He reached out and patted her hand. “There's no need to be nervous, sugar.”
Maybe for him, there wasn't. The phone call he'd gotten from Braun earlier while he cooked dinner had been enthusiastic enough that she understood Thane had been elevated into the higher ranks of the club brotherhood after his efforts the night before. The Masters had rolled out the red carpet and tossed a welcome mat on the floor for him.
She was happy for him, truly. There was nothing, and no one, like the Avalon family and the people within it, but goddamn it, if he was the hero, she would either be the dastardly villain or the silly, hapless female who'd needed rescuing. Which she hadn't, she reminded herself. She'd been perfectly content in her hidey-hole beneath the giant rock formation, drowning herself in misery and whisky.
Morning might have been a different story. A migraine that severe would have left her unable to move, and with no meds within crawling distance, she'd likely still be throwing up and wishing she could disassemble her head until the agony ended.
Damn him.
“I hate being shouted at.” She picked at her thumbnail. “Atticus is going to be livid. I don't want to talk to Braun. This is going to devolve into a big, ugly mess, and I'm not in the mood to deal with the big, mighty Doms pounding their fists on their chests.” She felt her internal organs shrivel as he pulled up in the parking lot and cut the engine. “Why do I feel like I'm twelve and about to walk into an hour-long lecture from my father?”
“Because you're on the receiving end of a punishment rather than doling it out,” Thane said bluntly, leaning over to kiss her sweetly. She felt the tension of her seatbelt ease as he popped the catch. “You can either stand up to them as the Domme and start an argument, or practice submission and gracefully listen to what they have to say. If they shout at you, I'll step in. I want you in a pliant state of mind when they're done with you, not a combative one.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “No—”
Thane tapped his finger on her lips, his eyebrow rising. “If you tell me no anal one more time tonight, I'm dragging you straight into the private room and stretching you open with the biggest plug I can find. You can listen to the Masters lecturing you with a constant reminder of why not to piss me off.”
She squeezed her thighs together. “That's against the terms of our agreement.”
“No, it's not. You're nervous, you're second-guessing what we've agreed, and I get it. But trust me.” He tapped her on the nose, his amber eyes gleaming with command. “Looks like we're the only ones here, so let's go face the music before we gain an audience.”
She glared at the lights on the porch. “We're never the only ones here. They're waiting in there like wolves, hiding in the shadows. As soon as we step through the door, they'll pounce.” Her attention shifted back to Thane. “I'm a goner.”
“I promise I'll smack them all with a paddle if they pounce. Bad doggies,” he said in a hard tone. “Bad doggies.”
Defeated, she laughed and bounced her head off the headrest. “Goddamn it, this is serious. Jasper has a sjambok and he's adept at using the fucking thing. It leaves welts, Thane. Welts.” She shrugged off the seatbelt as he chuckled and exited the truck, shoving open her door. “Anarchy calls it Master Hippo Stick. It was given its own honorific, for God's sake.”
“I have no idea what a sjambok is, but you don't need to concern yourself with it,” Thane assured her, reaching her as she swung her legs from the truck. He lifted her onto the gravel, then shut the door and engaged the locks. “If there's impact play involved, I'll take care of it. No one needs to resort to hitting anyone with a hippo.”
“Hippo Stick,” she corrected fiercely. “Master Hippo Stick.”
“Mmm-hmm.” Ever the gentleman, he pressed his hand to her lower back and pushed her reluctant body toward the entrance. Because she was sulking, Connie hadn't dressed up for the evening. She'd gone with casual, comfy, and drab. “The faster we get this over with, the sooner I can tie you down and fuck you. There, that's something for you to look forward to.”
“Maybe I'd rather fuck you,” she mumbled, kicking at a pebble that caught her eye. She missed, then stomped to the steps, her sneakers thudding petulantly on the wood.
“I've only been pegged once. It was a bit of a disaster,” Thane confessed, without a trace of embarrassment. “She used so much lube, she couldn't get the damn dildo in, then spent twenty minutes slapping my ass with the fucking thing. In the end, it was either call it quits or put it in myself.”
