Anarchy hurried to Jasper's side when he sat on the plush couch, nesting on his lap protectively. “You have a beautiful home, Thane. Connie said she was helping with the redecorating. She has the best eye for furniture—I told Jasper he needs to get her opinion for his new office.”
Thane slanted Connie a look as he limped to his favorite armchair, then summoned her with a crook of his finger. “Is that so? Did you decorate your own office, sugar? I have a partiality to that coffee table in your therapy area,” he said casually, although his mouth barely resisted smirking. Heat flared in his eyes. “I wouldn't mind having one like it right about there…” His finger pointed to where a small circular glass table acted as a catch-all.
Remembering exactly how they'd christened the one in her office, Connie flushed and clenched her buttocks tightly. The cleaning crew had done an amazing job by Tuesday morning, but nothing could erase the memories from her mind whenever she looked at the damn table. “You can have the one from the office,” she managed to say without stuttering, walking toward him with a slow, unhurried stride. “It's distracting.”
His eyebrow winged up. “Oh? How so?”
Fucker. She nearly spat the word before she reminded herself this wasn't the man she'd topped last night, or the man she'd been equal with just a couple of hours earlier. The gleam in his eyes was all dominant, which meant she'd been relegated back to being quiet, calm, and contemplative. She snorted to herself, then blushed savagely when all eyes in the room locked on her with amused interest.
When she reached Thane's side, she started to kneel. He had other ideas, spinning her around and yanking her onto his lap firmly, spreading her thighs over his. He pinched the inside of her thigh, just below the hem of his borrowed boxer shorts—he'd told her there was no point dressing properly, as his plans for the afternoon included getting her naked once their friends had gone—then rubbed the sting with his palm. “Come on, sugar, what's wrong with the table?”
This wasn't the intended conversation, Connie thought with a scowl. They had bigger, more important matters to discuss than the fact she got wet every time she looked at a piece of furniture. But his fingers were ready to pinch her tender inner thigh again, and she was wound too tight to be toyed with. “I'm not going to dignify that with a response, Sir. Can we please get on with what we're here to do? I'm sure everyone has better things to do with their time.”
The pinch came again. “No. Answer the question.”
Hardass fucking bastard. Seething, she crossed her arms over her chest defensively, refusing to meet the gazes of the three people patiently waiting for the little drama to unfold. “Fine. I don't need to be reminded that I…that I…” She dug her nails into her biceps, used the pain to bring her focus into one spot. “I conquered an obstacle on that damn thing.”
“Yes, you did. All the more reason for it to stay exactly where it is, as a daily reminder you're strong enough to overcome anything from your past.” Both of his hands rested lightly on the crease of her thighs where they met her groin. “So, back to whatever this impromptu meeting is for. I'm going out on a limb and saying the big secret revolves around the three of you, maybe Braun and Bodie?”
“Hang on, let me get him on speakerphone now that the entertainment portion of the afternoon is done,” Atticus grumbled, fiddling with his phone. After a few seconds, the sound of a connecting call sang from the speakers, followed by Braun's voice.
“Did you ask him yet?”
“Leaving that honor for you, brother.” Atticus leaned forward and set his phone on the glass top, central to everyone seated. “Might as well get the pleasantries out of the way before we dig down to the shit. You're on speaker, Braun.”
“Of course, I am. Sorry we can't be there. Bodie got herself overexcited last night, so she's on mandatory bedrest and enforced nap schedules for the rest of the weekend.” Braun's tone was wry. “You can imagine what I'm dealing with. Anyway, I know you're all there for a different reason, but before the darker side of Avalon rears its head, I'd like to make an announcement. This morning, a vote was held to appoint an additional two Masters into the fold. Both men were approved unanimously, should they accept.”
“Unanimously?” Thane shuffled Connie around on his lap, narrowed his eyes at her. “Do you get a vote?”
“My votes were cast last night, with Att as my proxy. Good job, seeing as I was otherwise preoccupied this morning.” She ran her hand over his short beard, smiling as she instigated a celebratory kiss. “Congratulations, Master Thane. Welcome to the inner circle of Avalon.”
Thane's face lit up like a little boy who'd found a puppy beneath the Christmas tree. “Seriously?”
