She crouched there, blank and completely shaken, struggling to maintain her human form. If she shifted now, she wouldn’t be able to stop him if he went for her dog.
“You embarrass me and yourself,” he hissed and his face hardened. “You’re fat. You’re clumsy and I don’t want you taking your clothes off in public. End of story.”
Sylvester had whined from his pillow next to her side of the bed and tried to stumble in her direction. Clover met Ellis’s eyes and she stiffened in shock. His murderous expression had left no doubt in her mind what he would do to the dog if he caught him.
Determination pushed the fear from her and she thrust herself between them.
“No baby. You stay there.” She pushed Sylvester under the big bed, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She lifted her chin and stared Ellis down. “Leave him alone.”
“You love that damned dog more than you do me.” He kicked out at Sylvester’s retreating form and she once again moved in his path to intercept the blow. His steel-toed boot caught her in the shin and she yelped in pain. Then, he lashed out with his hand, connecting with the other side of her face.
Stars shot behind her eyes and they filled with angry tears.
Was this how it was going to be? She’d moved in with him because she’d fallen for his charms and what she thought were common goals. God, how wrong she’d been.
She saw Gracie in her mind’s eye and her resolve strengthened. He would never stop. Never. All she could do to survive this was leave. She had to protect Sylvester and herself.
He was right about one thing. She did love her dog more than him and she would protect him with her life if need be.
Fury hummed beneath her skin and she deliberately held her ground.
He was not going to harm her dog. Not ever. Again, she stepped in his path as he maneuvered around her, trying to reach the dog when he poked his head out after hearing her distress.
“Come here, you little bastard.”
“Sylvester get under the bed!”
“You bitch!” He swung at the dog and she intercepted him, the force jarring her back a step.
“Stop it.”
With a violent push, Ellis shoved her to the side and she fell against the mattress, but by now Sylvester had fled beneath the bed, the queen size mattress shielding him from harm.
The old Clover would have shifted and be under the bed with him, but today something was different and she was tired of taking his shit.
“Don’t interfere.” His lips had twisted into a hateful sneer.
She staggered to her feet, her heart hammering in her chest, fear making her lips numb. Her hands curled into fists and she stepped forward, blocking him.
Her nose wriggled, her whiskers threatening to pop. She dug her nails into her palms and tried to focus.
Don’t change. Not now. Sylvester needs you.
“Leave. Him. Alone.”
“Bitch...”
He lashed out and propelled her to the floor and then used his foot to force her ass down when she struggled to escape and climb to her knees.
Get out. Get out. Get out.
Gracie’s words had played in her head, over and over. If she didn’t, she’d be dead. Or worse, he’d finally catch Sylvester and she’d wish she was.
Her rabbit began to thump, her foot sounding out a panic that moved to the beat of Clover’s heart.
Danger. Danger. Danger.
No shit.
She had to get away and save them both.
There was no other option.
Clover groaned and tried to wriggle out from beneath Ellis’s booted foot but her body was tired.
“I don’t think so.” He released her only to step to the side, watching her with an ugly smirk on his face.
“No...” She crawled toward the bedroom door but he stopped her by stomping on her hair.
“You’re not leaving me. I’ll see you dead first. You and that stupid dog.” Then he kicked her in the gut, hard. She curled up in a fetal position as the pain radiated from her stomach outward. Nauseous and aching, she listened to him moving down the hall.
Clover had no doubt he meant what he said. She stayed on the floor where he left her until she heard the door to the apartment door slam shut. A glance at the digital clock showed three-thirty in the afternoon. He’d be going in for his shift at the hardware store.
Sylvester emerged from under the bed and sat next to her purse, shivering. She wasn’t taking any chances. Carefully, she maneuvered her sore body to her feet and grabbed him and whatever she could, and got the hell out before Ellis came home.
Her life was about to become not much more than the small suitcase and boxes of her clothes, but she couldn’t have done more. There was no telling how long he would have been gone and the thought of facing him again made her want to die.
No. She had to go. It was now or never, before he did her irreparable harm or killed her.
She got in her car and eyed the plastic pet store bag on the front floorboard, and was glad she thought to grab a few cans of his digestive health dog food that morning before she went to work at the café. Her fur baby needed a special kibble for his weight control and metabolism, too, and the damned stuff wasn’t cheap. At thirty dollars for a small bag, it was expensive but she would do anything she had to get it for him, including working overtime.
Sylvester’s pills didn’t come cheap, either, but the medication kept the swelling in his brain down to a minimum. If anything happened to her boy, she didn’t know what she would do. He was the only constant in her life except Megan, and she was all the way in Houston. Well...and Gracie. She had to call her soon to let her know she wouldn’t be coming in to work tomorrow, or in the foreseeable future.
Sylvester scratched at his ear and snuggled down into the towel.
“Hey, boy.” She reached over to pat him on his little salt and pepper head. He’d been through so much. She had to make sure they found a safe place to live and that was most decidedly not in her car. Even if she wanted to, the Texas heat was unbearable.
