Rescued by a Dom and a Sub

by Eileen Green

  Jeremy stepped forward and offered his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Clara. I’m so glad you are doing well.”

  Refusing his hand, Clara threw her arms around Jeremy’s neck. “Thank you for saving me.”

  Oh, she felt his hardened cock against her stomach as he hugged her in return. It felt as if it was quite impressive, and she had to wonder what it looked like. However, on the other hand, the thought of what Shane’s looked like also struck her.

  Both men were muscular, but Shane was still bigger than Jeremy. She wouldn’t mind getting them in front of her, side by side, for comparison.

  Where the hell had that thought come from?

  Heat suddenly began to consume her as her embarrassment filled her. She knew that when Jeremy released her, she was going to be red.

  Perhaps he’ll hold me a little while longer.

  But that wasn’t the case. He unwrapped his arms from around her and stepped back. “I’m glad you are all right,” Jeremy said as he moved back to his chair. “You look well.”

  She shrugged. “I’m doing okay. The broken nose is doing good. The foot is what will take a bit longer to heal. It was broken in several places, but at least now I can use the boot and not the crutches.”

  “I’m sure that’s a relief for you,” Shane interjected as he led her the two steps to the empty chair next to Jeremy. “Do you live alone?”

  “Yes. I had to spend the first week in the hospital until I could prove to them that I could take care of myself.”

  She sat, thankful for her foot was beginning to throb. If she wasn’t here, she’d be at home where she could take a painkiller if needed.

  The testosterone-filled room had her girly parts at attention. She thought she was in trouble with Shane sitting so close to her earlier, but now, there was Jeremy. Both men were handsome and well-built, and she wouldn’t mind a taste of them both.

  She was a woman of the present day. Erotic romances had found their way in her Kindle, and she enjoyed the stories immensely. The ménage ones were ones that captured her attention the most. Was it possible to go after both men?

  Looking up at both men, she could see them watching her, hunger on each face.

  They looked ready to pounce, but then Shane spoke, startling her. “I would like to take you both to dinner since my day is finished here. And perhaps afterwards, we can talk about this attraction we all seem to have for each other.”

  Chapter Four

  Glass shattered against the stark white wall across the room from the desk Thomas Mallory sat at. “Damn it!” he exclaimed as he had thrown it, and the act itself did nothing for his mood.

  The man who was sitting in one of the cheap chrome-and-black vinyl chairs in front of the desk practically took a nosedive as the glass had flown past him. “What the fuck?” shouted Charlie Ashby.

  Thomas was on his feet and leaning across his desk within a second of Ashby’s exclamation. Anger heated his face, more than the heat in the building was doing. It was mid-June in Houston, and the temps were already hitting a hundred. The air conditioner in this office he rented was a piece of shit, and the landlord wasn’t doing anything to fix the issue. This office was one he used for his “unsavory” business practices. His boss knew nothing about it.

  “I told you to keep an eye on that bitch! You’ve already screwed up the first two times!” he shouted.

  Charlie squirmed in his chair, sweat beading down the sides of his face. “I had to come back, dude! My mom died! What was I supposed to do? There was no one else to take care of things.” Ashby raised his voice, but he kept his eyes lowered.

  Thomas wasn’t happy, but he did have to sympathize with the man.

  Perhaps it was time Thomas made a run to Denver to take care of business. He didn’t want to get his hands dirty. However, he didn’t want to bring on someone else. Too many cooks in the kitchen could lead to disaster.

  “Where was she staying after the accident?” Thomas asked as he resumed his seat behind his desk, trying to calm himself.

  “She was staying at her house, but she had a nurse coming in to tend to her, and friends stopping in a lot. The gated community she lives in was busy all the time, and I didn’t want to have to kill any more than I needed to. She just had too much going on.” Ashby spoke quickly, testifying to his nervousness. “Also, several of the people coming to visit her were cops.”

