praying that she knew where this was going.
“I know what you need.”
She prayed that he did.
“Sit down.” He crossed the room, and pulled out a chair for her. She stared at it blankly. She’d rather he sat down, and pulled her over his lap.
“Sit,” he instructed, again. Still hoping, she sat.
He began to rummage around in the sacks of food at the table, and she tried not to let her disappointment show, when he heaped her up a steaming plate of her favorites, set it in front of her, and went to work on his own. Eating was good. She told herself. Might as well eat while the food was still hot.
They ate in silence, each lost in thoughts of their day, and in Ruby’s case, of the evening to come. Trevor finished first, as he always did with his insatiable appetite, and leaned back in his chair, watching her as she savored every last bite.
When she finally pushed her plate away, the buildup was more than she could bear, and she closed her eyes, waiting.
“Go to the bedroom.”
It didn’t mean anything, she told herself not wanting to get her hopes up. Of course Trevor's thoughts were on the bedroom. They always were. But the commanding tone he used made her panties wet with arousal. Wordlessly, she stood, and made her way to the bedroom with Trevor following close behind her.
When they got there, she stood in the center of the room, unsure of what to do, and listened as he closed and locked the door behind them. There was no one else in the house of course, but Trevor was a creature of habit.
“Lay on the bed. On your stomach.”
Her stomach cramped in anticipation, and her legs shook as she rushed to obey. She laid fully on the bed, instead of half on and half off. If he wanted something else, he would have to be specific.
She heard the movements behind her as he undressed, and soon felt the bed shift with his weight as his body covered hers and he straddled her hips. Strong hands rested on her shoulders, and he began to massage the stress knots that had settled there. Her breath left her in a whoosh of disappointment, and she began to mentally berate herself. What kind of woman gets upset because her man gives her a massage rather than a spanking? She scoffed inwardly, not too surprised when it was her sister's voice in her head that answered. A submissive one. He’s not a mind reader Ruby. He’s being sweet, and also a little bit dominant. Maybe he’s nervous. Tell him what you need.
It was good advice, the same advice that Diamond had given her over and over for months. She had followed it only a few times, with very mixed results.
“You’ve been very stressed.” Trevor’s words poured over her like melted butter as his hands continued to work their magic on her upper back, neck and shoulders. “When you get this stressed, you freeze up, and don’t do stuff at home, which makes you more stressed because you can’t relax when your environment is a mess around you.”
It was true. He knew her well.
“It continues and continues until it’s a big old catch twenty-two. Isn’t that right?”
The words yes, sir were on the tip of her tongue, and she realized his actions while not what she had hoped for had a certain dominance to them.
“I want you to fully relax tonight, Ruby. I’m going to help you do that.”
He wasn’t done speaking, so she waited, biting back the hope that was building.
“I’m going to give you a nice long massage, until every inch of your body is a big pile of jello, and then I’m going to carry you to the tub, and draw you a nice long bubble bath.”
She listened, more than a little turned on. If he said he was going to bathe her himself, she might come right there—spanking or no.
“I’m going to light candles, pour you a glass of wine, and turn on some soft music and dim the lights.”
So far it was getting better and better.
“And then, while you’re in there, I’m going to clean the house.”
Her heart sank. What was wrong with her?
“When I come back….”
Please God, let him say he was going to spank her. It was the only thing now that would salvage the evening. It was the only thing she wanted, and she wanted it so deeply it hurt.
“I’m going to lift you out of the tub, and dry you off. I’m going to carry you to the bedroom, throw you on the bed, and make love to you until you scream.”
Oh, she was going to scream all right. Right now.
“Dammit, Trevor!”
His hands flew into the air, and he leaned back in surprise. “What? What happened? Did I hurt you?”
“Only my heart and pride,” she muttered under her breath, not caring whether he heard her or not.
“What?”
He had heard her of course. With a deep sigh, she shoved him off of her, turning onto her back and glared at him. What the hell? Her pride was already damaged. She might as well go for it.
“That’s all very nice, Trevor, but the only way I’m going to feel better is if you spank me.”
“How is that going to help?” He stared at her completely baffled. “You’d rather I spank you than take care of you and clean the house?”
Yes, you clueless oaf. That was what she thought. What she said was, “Tomorrow is Saturday. I can clean the house then or we can do it together. A bath would be nice, sex would be nice, but a spanking is what I want more than anything.”
“You’re so weird. I should have never let you go visit your sister.”
She saw the exact moment his bad choice of words registered in his brain, and just as quickly he opened his mouth to take them back, but it was too late. Her own words were just as thoughtless.
“I should never have come back with you. I should never have fooled myself into thinking you were capable of change, or capable
of being the kind of man I need.”
“Right, cause you need a man willing to spank you, like that solves everything.” He had jumped off the bed, and began throwing on his clothes, and she followed suit, muttering under her breath between their hurled insults.
“No, Trevor, I’m sure it doesn’t solve everything. But you know what? I need a man who gives a fuck what I want, who’s willing to make sacrifices that are actually sacrifices, not just the ones he wants to make. I shouldn’t be surprised, except you said you were willing to try. I took you at your word. I should have known better. You do and say what you need to do to get me back every time, but you’re too much of a selfish pussy to put your money where your mouth is once you’ve got me. Then it all goes back to the same old shit and the only one who changes anything is me! But you know what? Not this time! And, you know what else? There’s a lot of men out there who don’t find spanking a beautiful woman to be a sacrifice!”
“Great. That’s just great.” The disgust on his face ripped her heart into two. “Why don’t you go find one of them then? Why not throw away the last ten years over some disgusting sexual fetish. Good luck with that.”
She had no comeback, as she threw on a pair of pants, ripped off his jersey and hurled it at his face before replacing it with an old tank top.
“Fuck you, Trevor. You wouldn’t know what a gift a submissive woman is, and that’s sad for you, but not really because you don’t deserve a woman’s submission anyway if you’re too fucking stupid to see it for the gift it is.”
“Submission?” Trevor scoffed. “Submissive is the last word I would ever use to describe you, Ruby. You’re a lot of things, but submissive is not one of them.”
The words and the vile accusation behind them burned, but she wouldn’t let him see that he had gotten to her. Her lips curled into a snarl and she glared at him. “Nope,” she agreed. “I’m not. Not to you. Your loss, Trevor. Your loss.”
Claimed (Vegas Nights Book 2) Page 13