by Marie Tuhart
“Honey,” Max started.
“Don’t honey me.” Sierra turned and stomped over to where Harper was sitting.
“Oh that doesn’t sound good,” Tessa said, watching her friend.
“Nope.”
“You men are impossible.” Crystal’s voice rang out before she left the men staring after her as she went over to Sierra.
“I better see what is going on.” Tessa made her way back to her friends and Harper. “Okay, you two, spill.”
“Max and Jordan are trying to figure this all out,” Sierra said, huffing out a breath.
“You’re annoyed. What is going on?” Tessa asked.
“I want to take Harper home with us, but Max refused.”
“So then I said Harper could come to my place with me, and Jordan had a fit.”
“Doesn’t Harper live with Peter?”
“No, they’re play partners,” Sierra said.
“Why did everyone leave?” Tessa wondered about that.
“It’s almost two, and the few that were left were watching, not playing, so Max shut the club down early.”
“Makes sense. I think Max and Jordan want you to themselves that’s why they’re refusing.” Max and Jordan were a little controlling when they thought it was best for their women. Tessa had observed it enough to know these men took protection of their women seriously.
“Yes, but Harper needs support. Peter is lying,” Sierra said.
Tessa agreed. “Why don’t we do this: I was planning to go home tonight; she can come with me, and you two can make your men happy.”
“What about Damon?” Crystal asked.
“What about him? We never agreed to spend tonight together.” They hadn’t. Maybe it was implied, but plans had changed.
“I’m really all right,” Harper said.
“You don’t need to be alone. And it’s just for one night,” Tessa said.
“I like that compromise, as long as you won’t get into trouble with Damon,” Sierra said.
“I’m already in trouble, so don’t sweat it.”
“This is your first night playing together at the club, and you’re in trouble?” Crystal’s voice held astonishment.”
“Yeah. Damon told me to stay sitting in the chair, but when I saw Harper, I knew she needed the comfort of another sub.”
“Well, you’ve been in the lifestyle longer than any of us,” Sierra said.
“I’ve witnessed more,” Tessa clarified.
“I don’t want anyone to get into trouble or go to any trouble,” Harper piped up. “I’m okay.”
Tessa studied the woman. Her skin was back to a normal color, her blue eyes bright, and she smiled; it was a sad but genuine smile.
“You are looking better,” Crystal said.
“I’m good.” Harper rose. “Really, I appreciate the support, but I want to go home.”
“Did you drive?” Sierra asked.
“Yes.”
“Let one of us drive you home at least. We can make sure you get your car tomorrow.” Tessa threw out there.
“That I will not say no to.” Harper smiled.
“Okay, let me go talk to the guys and figure out who will take Harper home,” Tessa said.
“Probably me and Jordan,” Crystal said. “I believe Harper lives in one of the lofts in town.”
“Not too far from Lara’s cafe.”
“So that makes Jordan and me the closest, since Max’s home is next door, and Damon lives out here as well,” Crystal said.
“How do you know that?” Tessa put her hands on her hips.
“Down, girl.” Crystal gave a laugh. “Jordan dropped off some supplies Damon needed last week, and I was with him.”
Tessa shook her head. What was wrong with her? Crystal had Jordan; in fact, she was very much in love with Jordan. “Sorry, I must be tired.” She rubbed her forehead.
“It’s okay, my friend.” Crystal touched Tessa’s arm.
“Well, now that’s settled.” Sierra looked across the room. “Looks like the men have taken care of Peter. Shall we go tell them our plans.”
“Let’s.”
* * * *
Thirty minutes later, Tessa sat back against the leather seat in Damon’s car. She pulled in a deep breath and let out slowly. “I’m exhausted.”
“It is almost three in the morning.”
“Ugh.” She really didn’t want to drive home tonight, nor did she want Damon to make the trek to her apartment and then back to his house. “Are you still mad at me?”
“Never mad. Annoyed maybe, but never mad. You did something out of the goodness of your heart, not because you wanted to disobey me.”
“Thank you.” She was surprised he understood that.
“But I’m still going to punish you,” he remarked, pulling into his garage.
“Oh?” She’d kind of hoped he’d forgotten about that.
Damon grinned at her as he opened her door and helped her out. “I don’t forget.”
Tessa’s heart pounded as they entered the house. What did he have planned for her?
“Let’s see. I’ll make this easy, go into the bedroom and undress. I’ll be there in a moment.”
Tessa nodded and made her way to his bedroom. Her heart pounded with each step she took. The rich masculine colors soothed her nerves as she undressed and waited, her stomach churning with butterflies.
* * * *
Damon waited until Tessa was in the bedroom before he put his bag in the closet and closed the door. He wasn’t going to punish her in a true sense. A short spanking would remind her that he was to be obeyed in the club.
He spoke the truth when he said he understood why she did what she did. Harper was having a hard time talking with him. It happened sometimes with a sub and a Dom, even though the subs all knew him.
They were going to need to figure out a better support system for both the Doms and subs. Peter was contrite about what he did, and promised to apologize to Harper. He admitted he hadn’t listened to her when she went over her hard limits.