She should have seen the signs better, but damned if she hadn’t trusted Ellis and his blond hair, and twinkling, blue eyed good looks. An asshole to the core, he’d taken everything from her and she’d been dumb enough to let him. Her bank account, her self-esteem, and today, almost her life.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
And now here she was, broke as hell and stranded in the middle of bum fuck who knows where. She moved to Texas to follow where her heart led her. So far, she wasn’t impressed with her choices.
“Shit.” Clover banged her palm against the steering wheel and felt the prickle of tears form behind her eyes. No. She wasn’t going to cry, damn it. There had to be some way to make it to Houston. Maybe someone inside this place knew a mechanic.
Yeah, right, she thought bitterly. With what money? She had next to nothing and had been counting on the audition in the hope she could start over. Her entire life was in this car and now it was crapping out on her, too. She reached for her phone and then remembered it was dead.
Now what was she going to do?
You shouldn’t have left.
“Shut up.”
That was the trap she’d been held in for much too long. It was easy...until the next time.
A soft moan escaped her lips before she could stop it and she shook her head to try and clear the cobwebs. Clover gazed out at her surroundings, thankful that it was quiet, at least. Most Monday nights were, in her experience with night clubs.
The lot was deserted except for a couple of cars up next to the building. The sign on the side of the building was one word.
Inferno.
Clover started the car again and said a prayer as she inched it a little closer to the club. As she turned off the engine again, the car shuddered and went silent, the only sounds her ragged breathing and the tick tick of the cooling system. She had to do something. Either walk back down the highway or go ask the people inside for help.
>
She didn’t know anyone here and, without money, her options were limited.
Opening the door, she got out and went around to gather Sylvester into her arms. The heat of the night was stifling. She slammed the door shut, locking it securely. Everything she owned was in the back seat and in the trunk, including her best clothes for the audition.
She would only be gone a few minutes at the most. Fudging with her keys, she unlocked the car and dragged a dark towel over the boxes and small suitcase covering the back seat. What the eyes didn’t see the heart didn’t want...or something like that. She nervously glanced at the large building, straightened her chin, and sucked in a deep breath.
Leash in place, she marched Sylvester toward the grass. Crickets chirped in the quiet night and a soft humid breeze slid over her. All she wanted to do was lay down and sleep, but first she had to find a place that was safe.
“Come on, sweetie. You need to go.”
He tentatively took a step forward, wincing and growling as a tall weed slapped him in the face.
“Oh, honey.” Clover walked with him, relieved when he did his business. “Come on. We have to talk to some nice people and see if they’ll help us.”
She scooped him back up into her arms, happy that he was with her. The day could have gone much worse.
It was getting late, but maybe with cars in the lot there would be someone inside. There had to be. Purse over her arm and Sylvester draped against her chest, she made her way across the asphalt and reached for the door.
Chapter Two
Master Richard stalked the hallway, his lips compressed in a scowl. It was Monday night and things were quiet, and he was finally able to work on his book. The photographs were ready, but now, just looking at them twisted his gut and made him want to throw the whole series into the back-lot dumpster and light it on fire.
It wasn’t the quality of work but the subject. Sarah had betrayed him and, sure as fuck, he didn’t want her conniving face taking up any real estate in his books.
His panther snarled, fur bristling at the thought of her. His human side had wanted to claim her as his mate but his cat had always resisted him. He’d never understood it until he’d walked in and witnessed what his animal knew all along.
When he’d received Master Cage’s invitation for a position at Inferno, he’d jumped at the chance.
“I could use a man of your caliber here,” Cage had said. “And, if you like, you can hang some of your work on the walls in the club. We could sell the book in the new shop that’s going in.”
Over the last year, Inferno had undergone extensive reconstruction and modernization, and Master Richard liked what the other Master had proposed. Pulling in high end bondage equipment was a tremendous investment, but one Cage felt would be worthwhile in the end. In addition, Master Cage was implementing one of the industry’s cutting-edge security systems and, in light of what happened with Cage’s lover, Richard completely understood why.
No one should worry about their safety at Inferno. The club’s reputation had been built on a strict set of rules and the employment of Dommes and Doms that understood their way around the implements used and the people who came under their care and tutelage. Being asked to join their team was an honor. Having his pictures featured in the club was a boon that had done nothing but increase his sales and quadruple their social media pull in this age of Fifty Shades. The general public was becoming aware of BDSM and Cage wanted him to run the social media platform surrounding the club.
“You’ll do it justice. Have a YouTube channel, if you want. Instagram. Hell, tweet yourself sick. Just make sure you respect the rules of the club and the privacy of its members.”
The idea had appealed. No cameras were allowed inside the club unless they were for a particular shoot. He’d made sure that rule was being enforced. Only patrons with waivers were filmed, and then only for non-sexualized poses. He did not and would never do porn.