“Seriously,” Jasper said soberly, while Archie jabbed two thumbs into the air in a victory dance. “We vetted a whole list of members, culled out the ones we liked and…didn't,” he added with a curl of his lip. “In the end, we narrowed it down to you and Saul, and both of you fit Avalon's criteria to a tee, even though you're both new to the club. You moreso,” he told Thane. “You proved your skills with Connie, and that was enough to balance out your newbie status. Congratulations.”
“We'll need an official yes or no,” Atticus advised him. “There'll be an announcement at Avalon tonight so Liam and Loki can join us. That gives you some time to think it over. It's a huge responsibility, but worth it.”
“Don't need time to think anything over. Are you okay with this, Connie? There's a lot going on with you right now, and I don't want you to think I'm encroaching into your space. You need to—”
“I voted for you, you idiot,” she whispered. “Take the damn title.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes, Master Thane. Welcome to the dark side.”
Cheeks ruddy with pleasure, Thane laughed and kissed her soundly. “Well then, you have your answer, gentlemen. It's a privilege to be considered. My answer is yes, I'd be honored.”
Anarchy whooped and wriggled excitedly on her Dom's lap, apparently oblivious to the rising edge of devilish lust in his pale blue eyes.
“Excellent. Saul's been notified and he's accepted the invitation as well. There will be some paperwork to fill out tonight, and I'll make sure you get the information packet on the club rules, additional guidelines, etcetera. It's a pleasure to have you on board, Thane. I'm sure you'll be a valuable team member.” Braun cleared his throat, then groaned. “Shit, I've got to go. Bodie! Don't you dare try and go to the bathroom by yourself. You're not climbing the stairs when you can barely stand up.”
Bodie's sharp retort was too muffled over the line, but the meaning was clear.
“Goddamn stubborn brat. Connie, you have my permission to tell Thane whatever he needs to know from our perspective. If you have any questions requiring a direct answer from me, Thane, you have my number. I'll see you tonight.” A harsh shout of, “Bodie!” echoed through the room before the call cut off.
“Bodie's in trouble again.” Atticus shook his head ruefully. “She just doesn't learn.”
“She's frustrated and acting out,” Connie countered with a baleful glare. “The more she acts out, the busier she keeps Braun, which in turn means he's not worrying about things out of his control. She's taking care of him every bit as much as he's looking after her.”
“He won't stand for that for long,” Jasper pointed out. “I know a kitten who tries to top from the bottom on a regular basis. After several punishments, it's taken me a while to find one that doesn't turn her on. Isn't that right, kitten?”
Anarchy pursed her lips innocently, nonchalantly swinging her legs and dragging her toes back and forth over the carpet. “I believe I don't know what you're speaking of, Master Jasper. I am the embodiment of submissive perfection, incapable of the crime you accuse me of.” She pressed a dramatic hand to her heart. “I'm wounded you would even think—”
“What's your fun new punishment, Anarchy?”
Her shoulders sagged as she pouted. “Lemon juice enema with a peppermint rinse. It's only fun
for the sadist.”
Connie's eyes widened. “Jesus, Jasper.”
The fresh laugh lines around the sadist's eyes had only sprung up in the last few weeks, but they made a huge difference to his face. Made him look younger, lighter. Anarchy was his world, completely. “Lemon juice only creates mild irritation in the bowels. It's actually recommended for a healthy colon. It's a little more uncomfortable with the peppermint rinse.” His grin spread wickedly. “Wait until she's really bad and I let loose with the ginger.”
She swore on everything holy and sacred in her life that her own digestive tract shriveled up and barricaded her sphincter closed. “Okay, we need to get off this subject before it gets a life of its own. I called you for a reason, Jasper.”
He nodded and ran a hand through his hair. “Yes. I appreciate you giving us a heads up, Con.”
“It isn't a heads up. It's a request. If you don't agree, I won't say a word, and Thane will understand. Won't you?” she asked the man petting her thigh as though she was a cat. “We all know the value of secrets and privacy, and this isn't my story to tell.”