  “Yeah.” Irritation laced Mallory’s words. “It’s her job. I was hoping that wasn’t going to get in the way, but apparently it has. You go take care of your family obligations. I’ll see what I can line up.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Ashby said as he stood.

  “Since the job wasn’t completed,” Mallory began. “You won’t be receiving the second half of the payment.”

  Anger flashed across Ashby’s face before it disappeared. The man nodded and then walked out of the room. This would be the last time the two men would have a conversation. Even though there had been a death in Ashby’s family, he had a job to do and had been given a substantial payment to do it. Thankfully, Mallory paid in two parts. Half up front, and half when the job was finished.

  Mallory’s cell phone rang as it sat on the desk. Looking at the number, he saw it was his boss. He had to take care of the man and keep any and all threats that came his way, and that’s why Ashby had been hired. He took care of the dirty work while Mallory dealt with paparazzi, news people, and politicians.

  Picking up the phone, he hit the receive button and then the speaker button. “Mallory.”

  “The Governor’s Ball is in two days. Have you set up the travel arrangements? I haven’t received an itinerary or any airline tickets.”

  The man may be extremely busy and have assistants that should be making arrangements, but Mallory’s boss wanted him to do it. There were two parts to the boss. One was the job he currently held, and the one the boss wanted.

  Well, actually, the one that Mallory wanted his boss to have so Mallory could be comfortable for the rest of his days. It’s what he had worked so hard to achieve, and one that his father had worked toward for the boss’s father until he had died of a brain tumor. Now it was time to situate the son where Mallory wanted him.

  “I’m sorry, sir. I will have that information on your desk by morning,” Mallory assured him.

  “Great. I’m looking forward to seeing some old friends and spending a couple of days back home. I’ll talk to you later.”

  The connection was broken as Mallory had been dismissed. Sometimes he had to wonder if it was all worth it.

  Not skipping a beat, Mallory dialed a number, getting along with his duties. He was going to miss dinner with his mistress at the apartment he had set up for her but work always came first. It was going to be a long evening.

  * * * *

  Her foot was throbbing, but she refused to let either one of the men she was with know she was hurting. She really hadn’t thought her afternoon would contain so much walking. Otherwise, she would have brought her crutches. When she had to go to the doctor, or the task was longer than just going from her house to her car, she used the dreaded crutches.

  When Shane had suggested dinner, Clara had thought they would hit up someplace near his office, like a diner or a sports bar. Pulling up in front of the Four Seasons had surprised her. He had tossed his keys to the valet attendant and come around to help her from the car. Taking those first few steps had her biting her lower lip to keep from crying out in pain.

  Being a weeknight, the tables in the restaurant were available without a reservation, although the staff seemed to know Shane well. The hostess led them to a table in a corner where they had relative privacy. Olive-colored upholstered chairs sat around the table for four under one of the windows that lit this part of the restaurant were a nice contrast to the dark wood and the orange cushioned benches used for seating along one wall.

  The aroma of food wafted through the restaurant, enticing Clara and reminding her she hadn’t had anything
since breakfast. She had spent so much time bolstering her nerves to go see Shane that she had forgotten about lunch.

  Clara sat facing the restaurant while Jeremy sat to her left, and Shane to her right. Behind her, daylight helped illuminate the joint from the window.

  After being supplied with menus, the hostess asked cheerfully, “Can I start you and your guests with a cocktail this evening, Mr. Owens?”

  “Clara, what would you like?” Shane asked as he looked at her.

  Not being in very many relationships, the sexual hunger in Shane’s eyes wasn’t lost on Clara. She also noticed Jeremy was the recipient of the same look and it caused arousal to swirl within her. Even now her nipples were beading up in her bra, and her thong was becoming damp. She had to wonder what Jeremy was thinking about right now.

  Trying to think of anything but Shane’s heated gaze, Clara perused the menu. She shouldn’t have a cocktail, but she figured it was going to be another three or four hours before she took a painkiller. Eying something fruity, she decided on that though the price made her eyes widen in shock, and being out on disability at the moment, she had to watch her pennies. Hopefully, since Shane was the one who had extended the invitation, he would want to pay.