What he had enjoyed more than anything was exploring his Dom/sub agreement with Sarah. Theirs had been not so much a sexual relationship as one teaching her how to trust. Her last Dom had broken that by demanding more than she had been ready to give. He had been determined not to let his own desires get in the way and in turn to temper her growth with his knowledge of the lifestyle, but she continued to push the envelope and demand things that were out of the realm of possibility for her level of experience. He wanted for her to grow into a woman who was not afraid to ask for what she wanted.
It was, sadly, the one lesson he hadn’t been able to teach her.
Instead, he’d had to watch as his sub retreated into herself and resorted to petty trickery to get what she wanted.
He’d asked Cage what he thought.
“I think you should keep your eyes open, my friend, and decide what it is you expect from her.”
Cage’s cryptic remarks hadn’t connected. God knew the man had seen tragedy in his own life with Natalia, and Richard was relieved to see the two of them back together—and this time with Ryder, her submissive, in tow.
Richard envied Cage and, as he watched the three of them navigate the new waters of their relationship, he found himself wanting something more. He wasn’t certain about his feelings for Sarah. Part of him wanted to take things to the next level but something inside told him to wait.
Sarah. God, he’d invested so much time in her—five years. Training her to be the perfect submissive and model for his photographs had been a joy. The last two books about their journey as Dom and submissive had done well and had led to more opportunities than he had ever considered when he’d begun his work.
“I want to try the Shibari room,” she’d pouted a month ago, twirling her black hair around her fingertips, her baby doll dress fluttering coyly around her hips. A cat by nature, she’d always been fascinated by all things rope.
She hadn’t been ready.
“Not yet.” He’d smoothed her hair and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Your submission isn’t complete.” She could barely sit still without squirming on the spanking bench, let alone be settled enough to remain tied up for hours on end.
A stubborn light had come into Sarah’s eyes that he’d known only too well. Richard called it brat mode. Whenever she didn’t get her way, she liked to top him from below and try to twist things in her favor. It was one of the reasons he’d held her at arm’s length and kept their relationship strictly professional. At least, he’d tried to, but the human part of him wondered if there could be something more. That maybe there could be a future.
His cat hated the idea.
God knew the thought of burying his cock in her pretty pussy had been his first initial thought when he’d met her, but over time their relationship had become more student/teacher than anything overtly sexual, though not for her lack of trying.
He’d wanted more. A woman to warm his bed and his heart. Not just a doll to pose when he needed a kinky photo, and he thought he’d read her right that she’d wanted it, too.
God he was stupid.
Then he walked into the medical suite during his rounds as dungeon monitor last Wednesday night and found his submissive with her lips around another man’s cock.
His feline had merely snorted, his I told you so, louder than any words.
His jaw clenched, he’d simply closed the door behind him and walked away, his dreams of the future dying with every step he took back to his office.
How long she’d been playing at being loyal and double timing him he wasn’t certain, but one thing was—it was over.
Richard had gone to his desk, found their contract, and tore it in two, very obviously dumping it into the trash can by the door. Let her see that and make of it what she would. He was done with her games and being made a fool of.
It hadn’t taken long for her come to him. Sarah appeared in his doorway hours later, a cat that ate the cream expression on her smug little face.
“So, what do you want to do tonight?”
He
didn’t even respond. She fidgeted, as he knew she would, but then her eyes caught sight of the torn contract in the waste bin.
“You...” Sarah opened her mouth and shut it again. “So, it was you that opened the door and surprised us. I wondered.”
“Get out.” His voice lowered to a growl, the panther within clear in his warning.
“Fine, but you still owe me royalties on the books. And if you use those,” she pointed to the photos on the desk, her nostrils flaring, “you’re paying me twice as much.”
“I don’t think so.” Richard stood, towering over her, his beast shining in his eyes. “You entered into a contract with me. Part of that was grounds for the photos, or did you forget?”
“You owe me.” She spat, her cat coming to the forefront, claws out and ready.
Why wasn’t he even surprised?
Richard laughed, the sound bitter. “I don’t owe you a damned thing. You broke the terms and in the worst way possible.”
“At least he fucked me.” Her mouth set into a hard line and she stuck her nose in the air.
Richard snapped his head back as if he’d been stung.
He gripped her chin, fighting the urge to shake the snot out of her. “You’ll never know what plans I had for us because you just pissed them away. I should thank you.”
“For what?” She jerked her face out of his grip and retreated toward the door.
“For making me see that asking you to marry me would have been a huge waste of time.”
At that, Sarah stood silent, the bloodless expression on her face saying everything. She’d fucked up and she knew it. What had been a game of cat and mouse just turned on her and she was the loser.
She’d left without a word in a cloud of fury, the door slamming shut behind her.
He returned to his desk and started working on the text to go with each of the pictures, despite the fact it wasn’t fitting right and he was ready to pitch everything, photos and all. Not that anyone would buy the book, anyway.
Surrendering to Her Mate Page 2
