by Dark, Raven
“I’m a little shaky, but I’m fine. Really.” At the thought of what she’d done that day, victory electrified her blood.
“I’m proud of you, Gwen.” He rubbed her arms. “You really kicked his ass. Nick’s bouncer said he’d probably walked away with a concussion.”
“I got lucky.” She sat up, looking at him. “I could have easily lost that fight.”
Archer scrunched his brows.
“Every second of that incident, I was terrified. What if I messed up, or froze? What if I don’t know enough to protect myself…” She stopped, licking her lips. “You were right. I never should have gone alone.”
“No. Gwen, don’t say that. You were right.” When she gave him a confused look, he sighed, taking her face in his hands. “I have been overprotective of you.”
“Archer…”
“No. Listen to me. Please.” His voice was soft. “When you first came into my dojo months ago, you were right. I saw a vulnerable woman I needed to protect. A student I was terrified of failing.”
Gwen stared. “Archer, do you have any idea what you’ve made me? Months ago, if that guy came at me, I’d be toast. I never would have had the courage to fight him.”
“I didn’t make you anything. I only brought out what was there, showed you how to use it.”
Gwen smiled. She stood up, curling her hands around his.
“What is it?”
She licked her lips again. My brothers will never let me live this down if I fail. “Do you really think I’m a good student?”
The couch squeaked as he stood up. “Of course. Why?”
Gwen drew a deep breath. “Because. After what happened today…” She lifted her chin. “I changed my mind, Archer. I want to test for my yellow.”
* * *
“So? How does it feel?” Pride filled Archer’s eyes as he looked her over.
Gwen beamed at him. She looked down at the crisp, slightly stiff yellow belt that surrounded her waist, holding the white jacket of her gi closed. The rush of her accomplishment still raced through her veins.
“It feels wonderful, Archer. Strange, seeing the belt there, but it’s awesome.” The urge to hug him washed over her. She glanced around the dojo. Nick, Zoe, and Tony, but also some other members of the club who knew Archer gathered and chatted. Too many people around for her to be getting personal with her sensei, especially with some of his students present. “I mean Sensei.” She reddened when he chuckled.
Archer leaned in. “I’m going to have fun with you tonight, sweet thing.”
Her eyes shot up to his. Tonight? Her blood raced. Was it going to be tonight?
It had been a week since they’d discussed the surprise scene with Nick and Zoe at The Sanctuary. At every opportunity, Archer had given her looks that made her wonder if it would happen then. If Nick and Zoe would suddenly appear and he’d slip into character, calling her “sub” or giving some other sign that the scene was afoot.
Several times over the last week, he’d taken her to BDSM parties, what they called munches, hosted by elite members of the club. But the party always turned out to be just another munch, and the scene never happened. He’d say things to her like he just had, about what fun he’d have with her, or he’d warn her, with a wink, that she’d better watch her back. But then it would turn out he was just taking her out on the town. She’d been on pins and needles the whole week. The sparkle in Archer’s eyes now told her that he was loving every moment of stringing her along. Would he finally do what she’d been waiting for tonight?
He waited a heartbeat, then another, letting her mind run.
“I’m going to take you out for dinner to celebrate your belt,” he added, his mouth twisting teasingly. “Nick and Zoe are coming to celebrate too. We’ll have a real good time ”
Gwen made a frustrated sound and he grinned. Dinner was great, but damn him. “Archer, you’re driving me insane!”
She wished she could have smacked him.
He kissed her cheek, his breath fanning her ear. “A good sub waits until Master is ready, don’t you know.”
“I hate you. So much.”
He made a kissing motion at her.
She opened her mouth to speak, but didn’t get the chance.
“Hey, Gwen.”
She spun. Chad smiled as he came to stand beside her. If he noticed her heated face, he gave no sign. She hugged him. “Chad. I still can’t believe you came. I wasn’t expecting any of the family to be here at all.”
“Yeah, well.” He clapped her on the back. “Don’t expect Dad or Ace to get their heads out of their asses anytime soon. You know how they are with grudges. And Mike and Joe are just as bad.”