Connie stopped dead and spun slowly to face him. “You've been pegged. You.”
“Once. I got the dildo in, but my Domme for the night wasn't used to wearing the harness. She got an A for effort, a D for technique, and a huge fucking F for the overall experience. I always said if I tried it again, I'd need to do it with a woman who didn't lube the dildo as though she was basting a turkey, and someone who has at least the barest minimum of rhythm.”
Connie snorted out a laugh as he steered her through the doors. “Hands and knees?”
“Hands and knees, freshly waxed butt crack for the long-awaited occasion, and everywhere else perfectly manscaped. I was attempting to make a good impression, but I shouldn't have bothered. Never again will I have all the hairs around my anus ripped out for the approval of a Domme who gets frustrated by a rubber dick.”
The snort escalated into a full-blown laugh. She had to stop and brace her hand on the wall, fresh laughter surfacing every time she envisioned some poor woman wrestling with a floppy rubber phallus attached to her groin. She shouldn't laugh, she'd had her own mishaps in the early stages of her learning curve, but perhaps that was why she found it so funny.
Plus, tonight, laughing was so much better than crying.
“Yeah, it was hilarious,” Thane commented dryly, nudging her past the empty desk in the foyer. “My asshole didn't see the humor in it, considering it was seeing the light of day for the first time. In fact, it was quite apprehensive.” He stepped past her as she laughed harder, opening one of the double doors into the social area and ushering her through.
Through the blur of tears skewing her vision, Connie saw several figures waiting. They cut her laughter off at the knees, one quick swipe of a blade. Hastily, she used the sleeves of her sweatshirt to dry her eyes, shrinking against Thane when she discovered a wall of testosterone staring at her.
What the hell am I cowering for? she thought in disgust. She straightened, squaring her shoulders for battle, then deflated when Thane cleared his throat quietly. Meaningfully. Shit. He'd told her she could storm in leading with her dominant persona, or smooth the way with submission. Her friends were all geared up for a fight, she could smell it on the air like gasoline fumes.
To light the match or not?
She gritted her teeth in frustration, losing her antagonistic body language. Thane rewarded her with a covert stroke of his hand over her ass, and a little pat. He might as well have tapped out good girl in Morse code.
Thane stepped in to save everyone from the awkward silence. “Evening, gents. Before you all jump on Connie about her actions last night, you should know that we've entered an agreement. I'd appreciate it if the details I'm about to give you go no further than everyone present.” He inhaled deeply. “As you're aware, Connie is a Switch. What I haven't told you is that I am, too. For the foreseeable future, Connie and I will be using our common interests to work together and achieve what she needs.”
Loki grinned. “I knew there was something about you that didn't quite fit.” His eyes flicked from Thane to Connie, and he studied her face as though looking for something in particular. “I'm mad at you, sweetie, but that'll wait. Are you happy with what you're getting yourself into?”
Oddly, she was. There were a few nerves hopping around in her belly, but otherwise… “Yes, Sir. I am.”
Atticus blinked slowly before a smug smile curved his lips. He gave her a nod of approval, then relaxed his hostile stance. He said nothing, but she got th
e impression he was pleased with her. It gave her a warm feeling inside, soothing some of those nerves.
Jasper grabbed Braun's arm in what appeared to be a bruising grip. “Did she just—”
“She did,” Braun said slowly. “Maybe it was a fluke?”
“Not a fluke,” Loki chimed in, his expression stunned. “I think Thane's done the impossible. He tamed the Domme.”
Oh, ouch. That pinched her pride. As it resonated inside her, the Domme threatened to rear up and show Loki exactly how untamed she was. Her hands fisted at her sides and she took a step forward before Thane's hand landed on the back of her neck and squeezed lightly. Closing her eyes, she stepped back and ground her teeth.
“Less of that, if you please,” Thane admonished. He squeezed and released, squeezed and released, until her hands went limp. She opened her eyes again as his voice darkened, turned strict. Yummy. “There will be no jokes, no insinuations, about this. Not here. In the public forum,” he gestured to the room, “Connie will be in charge, and her identity as a Dominant will remain intact until she's ready to reveal herself. In the private rooms and at home, the tables will turn.”