“No, it's mine,” Archie chimed in. She leaned back against Jasper's chest and played with his fingers as he linked his hand protectively over her abdomen. “And it's Jasper's. Hell, some of it belongs to Atticus too. I think everyone had a hand in the mess I made, trying to mop it up.”
Thane hummed quietly. “I told Connie last night to make me work for the secrets she could share. Make me jump through the biggest hoops she could find. While it would be nice to be in the loop, especially if it helps me understand Connie better, I can bide my time. I don't want anyone to feel pressured into divulging anything they're not ready to. I'm practically a stranger, regardless of how close Connie and I have become.”
“Boy, you wouldn't have your hands on her if I didn't trust you.” Atticus shifted in his chair, his foot on his opposite knee, stroking a fingertip over his lower lip thoughtfully. “The question is, where do we start? Braun's relationship with Bodie was thorny as fuck; yours with little bit was just a clusterfuck,” he admonished Jasper.
“Don't remind me,” Jasper fired back, eyes blazing. “I still want to deck you for putting your cock—”
“No!” Anarchy and Connie shouted together.
“How many times do we have to tell you two not to go there?” Connie snapped at Jasper, throwing her hands in the air. “Atticus was inside Archie for all of two seconds before she safeworded. You were being a dick, you don't get to whine about it. And you.” She jabbed a finger at the massive Master smirking in his chair. “You don't get to rub those two seconds in his face anymore. You know damn well it winds him up like a clock.”
“That's the fun part.” A slow, calculating smile replaced his smirk.
Connie growled. The pair of them might be skilled in the art of fighting and murder, but they could be such arrogant pricks at times. Shuffling on Thane's lap, she glowered at Atticus. “Friends do not taunt friends over submissives, Att. Of all the Doms in the fucking universe, you should know how territorial the breed is. You're the worst!”
“Harmless entertainment, Constance. Jasper knows I'd no more make a move on Archie than I'd cut my own damn arm off. Speaking of territorial…” Cunning calculation brewed in those sinful green eyes as they assessed Thane. “How are you getting on with Connie's aversion to anal?”
Connie hissed, torn between killing Atticus herself or letting Thane do it for her. As her Dom stiffened, his fingers biting possessively into her flesh, she refrained from launching across the short distance separating her from Atticus and giving him several kicks to his precious balls. She bared her teeth at him, only for Thane's hand to sneak around the side of her head and clamp over her mouth.
“What aversion?” her lover fired back casually. “Connie was the poster girl for the perfect anal submissive last week.”
Face burning with mortification, she tried to wrench herself free from Thane's makeshift gag. His other hand stroked her thigh as though her private boundary lines weren't being hacked off at the roots. Goddamn him, goddamn Atticus. Hating them both, she reached up and shoved at Thane's wrist, but he simply held her exactly where he wanted her.
“You'll find I don't respond to being baited, Atticus. When a stunning woman like Connie falls into my hands, I'm not thinking about whose hands have been on her or who has intimate knowledge about her—I'm just fucking thankful it's me who gets to do all the wicked, wonderful shit I want with her.” His thumb caressed the side of her cheek, still muting her with his palm. “Anything you ask me about the more delicate issues Connie's going through will be answered with a ridiculous response. She has the right to decide what she does and doesn't want to disclose, so if you want an honest reply, speak to the woman herself.”
Okay, so maybe she wasn't quite as inclined to murder Thane as she had been. In fact, she was pleased with his retort. It just showed how he wouldn't cave beneath the petty masculine banter fired back and forth between the Masters on a regular basis. Maybe, just maybe, he'd keep her secrets safe until she was ready to expose them.
When she stopped vibrating with fury and relaxed against his shoulder, Thane's hand drifted down from her mouth to collar her throat.
“Touché, Thane.” Atticus tilted his head in acknowledgement of the point scored. “Now we know where we stand, welcome to the inner circle. Little bit,” he addressed Archie, “why don't you fill Thane in on your escapades with Jasper.”
“Me? Oh, but…we should start with Braun and Bodie. Their story is what brought me and Jasper together.”
Connie's ears pricked up as she caught the nervous waver in her friend's voice. What was that about? Fuck, were they putting too much weight on those slim shoulders? Eyes narrowing on Archie's body language, she tried to read the stubborn little sub's mind. Anarchy had become adept at concealing herself from those around her if she didn't want to be seen as anything other than strong.