“Yeah, I know.” She gave him another tight hug. It cut her that only Chad had shown up, even though she’d not expected any different. The day the rest of her family supported anything she did, hell would freeze over.
After Chad left, she and Archer spent about an hour more mingling with the students and other guests. Tony congratulated her along with the others. After, Archer, Nick, and Zoe led her out front, Tony shadowing them as always.
Outside, she gasped. A shiny black limo sat waiting for them.
“Oh, wow.” She beamed up at Archer. “A limousine?”
“Of course. It’s part of your gift for passing your yellow test.”
“I rented it for the night,” Nick said, nodding to the driver who opened the door for them. “So we can take our time without having to worry about giving it back.”
“Oh my God.” She hugged Nick, gave one to Zoe who smiled and held her in a lingering embrace, and then she squeezed Archer close. “Thank you guys so much. You guys are the best friends a girl ever had.” She lifted her head to Archer, and when he bent down, she cupped his head and kissed him warmly on the lips. “I love you.”
Archer squeezed her nape. “I love you too, little one.”
“We’ll see if the limo driver still likes us when he sees what a mess we make of the car,” Zoe said, following Nick into the back and sitting on the seat beside him. “Nick always manages to make a mess of these things. He treats them like his personal fuck pads.”
Gwen giggled. She giggled harder when Nick tugged on a lock of Zoe’s hair with a wolfish smile.
“Is Tony coming?” Gwen asked, looking back at him as he walked toward his car parked behind the limo.
“He’s going to follow behind us,” Archer said, giving the bodyguard a wave and setting his hand on Gwen’s back, letting her climb in. She took the seat opposite Nick and Zoe and grinned. Nick was fisting Zoe’s hair and eating slowly at her mouth.
“Should we leave you two alone?” Archer teased, sliding in beside Gwen.
“Not necessarily,” Nick said, smirking at him and squeezing a squirming Zoe’s thigh. “She knows I like an audience.”
Gwen’s cheeks flamed. Would they really do that in front of her and Archer? Her insides heated.
The limo pulled into traffic, and Gwen looked out the back window. Tony followed behind them, staying close. It amazed her how much safer she felt with him there on the busy darkened street.
After stopping at the hotel so she and Archer could change, they headed out to The Branding Iron, an upscale place where everyone was dressed in suits and ties or cocktail dresses. Decked in a black silk shirt and pants, Archer looked as delicious as he did in his gi. He insisted Gwen wear a slinky red dress he’d picked out for her earlier, shorter and tighter all around and lower in the front than the one she’d wore to the tournament. It shocked her that she didn’t feel the same self consciousness she had any other time she dressed this way. Instead, she felt sexy and free, uninhibited, and thrilled to be on Archer’s arm.
Inside the restaurant, dim light illuminated the tables, making the crisp white table clothes seem to glow. The low murmur of customers at the tables filled the room, and a waiter came to seat them.
With so many unfamiliar faces and no guards around them like there were at the parties the
y attended, anxiety bit into Gwen, and she pressed closer to Archer.
He set a hand on the small of her back. “You’re safe, Gwen. No one will get close to you with us here, and Tony will be right outside the door.”
He was right, of course. With him and Nick never more than a foot away, her stalker wouldn’t get close even if he’d followed them. Looking back, she saw Tony following them with a nod for her. She found Archer’s hand and squeezed with smile of thanks.
The waiter led them to a private dining room. Tony posted himself outside the only entrance to the room, his hands folded in front of him. Gwen relaxed as the waiter left and the doors closed.
Over steak, Mushrooms Neptune, and red wine, Archer toasted her victory in passing her yellow test, and she blushed furiously at the attention, but loved every moment of it.
“You’ve come a long way, Gwen,” he said beside her, kissing her hand. “I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you, Sensei.” She grinned, putting all the love she could into the title.
His eyes twinkled.
