Submit to Me

by Sappharia Mayer

  She grinned over her mug as she took a long pull.

  Samantha led the way back into the hall and toward the club, her mood slightly somber.

  "What happened when your husband and your Dominant talk?" Jessica asked.

  Mid-step, Samantha paused and worked to maintain her composure.

  "It's never good when those two gang up on me. My husband is frustrated because I'm stressed out, working all the time and not focused on all the normal things I do around the house. My Dominant said I was snarky, and for some unknown reason, they both agreed I have an attitude problem," she said, adding an eye roll for emphasis.

  "Are they jealous of one another?"

  "Sometimes. When time gets imbalanced, someone falls out of another relationship or any other human reason, but most of the time it’s a nice situation."

  Jessica tried to imagine a relationship with multiple partners and shook her head. She had enough trouble trying to keep her job and her relationships from running over one another. There was no way she could handle more than one at a time.

  "I'm in awe at how you juggle it all," she said.

  Samantha looked over and smiled at her as they rounded the corner.

  "Well, here we are-let's hope Kade didn't take away my access," she said conspiratorially.

  Placing her finger on the pad under the placket marked Wine Cellar, she was rewarded with a green light and an audible click.

  "Yes!"

  Jessica smiled at her obvious enthusiasm and followed her inside. The sight that greeted her was nothing short of overwhelmingly extraordinary. Shelves lined the space from floor to ceiling. Each one housed so many bottles she didn't want to imagine the carnage if one of them tipped over. As they walked deeper into the cellar, two small barrels and high stools came into view.

  "Welcome to the Empyrean Wine Cellar, or as I refer to it, Alexandra's personal stash. She keeps some of the most expensive wines on the market down here. I try to help with wine rotation as often as possible," she said with a grin.

  "Wine rotation?"

  Samantha nodded and pulled a bottle off the shelf.

  "You know-quality control. I pick a bottle, drink it, and now there's a rotation of a new bottle to fill its place."

  Jessica laughed. "And what does Alexandra think of your personally appointed position?"

  "She's not amused. But she's not here. So-I think it entitles us to pick from the stock of bubbly in the sparkling wine section, although there is an actual French champagne over there should you prefer it," she said, walking toward the back of the cellar.

  "Why does she have so many wines?" Jessica called after her.

  "Because this club hosts some of the most powerful and richest clients in the DC area, who happen to also have a propensity for other things, Detective Lawson," a deep male voice said from behind her.

  Jessica whipped around and ran straight into a solid wall of muscle. The mix of his spicy cologne and masculine scent filled her nose. She could get used to him towering near her or scooping her up and holding her close. Most of the time men of such a height difference annoyed her and sent her defenses on high alert. Kade, however, did the exact opposite.

  "I presume Samantha is down here somewhere," he said with a cocked eyebrow.

  "She's somewhere that way." Jessica hitched a thumb over her shoulder.

  Kade gazed down at her with a heated look somewhere between annoyed and aroused.

  "Jessica, I think this will be the perfect..." The words died on Samantha's lips as she approached.

  "The perfect what, Ms. Kingston?" Kade asked over Jessica's head.

  "The perfect way to help the detective relax. I heard she had quite the night and with her ribs hurting this morning, I thought..."

  "Detective Lawson-why do your ribs hurt this morning?" Kade demanded.

  Jessica looked up at him, this time returning her own brand of annoyance.

  "Mr. Kinkaid, I appreciate the concern, but my ribs are my issue."

  Kade took a deep breath and let it out in a controlled huff. "Ms. Kingston, the cellar isn't your personal wine store. You've visited down here fifteen times in the last month. I appreciate the extra work you are putting in, but I will not be the one answering to Alexandra when she sees the overruns and price," he said, leveling a glare at her.

  "Kade," she cooed. "She owes me, and this is a small price to pay for all my worry and concern, not to mention the extra workload for A—" She stuttered to a stop when Kade shook his head in a quick snap to signal no.

  Jessica furrowed her brow. They were leaving her out of something. How the hell did they expect her to do her job if they left out details?

  "I know, Samantha, but you can very well handle the situation," Kade said with assurance. "But this is your last bottle. I'm changing the access today."

  "Kade," Samantha whined behind Jessica.

  "How did you know we were down here, Mr. Kinkaid?"

  He had the good sense to look sheepish. "The security system alerted me."

  "And where were you when the alert happened?"

  A long pause pervaded the space.

  "Yeah, Kade, how’d you get here so quick?"

  "I was doing rounds," he shot back at Jessica.

  "Is that what they call following us?" Samantha said with a slight pout.

  "Samantha," Kade barked, "continue with this incessant irritation and I'll make a phone call I'm sure you won't appreciate."

  "You wouldn't dare," she mumbled.

  "Try me."

  "Children," Jessica interrupted.

  Kade glared down at her, and she was positive Samantha was doing the same.

  "I want to go to the spa and be tortured with my hair and nails. Could you two please settle this later?" she demanded.

  "Yes, Ma'am," Samantha responded from behind her, and Jessica smiled at the show of deference.

  In front of her, Kade stood stoically and crossed his arms.