  “I’ll have the Blackberry Bramble,” she said as she tried to hide behind the menu. Then she remembered her manners. “Please.”

  A glance at Shane told Clara he thought her choice was humorous as the corners of his mouth curved upward before he slid his gaze toward Jeremy. Clara looked at Jeremy also as he seemed to hold a debate in his head. Finally, he said, “I’ll have Coke.”

  “Are you sure?” Shane asked as he eyed Jeremy. “Dinner’s on me tonight.”

  “Yeah. I have to drive back to Woodland Park after dinner. If I wasn’t working in the morning, I could just grab a hotel room for the night, but that’s not the case.”

  “Okay. Just checking,” Shane said before he looked up at the hostess. “I’ll have a scotch on the rocks. We’ll also start out with the Hot Stone for four, and then we’ll choose our meals after that.”

  The hostess, a willowy woman with hair like the sun, smiled at Shane seductively, but he didn’t seem to notice. He immediately turned toward Clara, practically dismissing the flirtatious woman.

  “How are you making out since the accident? You said you don’t have family, so are friends helping you?” he asked, concern in his voice.

  “I had to have a nurse come in and help for the first couple of weeks since I wasn’t able to get around on my own, and I was so banged up. Since the nurses stopped coming, I have friends that come over to help me, even though I’ve told them not to interrupt their lives for me.” She had to tell Savannah and Missy to stop coming over so often since both of them were still in the honeymoon phases of their relationships, but they insisted. Missy was still on leave due to her recuperation after getting shot.

  Clara had been surprised to find out both women were in ménage relationships, and that they belonged to a BDSM club. It was at the club that Missy had met both her men.

  Shane seemed quite the alpha male. She had to wonder if he was into BDSM.

  “It sounds like you have great friends,” Jeremy observed.

  Switching her gaze to Jeremy, she found admiration on his face as well as a small smile. There was also lust in his eyes.

  “Yes. One of my friends was shot a couple of months ago, and her men are insisting that she not go back to work yet. So, she comes over to help me out every other day. She stays late until her men come to get her.”

  A gasp sounded from Shane. She noticed his light brown brows knit together. “Your friend was shot? Is her name, Missy?”

  Clara was shocked at his question. “How do you know about her?”

  The large man chuckled. “You’ll have to ask her yourself. That’s her story to tell.”

  Knowing her suspicions were correct, Clara boldly concluded, “You belong to the same lifestyle club.”

  “She told you?” Shane asked with bemusement.

  “What club?” Jeremy piped in.

  Her eyes slid to Jeremy, and the man lifted a brow in question. She didn’t know if she should be the one to tell him. She looked back at Shane.

  “It slipped out while we were talking one day. Savannah had invited me out to the lake one day. Missy and her two men came by the house to pick me up.” That had been a good day. “Of course, I couldn’t enjoy it much just laying around on a lounge chair on the deck, but they all made me feel welcome and comfortable.” She sighed. “But, this time was supposed to be us getting to know each other, and Jeremy has no idea what we’re talking about.”

  Shane sat up in his chair, his dominant aura lighting up around him. He looked at Jeremy. “Pup, why don’t you come over and sit next to me so that pet here doesn’t have to keep looking between us. I’m sure she still has aches and pains.”

  Clara found it interesting that Shane could pinpoint how she was feeling. It was scary to think about how intuitive he was, but she knew that Savannah’s and Missy’s men were as observant with them, as well.

  Jeremy did as suggested which helped her neck. She had gotten whiplash in the accident, and it was difficult to do the tennis match aspect of speaking to people on each side of her since her neck continued to hurt.

  Loosening the knot of his tie and then undoing several buttons on his shirt, Shane looked over at Jeremy. “Jeremy knows what we’re talking about, Clara. Don’t you, pup?”

  The nicknames Shane used for them was unusual. Clara had to wonder if they had something to do with the lifestyle Shane was involved in.