Apparently, Jasper had noticed the quiver in his kitten's tone, because his gaze narrowed too.
“I'm familiar with Braun's courtship of Bodie, and what happened to her, courtesy of her family.” Thane cradled Connie more firmly on his thighs, anchoring her with his arms as he rested all his attention on the blonde sitting on her Dom's lap in an almost identical position. “Atticus filled me in the night Connie went AWOL on the ridge. It sounds as though you and Jasper had a rougher time than even Bodie did.”
“Big difference. What happened to Bodie was tragic. Tragic and unfair and so far out of her control.” Archie's chin wobbled as she turned her head to look at Jasper. “Our story isn't as forgiving. It starts with a traumatic childhood and evil people, and culminates in blood, pain, and murder.”
“It's not finished yet, kitten.” Jasper cuddled her, the savage glint of vengeance in his eyes. Yet for all the hostility in his expression, his hands were quiet and gentle on his submissive, providing no insight into what they were truly capable of achieving.
Connie worried for them both. Anarchy had already proved she would kill to protect the man she loved, and Jasper was beyond skilled in the art of death. Even though his parents had pulled a bait and switch to escape meeting justice, no one rested easily knowing Dominic and Rita were unleashed. Atticus had sucked Jasper and Archie into the bosom of his security company, and Connie was aware that Anarchy now had access to a shitload of information that could be put to use tracking the loathsome assholes who'd tortured Jasper as a boy.
It wouldn't take much to have her friends tumbling into hell with a single misstep.
“No, it's not. I'll find them,” Archie told him earnestly. “When I do, we'll make them pay for everything they did to you. I'm being cryptic, I'm sorry, Thane. Let me start back at the beginning when I walked up to the bar at Avalon as my Master here came out of the walkway. My heart fell out of my chest and left a bloody smear on the floor as it skidded to a halt at Jasper's feet.”
“Been there,” Thane muttered, squeezing Connie's thigh.
“When Bodie was hospitalized after the attack, I spent so much time with Jasper in the waiting room. I'd made up my mind I was in love with him, and I wasn't backing down. For the next nine months, I became his shadow. Did my best to be someone I wasn't and turned myself into the perfect submissive just so I could be near him.” She smiled ruefully. “Backfired, totally. Jasper got it in his head he'd be noble and cut me loose, which of course destroyed me.”
“I got you a Daddy Dom to play with,” her Master reminded her. “Not that it helped.”
“I didn't want Atticus—no offense, Sir,” she told the smug giant. “All I wanted was to show Jasper I could handle his sadism. That we'd be perfect together if he stopped seeing me as sweetness and light, something he could damage, and believed I could be everything. Long story short, Jasper left. I went home and decomposed into my couch for a while until Connie and Atticus dragged me out. Jasper came home and claimed me.”
“Wise man.”
“Around the same time, Bodie hadn't been feeling well. She ended up in hospital, and found out she was pregnant. That the pregnancy might not be viable to full-term, and she was all damaged internally. It was at the same time that Jasper's parents got back in touch after like twenty years.” She rolled her beautiful brown eyes in disgust.
“This is probably where I should fill you in on said parental figures, Thane. They are narcissistic scientists, child abusers with no conscience. Murderers.” Jasper's tone was dead, colder than ice. He meant every word he said. “Anything you can think of that can be done to a human being, to a child, they did. Dominic impregnated women, then took the babies so his bitch wife could train them, drug them, test them in her lab. We were kept in isolation, no bonds were allowed to form. Life came down to drugs, training, and pain. We were used to rape and kill.”
“That's enough, Sir.” Anarchy nuzzled against his throat in comfort. “We'll find them, I promise.”
“We will. I started getting phone calls from my father. I'd run away from that hellhole when I was still wet behind the ears, trying to build a life I could be proud of. Dominic used Archie against me—my father wanted me to go home and be his stud dog to produce the next generation of children to be fucked up beyond repair in that mansion. He’d have taken her, raped her, bred her, and made me watch. There was no way I was doing anything for him.”
Talk For Me: Club Avalon Book 3 Page 33