“I can’t believe how much you’ve changed,” Zoe said, sipping her wine and looking Gwen over as if seeing her in a new light. “You’ve really come out of your shell. It’s wonderful to see.”
“It’s impressive, what you’ve managed to do with her in only a few months,” Nick added to Archer. “Gwen, you’re almost a different person.”
She flushed again. “That means a lot, Nick. Thanks.”
“Karate seems to do that for a lot of people,” Archer said, cutting into his steak. “Back when I taught beginner’s classes, it was always interesting to see how many people walked into my dojo terrified and lost and come out so much more sure of themselves. It really does build confidence.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, Archer,” Gwen told him, popping a garlic and buttered mushroom topped with a cloud of potato into her mouth. “It’s not just the karate itself. I couldn’t have made the progress I have without you.”
He clasped her hand.
After taking their time over the meal, they got back into the limo, apparently headed for Nick and Zoe’s place to hang out. Once again, Tony stayed close behind.
Nick looked at his phone and shook his head. “Oh, shit. I forgot. Tonight. One of my friends was expecting me to make an appearance at his party.” He glanced at Archer. “It’s a bit of a ways out of Haven. I’d skip it, but he’s one of our biggest financial supporters for the hospital. Mind if we stop by?”
Nick made a point of not asking or even looking at Zoe, twining his hand in hers in a way that somehow smacked of command. Her face flushed, and Gwen swore she squirmed in her seat.
“Not at all.” Archer gave Gwen’s hand a tight squeeze, as if to stop her from protesting another party.
Damn it. Parties didn’t make her feel nearly as awkward as they used to after going to so many, but they still weren’t easy, and sometimes it was difficult not to worry that the stalker would be there, watching, even when the parties were exclusive and the kind that moved. Not to mention, she’d been hoping to spend more time with just the three of them. Unwilling to disappoint Archer, she forced a smile. “Not a bit, Nick.”
Clearly, she hadn’t done a good enough job hiding her irritation, because Nick gave her a sympathetic smile and Archer a nod, as if in thanks.
Nick lowered the glass partition between the front and back seats, murmuring instructions to the driver. The driver whispered a reply, and Nick put the glass back up.
Archer leaned toward her. “We’ll still have plenty of time alone.” He ran his fingers tantalizingly up her bare arm.
God, she hated this stalker. If not for him and his ability to somehow discover every time they became intimate, she was sure Archer would be promising to do all sorts of dirty things to her the minute they were alone.
The muscles in her stomach quivered. Her heart sped up, and nervousness ate at her. I can’t let him control me.
* * *
An hour later, the limo made its way along a path deep in the mountains outside the city, moonlight casting the peaks in shadow. Mount Seraph was a peak of black on black, almost invisible against the night. Gwen glanced out the window behind her. The long road that eventually led back into the Haven wound down Mount Seraph, and except for Tony’s car, there wasn’t another vehicle in sight. Thick trees ran on either side, adding to the secluded feel of the area. The driver Nick had hired had taken detours and doubled back, the way Archer always did when they went to parties like this, in case anyone decided to follow them. Would it be enough?
Archer slid his arm around her waist, pulling her close against him. The intense way he searched her face told her he picked up on her unease.
“I know the host for this one,” Archer said. “He’s a billionaire. His parties are like most of the others we’ve gone to. He has security guards patrolling his mansion at all times. No one but select members with invitations from him will get past the doors. No one’s getting near you tonight.”
“I know.” She ran her fingers over the side of his face, loving the strength in it.
A low, throaty moan from Zoe drew Gwen’s eye to the seat across from her. Nick had pulled Zoe onto his lap, leaning back in the seat. Zoe straddled him, and in the darkness, Gwen could just make out his big hands snaking under the back of her skirt. She ground herself against him, and he rumbled in pleasure against her lips. They kissed with open sensuality, the long slow kind of kiss that made Gwen’s muscles tighten with longing. Zoe hadn’t been lying when she said Nick used limos like his personal fuck pad.
Archer watched them with a curve of a smile, stroking Gwen’s hair. The front of his pants bulged, the hard line of his cock visible through his slacks.