  "Detective, why didn't you inform me you were hurting?"

  "Mr. Kinkaid..." she started.

  "Don't, Detective. Don't you dare dismiss me. It's called an exchange, and it goes both ways. I'll ensure the spa knows the situation and will have relief medication delivered upon your arrival."

  He held her with his eyes, and she returned a challenging stare.

  "I'm not your responsibility," she breathed, slightly intimidated by his forceful concern.

  "You're in my house, you're my responsibility."

  "Is that the only reason?" Jessica asked, her curiosity piqued from her earlier conversation with Samantha.

  "Not even close, Detective, but we'll leave it for another time."

  With that, he pivoted and walked out the door without another word.

  "Tiger. You might want to find a leash unless you plan to train him to be good at liberty," Samantha quipped as she walked around Jessica's unmoving form, a wine bottle grasped in her hand.

  "They are all going mad," she mumbled to herself as she exited the cellar.

  "No, they lack good leadership... Detective, isn't it?"

  Jessica startled at the unfamiliar woman's voice and shut the door behind her as she turned and faced her in the empty hall.

  The woman's face fell in disappointment as she stared at the closed door.

  "Yes. And you are?"

  "You can call me Cassandra," she said, shoving her hand forward in a gesture for a handshake.

  "Chaos can ensue for a time when a strong, capable leader needs to attend to other things, but I don't think they lack leadership, as you imply. It seems to me Mr. Kinkaid is an accomplished leader."

  Cassandra laughed. The noise made Jessica uncomfortable because it sounded somewhere between maniacal and annoyed. Jessica raised an eyebrow in response.

  "Kade? He's a freaking submissive. Ultimately he wants to be told to snap to and fall to his knees to anyone who commands it. He's not fit to lead because he'd rather be led."

  Jessica shook her head. "How long have you
known Mr. Kinkaid?"

  "Long enough to know he's not up to the challenge of running this club," she said haughtily.

  There was something about the woman that sent Jessica's senses on high alert. Nothing about her, other than her height, should cause the visceral reaction, but she'd learned long ago to pay attention when something felt off.

  "Then I doubt you know him well," Jessica shot back, annoyed anyone would question Kade's ability to do his job. "Mr. Kinkaid is up to the challenges in front of him. I am positive Alexandra would not leave someone in charge of her club she didn't feel could perform under pressures."

  The other woman leaned a shoulder on the wall and crossed her ankles. "Interesting."

  Jessica jutted her chin forward and pulled to her full height.

  "What, pray tell, do you find so interesting?" she shot back.

  "The fact you have a need to defend him. Jack said you two looked intense at the bar the other day, but he's new-everything seems intense to him. So I wanted to see for myself," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

  Jessica clenched her jaw. It was a wonder anything was kept a secret around here, except all the information she needed to know.

  "Mr. Kinkaid is assisting me in understanding this community for my work."

  Cassandra laughed.

  "Is that what they call dominating a man now? Was he assisting your understanding when you rode him like a stallion and plummeted down on his cock?"

  Jessica flushed bright red at the lewd description. Her mind raced to the beginning of their scene. She saw Kade hit the button to turn off the camera and the audio as he told her where the supplies were in the room.

  "You don't have to answer that one, Detective. Hope you're strong enough to be an actual Dominant and trample him when it's needed," Cassandra said, pushing off the wall.

  "A Dominant need not trample a submissive. They must come willingly with their own power in a submissive state and exchange theirs for the desires of the Dominant to provide mutual benefit and pleasure." Jessica quoted the words from one of Alexandra's manuals.

  Cassandra clapped slowly in response.

  "Congratulations, Detective. You know the words. Too bad that's not how it works in practice."

  With that, Cassandra turned and walked away. As Jessica stood watching her disappear down the hall, she fumed. She was tired of everyone turning their back on her because they didn't think she deserved the respect she was working to earn. Everything in her seethed in anger as she stormed toward the spa.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Ian's head jerked up from the computer screen on his laptop when Kade stormed through the door.

  "Can you believe that woman? Two cracked ribs and she... she..."

  "Gave you the best scene of your life?" Ian offered.

  "At what cost? Three days of living without being able to come. God-I was like a lust-filled teenager whose libido was in overdrive."

  He stormed over to his desk and hit the spacebar on his computer, waking it up. His fingers danced in the one-finger shuffle across the keyboard.

  "I believe that was part of the point, and to prove control, of course. I presume you found them in the cellar?"

  Kade glared at him, and Ian threw his hands up.

  "Slow down. What happened?" Ian asked calmly.

  His fingers slammed the keys. Periodically he moved the mouse with a ferocity born out of agitation. When he was satisfied with his task, he turned to Ian.

  "She has two cracked ribs. At least based on the way she moves, I think they're cracked and not fully broken. After our scene the other night, she virtually collapsed on me. I thought it was from our amazing scene, but it looks like it was most likely from pain."

  Ian took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You're jumping to conclusions and trying to dismiss your time together so she can't hurt you. Don't do it, man, it's not worth the cost."

  Kade ran his hand through his hair.