Connie felt herself cringe under the collective weight of her friends' stares. This was stupid, how could she expect them to understand what she didn't really have a handle on yet? For years, she'd believed she could only be one or the other, Dominant or submissive, and her brain was scoffing at the idea of being both. If she wasn't completely on board with it, she couldn't be shocked if they weren't either.
“Okay, yeah. My apologies,” Loki told her, an edge of sincerity in his voice that he rarely used. “I'll keep my mouth shut.”
Connie gaped at him.
“I think we can all agree that Thane has this under control. We care about you, Connie,” Jasper said, a frown marring his brow. Those blue eyes of his searched hers, then he nodded. “You've picked a tough road, but a brave one. We'll be here to support you, but I'm satisfied the new guy can give you what you need.” That stare flicked over to Thane. “If he doesn't, he'll answer to me first.”
Thane leaned down close to her ear. “Sjambok?”
“Yes, Sir. That would be my guess,” she muttered back.
“Hmm, I'm intrigued,” he said absently, then straightened. Nothing seemed to faze him, not even an unspoken threat of being mercilessly whacked by the resident sadist and his hippo stick. “While I appreciate your faith in me, and y'all not beating me to death for daring to lay hands on Connie, I'm gonna have to step over the line and ask that none of you Dom from the backseat. We have talked about what we both want and need from this, and Connie doesn't want outside involvement for the time being.”
Her head bobbed, grateful he'd remembered to bring it up. It was something she'd blurted out over dinner as it popped into her head. She felt strongly about it, knowing how involved the Masters could be when they felt they were needed. Unless Thane had a personality change, she didn't want her friends to see her bared and vulnerable—not until she was comfortable in that skin herself.
“Connie?” Atticus asked gently as he folded his arms over his massive chest.
“I love you guys, all of you. But right now, I can't submit the way Thane demands and worry about what you're thinking. I'm nervous about doing this, whether I can do this, and I don't need a mountain of paranoia to climb as well.” She slipped her hand into Thane's, took a breath when he gripped her fingers. “You started this, Master Atticus. I'm asking you to step back and let me finish it.”
Jungle-green eyes locked on her face, unreadable for a long moment. As anxiety grew in her core, they lost their dark edge, and he rubbed his hand over his beard. A sign he wasn't as upset as his craggy features indicated, thank God. If Atticus started a brawl, the other Masters would join in, and Thane would likely be broken in a few unfortunate places. “Well, when a sub asks so nicely, who am I to deny her? Looks like the group spanking is cancelled, guys.”
Connie jolted as her friends groaned in synchronized disappointment. They were going to spank her? All of them? She had no recollection of granting anyone permission to spank her, then yanked her own chain to bring her thoughts back into alignment. She didn't have a say in who spanked her or did anything to her—those decisions fell to Thane from now on.
Maybe they should have talked about that.
“Oh no, she's not getting away with it that easily,” Jasper stated, shaking his head. “Sorry, Con, but you have shit to pay penance for. Crashing your car in a bush, buying far too much alcohol, drinking too much fucking whisky,” he counted them off on his fingers. “Dragging all of us out into the great beyond looking for you, making us so damn worried that Atticus had to send a drone up. Hours of hunting through the desert. Anything else?” he asked the others, displaying six fingers.
“Not telling us about the migraines,” Braun growled, his jaw tightening. “Or where you keep your pain meds in case of an emergency.”
“I second that one,” Atticus added. “Jasper, add two fingers for that.”
Dutifully, the sadist popped up an additional two digits, taking the total to eight. “Thane's going to have fun with this. Anyone want to round things up to ten?” Pale blue eyes brightened with anticipation. “I have the perfect toy for you to play with, Thane. Doesn't require a lot of force behind a swing to leave a lasting reminder of why a sub should behave, and it hugs a curvy ass in all the right places. Makes naughty little girls sing like canaries, and yours has such a sweet voice.”