Face flaming, Gwen’s fists tightened with the effort not to stroke him and she let her forehead fall against Archer’s shoulder with a moan.
His hand cradled her nape, his mouth close to her ear. “You want that scene, don’t you, sweet thing?” His deep voice stroked her need.
“Yes. I’m going crazy, Sir.”
“Patience, my little one.” He tipped her chin up. “Trust me?”
“Yes.” She had to trust him, had to put her pleasure in his hands and know he’d give her what she needed when he knew she needed it. “I trust you more than life itself, Sir.”
He hummed, a growled sound filled with approval and gratitude that made her heart feel huge.
“You’re so fucking beautiful tonight, you know that?” His mouth teased her ear. “So fucking hot. You have no idea what I want to do to you right now.” Then he lifted his head. “We’re almost there, aren’t we, Nick?”
Nick murmured agreement, still devouring Zoe’s mouth.
“Are we?” Gwen lifted up and looked out the tinted windows. There was nothing out here. Just a winding road. Behind, the tinting on the window muted the headlights on Tony’s car to sallow yellow moons.
“Yep. See?” Archer pointed at something out the front window as the car crested a hill.
Gwen stared at the three story mansion that loomed in the distance. The huge old house, rose like a specter, all iron bars, stone walls, and shadows.
“Wow. It’s wonderful,” Gwen rasped.
The driver drove up to a wrought iron gate, paused, and when the gate opened, the limo rolled on through. The car moved slowly, making Gwen feel as if she was entering some dark and forbidden place.
“This is amazing.” She grinned at Archer. “So, this is how billionaires live?”
“Some of them.” Archer chuckled.
“This house is way beyond anything I could ever dream of having,” Nick said as Zoe climbed off of him and rearranged her dress. “I could work like a dog until I’m eighty and never end up with anything like this.”
Which was saying something, considering that Nick was pretty well off.
The driver pulled up in front of the doors. Music pounded from inside the massive house, a low, throbbing beat. Excitement wended through
Gwen. She tugged on the short skirt of her dress.
“Now that we’re here.” Archer ran his fingers down her cheek, his voice soft. “What’s your safeword?”
A thrill suffused her, but it quickly dimmed. He always did this. Before each party, he asked her this, a warning that the scene might start, but it never did. This was just another tease, wasn’t it? “Red, Sir.”
“Right. There may be times when you can’t talk. What do you do?”
That was a signal to keep her eyes open, watch her back. Expect anything. She smiled and fought the urge to tell him how crazy he was making her. “Make a fist three times, Sir.”
“Good girl.” He kissed her shoulder. Then his eyes held hers. “I love you. No matter what I do, never forget that.”
He’d always said that, too, and she adored him for it, but hated him for it a little too. “I know, Sir.” She cupped his cheek. “I love you too.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
Completely casual.
His eyes gave away nothing, twinkling with a playful light.
“You’re kind of an ass, Sir.”
He grinned. Then he got out of the car. The driver opened the door for her and Archer was already waiting with a hand held out to her, speaking to Tony. The agent had followed them past the gate, parking his car behind them, and Archer instructed him to stay with the car.
Tony nodded and started talking to the limo driver.
Gwen took Archer’s hand and climbed out. She straightened her dress self consciously and twined her hands. Nick and Zoe followed her out of the car, Nick with his hand on the small of Zoe’s slender back. Archer put his arm around Gwen and started after them.
“Stop fidgeting,” he growled, leading her up the winding walkway in front of the house. “You look gorgeous.”
Her cheeks heated. She forced her hands to drop and focused on the house.
As they headed for the wide stairs that led to the large oak doors, she allowed a look around. A line had formed at the bottom of the steps, and guests were already being admitted by a bouncer who pulled a velvet rope aside every time he let someone pass. One security guard moved about the edges of the grounds, alert and watchful, dressed in a tux as though he were a member of the billionaire’s staff. Nick hadn’t been kidding about the security some of these people had.