  "Samantha made a comment about the detective being in pain. Why won't she let me fix it?"

  "She's a dominant woman in a male-dominated field where many men don't think she belongs. Jessica, I would guess, is very used to fixing things herself or ignoring them. If you want her to come to you, then give her a safe place to let the world go," Ian counseled.

  Kade turned and stared out the window. "I can't go through it all again," he murmured.

  "She's not Katherine."

  Oppressive silence filled the room.

  "Out of curiosity, what was important enough for you to break the keyboard to get done?" Ian asked.

  He turned his chair to face his friend but didn't meet his eyes. "I was making sure the spa knew she was coming, the appointments were in the best order, and she had the pain medication she needs when she arrives, as well as alerting the masseur of her ribs and ankle."

  Ian chuckled. "Looks like turnabout will be fair play."

  A confused looked fell over Kade's face.

  "I hate to break it to you-"

  "Don't. I'm helping her understand the club for the investigation. The mutually beneficial situation is a bonus."

  "And denial is a river in Egypt. Come on, let's do rounds. I saw Cassandra down in the lower service hall," Ian said as he stood.

  "When?"

  "It was what I was watching when you came in."

  Kade frowned.

  "Was there anyone else in the hallway?"

  Ian nodded. "It looked like she was talking to someone, but the cameras weren’t angled to see who. Have the command center run the tapes back and we can go do rounds around the club. I think the walk will do you good."

  Kade stood up and tapped a couple keys on the keyboard before following Ian out the door.

  "Do you have a sit rep from the team?"

  "Yeah. Let's walk and talk," he said, heading for the door.

  "How's Jillian?"

  "Doing better. The situation at the restaurant shook her up, but her memories are coming back, and that is helping the situation."

  They walked out of the office and headed to the lower service staircase. Kade's brows pinched in frustration.

  "How does she do it?"

  "How does she do what?" Ian returned.

  "The balance. Strong businesswoman and doctor by day, submissive by night."

  Ian chuckled as they headed down the service corridor.

  "She's submissive to me, not the rest of the world. I appreciate the fact she trusts me to do things which are horrible out of context and I trust her to be able to communicate what she needs without holding back for fear of my reaction. It's a practice. A constant work in progress. You know this. Hell, you teach it."

  Kade let out a strained breath. "I guess that makes me a fraud," he said in resignation.

  "No, it means you haven't found a strong enough Dominant," a female voice said from behind them.

  Both men turned in unison. Cassandra stepped into view. Her four-inch stiletto heels brought her closer to Kade's height. The body-hugging red dress caressed all her curves in the right places.

  "What are you doing down here, Cassandra?" Ian demanded.

  "Stand down, Mr. Breckenridge. You're just a security consultant around here," she said, flipping her keycard up between her long fingers. "I was granted access to all areas of the club by Alexandra."

  Kade furrowed his brow. He didn't remember such a request hitting his desk, and Alexandra always talked to him about access.

  "When? More importantly, why?"

  Cassandra shrugged casually and stepped toward Kade until she was inside his personal space.

  "I got a note from her office saying she was granting me full access to learn how the club worked," she said as she ran a finger down the front of his shirt. "She did agree to train me as a club Dominant, but then she took off, on vacation or business or whatever is the current excuse."

  "Back up, Cassandra. You do not have my permission or the permission of anyone in my realm to touch me."

  A lazy smile c
urled around her lips as she worked her hand lower down his body.

  "It's okay, Kade. I know you're showing the detective the ropes around here. Maybe it’s to help her department understand us or maybe you think something odd is going on in a SEX club. You know she's just playing at being dominant. I, on the other hand, was hand-picked by Alexandra to be trained as a Dominant."

  "This is your last warning," Kade growled.

  "Come play with me, Kade," she said as her hand reached for his crotch.

  He took a quick step back and Cassandra fell forward. Seconds later, she was kneeling on the floor in front of him, her arms wrenched up behind her back.

  "Looks like you need to go back to your lessons, Cassandra. When a person says no, unless otherwise negotiated, they mean it. A good Dominant knows this fact. A club Dominant lives by it. You are neither."

  Cassandra's face contorted in pain.

  "Let me go," she spat.

  "With pleasure," he said, releasing her arms.

  Immediately, she fell forward, her hands smacking the tile floor with a resounding thud.

  "About that access-consider it revoked. This is your first warning. Security will be advised of your watchlist status," Kade said tersely.

  Footsteps reverberated against the wall.

  "Mr. Kinkaid, how can I help?" Jason Dean asked as he came into view.

  Cassandra glared up at him and scrambled to her feet.

  "Please take Cassandra to the Command Center and process her on a level one violation of club protocols," Kade said without lifting his gaze from hers. "Also, take away her status as a club recognized Dominant. She can co-top with the approved members or she can bottom. One of those might bring her some well-needed humility."

  Kade moved through the corridors.

  "Where the hell are we going?" Ian asked from behind him, trying to keep up.

  "Alexandra's office."

  Minutes later, the pair rounded the corner. Kade often avoided this area of the club, preferring Katie bring him the necessary paperwork rather than reminding himself of his failure.