What a mess. Five years into this and things were starting to slowly unravel. Had the club grown too big? That was another thing they needed to discuss tomorrow. Figuring he’d given Tessa enough time. He made his way into the bedroom.
He stopped in his tracks. Tessa was kneeling in front of the bed, her head down so her chestnut hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her hands were on her thighs. Her total submission to him was a gift, one that overwhelmed him. They’d known each other such a short time, and here she was submitting to him.
“Tessa,” he said, then groaned. “Sweetheart.” Damon was never at a loss for words, but her submissive position sliced into his heart. “Please stand up.”
“I did something wrong, Sir.” She didn’t move an inch.
“Something minor.” Damon walked over to her and held out his hand. “Please.” She lifted her head in response to his plea, and he gently grasped her offered hand as she rose from her knees, helping her to stand. “You never have to kneel for me.”
Tessa blinked at him; her brown eyes held confusion.
“Come here.” He tugged her over to the bed. “While I know a lot of Doms enjoy having their women at their feet, I’m not one of them.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Damon shook his head. “Believe my words, Tessa. I don’t want you kneeling on the floor in our bedroom or in the club. I might want you to sit on the floor and lean on my legs at the club, but that would be the extent of it. Understand?”
“I do, Sir.”
“Good. Now on your hands and knees on the bed. It’s time for your punishment.”
She sighed and climbed onto the mattress in the position he asked for. “This for leaving your seat in the club when I told you to stay there.”
“Yes, Sir.” Tessa dropped her head.
Damon rubbed her ass, watching her skin flush. Then he raised his hand and brought it down.
“Ohhhh.” She’d shifted her body down b
ut then rose back up.
“Good girl.” He rubbed the area he’d smacked before he did it again on her other ass cheek. This time she didn’t move. By the fourth smack, Tessa was moaning. “Two more,” he said and rapidly landed them, before rubbing her ass. It was hot, but he hadn’t hit her hard. Enough to get his point across.
Damon stripped off his clothes and climbed onto the mattress. “Come here.” He held his arms open.
Tessa climbed up over his body until she was lying on top of him, her head on his chest, her legs tangling with his. “Such a good girl. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine, Sir.”
“Drop the sir. I don’t need it right now.” He stroked her back and ass, feeling the heat from his spanking. “Your skin is hot.”
“I’m not surprised,” she said. “I feel like every nerve in my body has moved into my butt.”
“The blood flow has increased in the area. I want to know how you felt about the spanking?”
Tessa tilted her head up. “Are you asking me if I liked it?”
“Yes.”
“It was different.” She bit her lip in concentration. “You weren’t heavy handed, but I did feel it.”
“Have you been spanked before?” Why hadn’t he thought to ask that question before?
“Once, but nothing like this.” She snuggled up to him. “You were holding back, weren’t you?”
“A bit. I understood why you left your seat. You saw a sub in need, and you reacted.”
“That I did.”
“So your punishment was light. Further defiance will mean harsher punishments.”
“I understand.” Her head dropped to his shoulder. “Will Harper be okay?”
“I believe so. She was upset but not traumatized.”
“I’ll never forget Brady’s face when Crystal brought him to my house.”
“How did you get caught up in that?” He’d wondered about it since she said she’d met Sage during the whole court thing.
“Brady needed a place to stay for a few days where no one would find him. Crystal knew I had an extra bedroom, and no one would put us together.”
“I’m glad you helped Brady and Sage. That was not a good situation.”
“I’m sorry they had to go through all that trouble. Brady is such a nice man. We talked a lot, and I think it helped him and me.”
“How did it help you?” Now he was really curious. Brady was good guy, but he was a sub through and through at the club.
“By talking about the relationship he had with Sage and how he feels when he’s with her. He helped me realize the part of me that was missing was the playtime I could have with a Dom I trusted.”
“And you trust me?” Damon was humbled.
“If I didn’t, we wouldn’t be here.” Tessa rose up, using her hand on his chest as a brace. “Damon, if I didn’t trust you on a basic level, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. And I wouldn’t have let you spend the night in my apartment.”
“I remember when you didn’t like me.” He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.
She grinned. “That was more about you being an overprotective Neanderthal than dislike.”
“Neanderthal? Those are fighting words.” He rolled her onto her back.
Tessa chortled. “I like this fight.”
Damon covered her lips with his.
CHAPTER NINE
Damon pulled up to Max’s house, unable to stop smiling. Last night with Tessa had been really good. She’d taken her punishment, such as it was, and they’d spent the night in each other’s arms.
He should be worried that this couldn’t last, but he wasn’t. She hadn’t run when he said he made adult toys, and she’d never questioned where he got his money. Usually that was the first thing women asked him upon seeing his home.
Lord knows his ex-girlfriends had, and none of them could deal with his dominant side. He rang the doorbell.
Max opened the door. “Hey, Damon. We’re out back by the pool. Beer?”
“Yeah.” Damon slipped off his shoes and made his way toward the patio. “Hey, Jordan.”
“Hey.”
Jordan was already sitting at the patio table with his laptop open. Damon had pen and paper; it helped him think when they had these meetings.