Apparently, the Masters were already at ease with her new status. They weren't having too much trouble treating her like a submissive, even if she was struggling to remember she couldn't fire back snappy retorts without consequences. She discovered she was inching away from Jasper, acknowledging his dominance.
Thane tugged her back beside him. “Mine, gentlemen. She's all mine,” he said with a satisfied edge to his voice. “Connie will be suitably reprimanded for her actions last night, and I won't need a whip to make her sing. She'll think twice before scaring the shit out of us again.” He checked his watch, a wicked grin curving his lips. “Oh, look at the time. A good thing we came early, sugar. You've got just enough time to go strip in the locker room. Don't forget to bring your clothes with you.”
Say yes and do what he's told you. The agreement dictated you would try and be the best sub you could be. You promised him you'd obey his orders as long as they didn't cross the lines you laid out, and this doesn't. Skirts fairly close, but doesn't cross them.
Doesn't cross them, Connie told herself. Thane had proposed that the Masters didn't fall under the heading of In Public. They were aware of the situation, of her predicament, and therefore they slipped under the line in the form of In Private. She'd argued that public meant anyone who wasn't Thane, but had been effortlessly shut down.
It was okay, she just shouldn't look at anything but the floor. The floor couldn't judge her. The floor was neutral.
Thane and Atticus had seen her naked, so that was no big deal. Atticus was in possession of intimate knowledge of how she looked when she orgasmed, what she sounded like when she fell apart. She'd seen Braun and Jasper in their weakest moments, helped them through the worst times. What was physical nakedness compared to exposing the emotions that hurt someone most?
Connie wet her dry lips. She focused her attention on everyone's feet, starting with her own. Scuffed, battered sneakers that were so comfy, she couldn't bring herself to part with them. Heavy shitkickers on Thane's feet, on Atticus's. Big men with big feet. Shiny black dress shoes to go with Braun's smart pants, brown loafers for Loki. Liam had worn his best black and red sneakers for the occasion.
“Whatever you wish, Master Thane.”
It was harder than she thought to let go of his hand. He'd become her crutch, and losing the warmth, the support, unsettled her. But she made herself step back, back again, then turn and walk away. Cradling the hand he'd held between her breasts, she headed into the locker room. The moment the door swung clos
ed behind her, she bent over and breathed deep.
If tonight was the beginning of something new, she had to embrace experiencing everything Thane could give her. Of course, she’d rather be the one doing the teaching, but the past ten days had proven she couldn’t have everything she wanted.
Not anymore.
Chapter Seven
As soon as his dumbstruck sub rounded the corner and disappeared into the locker rooms, Thane braced for the verbal attack from the Masters. He'd seen their faces, the carefully disguised emotions they'd been concealing from their friend. They were concerned, understandably. Loki and Liam seemed fairly content with the situation, maybe because it meant they wouldn't be getting their balls busted by Connie if she suddenly shrugged off her submissive cloak and morphed into the Domme.
Braun, Jasper, and Atticus, however, were more…violent. Thane was aware that two of them had submissives of their own, but he supposed when a woman—who was more like a sister than just a member of the club—entered into a new and unchartered kink district with a relative stranger, it was bound to raise some hackles, and some concerns.
He spread his arms wide. “You've got five minutes, tops, to get your opinions out. She's going to take a minute, maybe two, to get herself under control, and it won't take her long to undress. Add in a few extra minutes for procrastination, and time's running short to murder me.”
Three intense gazes pinned him on the spot. Dark blue, ice blue, and diabolical green.
“Murder you?” Jasper hissed through his teeth. “Brother, I could kiss you.”
“Poisoned lip balm?” Thane asked suspiciously.
Atticus laughed and stepped forward to slap him on the shoulder. Luckily, the giant pulled the blow slightly, knocking Thane’s breath for a beat rather than dislocating his joint. “With J, anything's possible. Long story for another day,” he added when Jasper rolled his eyes. “The homicide blueprints are locked in Braun's safe. Every last detail plotted perfectly, down to where we'll scatter your body parts if you hurt our girl. Until then, you're part of the family, Thane.”
Talk For Me: Club Avalon Book 3 Page 16