  “I believe so, Sir. You’re talking about the BDSM lifestyle.” Jeremy seemed nervous as his voice cracked a bit. “I have dabbled in the lifestyle a bit. I dated a woman who was a Domme. We played around some. She taught me some of the basics, but then she got transferred to another city. After she left, I threw myself into my job and never thought to find someone to further my education, so to speak. But, I have been to a few play parties to where I was able to get some of my needs seen to.”

  A lovely shade of pink tinged Jeremy’s cheeks as he spoke. Clara also noticed his eyes lowered as if he was shy. However, she realized she had been doing the same thing in Shane’s presence.

  Perhaps I really am submissive.

  “Is that something you are genuinely interested in, Clara?” Jeremy inquired as he resituated his napkin on the table.

  Clara noticed Shane straightened up a bit and then looked at Jeremy. There was a look of worry on the big man’s face.

  “It’s not anything I’ve ever thought about before. I mean, I’ve read some romances with it in them, but I never thought I would meet anyone in that lifestyle. When my friends and I talked about it, I have to admit I became curious.”

  The waitress arrived at the table, interrupting her explanation. Clara sat back in her chair, relaxing a bit. A thin wineglass was set down before her after the waitress set a cocktail napkin down. The liquor ranged from light violet to dark as it settled in the glass. A blackberry on a pick and a sprig of rosemary garnished the top. It looked good.

  Both men received their drinks, Shane taking a draw and savoring the aged drink. Clara could tell he was used to the finer things in life, an after effect of his job perhaps.

  She had done some reading up on the man online. He had been a Navy SEAL and when he had retired, he had set up his security company here in Denver. By the looks of his clients, they were all corporate jobs, or well-to-do people, like Tate Hawkins who was one of her friend’s, Missy, men. He owned an airline and Shane was now providing security for all his offices, airline hangars, and everything else the man had a hand in.

  Shane was wearing a suit that probably cost the same as what Clara made in a year. She had seen the prices on the menu, and they were too much for her to enjoy a night out here. The hostess seemed to know him, so he must eat here a lot, and that too said a lot about his pocketbook.

  Once the waitress walked away
, Shane said, as he set down his glass, “Would you like to continue, pet?”

  She was surprised that Shane thought she had more to say. “What do you mean?” she inquired after clearing her throat.

  “How curious are you?” His voice had gotten deeper, his eyes boring into her. “Is it something you’d like to pursue?”

  This wasn’t a conversation she wanted to be having with a virtual stranger, was it? Especially with someone as sexy as Shane.

  Clara was so out of his league. She was shy and wasn’t adventurous. Well, she wasn’t before her trip up Pike’s Peak. She had decided to make some changes in her life and hiking was her first change.

  Shane probably dated tall, leggy blond bimbos with huge breasts and an IQ that was smaller than her breast size.

  Damn, girl! That wasn’t fair! He is looking at you as if you are what he’s going to have for dessert.

  Reaching out nervously, Clara picked up the cocktail before her. She removed the pick and the rosemary sprig and then raised the glass to her lips. The drink was a bit tart but sweet also and packed a punch. She looked over the edge and caught Shane’s hungry eyes watching her before she slid her gaze to Jeremy and saw the same thing. Titling her head back, she downed the delicious liquor.

  As she set her glass down, she could tell both men were gaping at her. She felt as if she was a germ on a slide under a microscope.

  “That must be a tasty drink.” Shane smirked as his hand covered hers. “Let’s get you another one.”

  With his free hand, he picked up the blackberry she had set aside and pulled it from the wooden pick. He held it up to her lips where his gaze was at and waited for her to take the proffered fruit. A glance at Jeremy told her he was as invested in the scene as Shane was.

  Opening her mouth, Shane slid his fingertips inside along with the berry. Clara, feeling wanton and daring, wrapped her lips around his digits and scooped the fruit from him with her tongue. A groan sounded from him.

  Her eyes closed as time seemed to stall. She moaned.