“Here you go.” Max set a bottle of beer in front of him.
“I can’t believe we’ve got such a nice day in March that we can sit out here,” Max commented.
It was nice today. He’d commented on the weather to Tessa this morning when he walked her to her car, given her a hard kiss and instructions to not go too crazy with Sierra and Crystal.
“I like it,” Jordan commented.
“Shall we get business out of the way?” Max asked.
“Yeah.” Damon looked down at the notes he’d made on his phone. “I think maybe the first thing is we’re going to need more help at the club.”
* * * *
“So what happened last night after you left the club?” Crystal was curled up on one end of her sofa.
“Was Damon mad you disobeyed him?” Sierra asked.
Tessa took a sip of water. “He wasn’t mad. I think I disappointed him on some level, but he understood why I did it. As for what happened, a nice spanking and cuddle time.” Her cheeks warmed.
She didn’t know why. She really wasn’t embarrassed. These were her friends. Heck, she’d seen Sierra half undressed last night.
“Nice,” Sierra commented.
“Why did you disobey Damon?” Crystal asked.
“Harper needed the support of another sub.” Her friends stared at her. “Sierra, it was like when you stood up for Regina.”
“That was because Samantha was going to hit her. You didn’t think Damon was going to hurt Harper?” Sierra’s voice held a note of horror.
“No, no, no. Damon would never strike a woman.” That was instinct talking, but she’d watched him last night before she approached. He was very respectful of Harper’s personal space. “It’s something I picked up on at the DC clubs I used to attend. Some subs have difficulty opening up to a Dom, especially after an incident with one.”
“I never thought of that,” Sierra said.
“So much to learn,” Crystal muttered.
“It takes time. Both of you mingle with the subs, so it’s a matter of getting to know them better.”
“But how?” Sierra asked. “I’ve probably been in the club the longest of the three of us, well, except you, Tessa. You’ve been a member longer than any of us.”
“I have. Cut yourselves a break. Sierra, you’ve only been with Max for a few months, Crystal barely two months. I’ve been in the lifestyle since college.” Except for that several year hiatus she’d happily ended. Tessa sighed with the contentment that filled her.
“Tell us more.” Sierra sat forward.
In that moment, Tessa realized she’d never really clued her friends into her life. “I’m sorry I’ve kept things from the two of you.” Tessa ducked her head.
“Hey, none of that.” Crystal’s tone was firm. “We’ve all kept stuff private.”
“I know.” She looked at her friends. “I’m sorry I wasn’t as supportive as I should have been while you two were first learning about the lifestyle. I had such mixed feelings about it.”
“What made you change your mind?” Sierra asked.
“Both of you and Brady.” They laughed, but Tessa was serious. “Really. After having been told I was sick, I tried to play here, but nothing seemed right.”
“You love reading the racy books,” Crystal commented.
“I do. They were a lifeline for me. Keeping me safe while still getting to experience kink.” Tessa thought about the books she had stashed away in her bedroom. Her private collection. Would her friends be shocked?
“You got us into reading them,” Sierra said. “I don’t think I would have been as brave with Max if you hadn’t.”
“Same with Jordan. Even though it started out as part
of the case, I didn’t go in blind.”
“I’m glad.” And she was. “So anyway, my choice to disobey Damon was because I was concerned about Harper. He understood that, but I also understood his need to punish me for not staying where he told me to.”
“Max hasn’t ever really disciplined me. It’s more pleasure than pain.”
“Same with Jordan.”
“The spanking did seem to be more about discipline than inflicting pain.” Tessa tilted her head and looked at her friends. “The thing is, Damon listened. He didn’t jump to conclusions or anything. Many times in the DC scene, I saw Doms jump to conclusions and punish their sub when really a little more communication could have prevented or solved what seemed to be a minor problems.”
“That is one nice thing. Our men listen to us,” Sierra said.
“I’ve noticed that with most of the Doms in the club; they do listen. There are some exceptions,” Crystal said.
“There are always exceptions, but the guys seem good at weeding out those who may have issues.” Tessa had been surprised and liked how they did that. “So now that all that is out of the way, what’s on tap?”
“I say we go surprise the men.” Sierra jumped up.
“Aren’t they having a business meeting?” Tessa wasn’t so sure this was a good idea.
“So what?” Crystal chimed in. “It’s such a nice day for the beginning of March. I want to get outside.”
“Then let’s go take a walk or something,” Tessa suggested.
“I think someone is afraid of Damon,” Sierra teased.
Tessa almost said, “am not” like a kid. She wasn’t afraid of Damon; she didn’t want any further punishments, and there was no guessing how the guys would react if they showed up without notice. “How about we call first?”
“That will ruin the surprise.” Sierra crossed her arms over her chest.
There was no reasoning with Sierra when she was in this mood. “Let me go to the bathroom first.” Tessa slipped into the bathroom. Her friends could get mad at her later. She pulled out her phone and texted Damon.
* * * *
“We’re going to have company,” Damon said with a smile.
“What?” Max looked up from the financials they were studying.
“Tessa texted me they’re on their way out here.”
