Turning, he scanned the room for any other possible threats to their woman. The handful of men in the room were talking quietly, and playing cards as they ate something from bowls that smelled delicious. Hannah had retreated behind the bar, looking haunted and sad.
Knowing she expected him to join Drew on the other side of the bar, Brody instead moved behind the bar toward her. He did not stop until he stood beside the woman who did not even realize she held a chunk of his heart. She was staring into a cooler as if mesmerized by the bottles and cans of soda and water stacked inside.
Pulling her around to face him, he stepped in and hugged her again, squeezing tight when she began to struggle in his arms. “Relax and breathe, baby girl. We won’t let him take anything from you,” he said, his voice pitched so that only she and Drew heard him.
“Uh-huh,” she said, obviously skeptical. “He said if I don’t give him half the Tavern, that he had a way to take it all.”
Brody dropped a hand and grabbed her ass, squeezing tight enough that Hannah rose up on her toes. “Never doubt your Master,” he murmured when she dropped her head back to glare up at him. “Now I don’t know what smells so good, but I want some of it.”
“I’ll get it,” Drew said as he popped off his barstool.”
“Get some for Hannah and yourself as well,” Brody ordered.
Drew nodded before turning toward the kitchen.
“Manny’s gonna have a fit,” Hannah said when Drew pushed through the swinging doors and entered the kitchen without hesitation.
“Why?”
“No one enters the kitchen. Ever. When he cut his hands about five years back, he made Grampa shut down the kitchen for a week instead of allowing someone else to cover for him. I sometimes go in and do prep work at night after closing, but I never tell him about it beforehand. I just leave notes on the counter for him to find in the morning telling him what I’ve done. And even then I get growled at all the next day.”
Brody chuckled as he watched the kitchen door. “You might be surprised. Drew has a way about him. Do you have anyone who can cover for you for a couple hours?”
“Maybe. Why?” she asked, stepping back out of his embrace.
“Maybe Drew can handle it,” Brody speculated, not wanting to give away his plans for the afternoon.
“Handle what? And why should he? This is my job, my bar.”
Just then, Drew returned from the kitchen carrying a full tray in both hands. He set it on a table away from the others, but close to the back entrance to behind the bar. Once he finished setting the table, he stood behind one chair and stared at Brody, waiting for further instructions. Looking at his slave, Brody changed his mind. They needed someone trustworthy behind the bar. He wanted Drew with the upstairs. With them and involved in breaking the news to Hannah that she now had two men in her life.
“We’ll talk about it over lunch,” Brody said.
Hannah opened her mouth to argue but after looking into his expression, she heaved a sigh and shrugged. “Whatever. Go sit down and eat. I’ll be there as soon as I make the rounds and make sure no one needs anything.”
When she moved to step past him, Brody slipped a hand down the front of her body. He cupped her mound in his palm, pressing his fingers against her firm enough for her to gasp at the touch. He smiled at the damp warmth he felt there. “No. You will go sit down and eat your lunch. If they want something, they can come ask for it just like they usually do this time of day.”
* * * *
Anger flashed through her. This was her business, her life of late. Who did he think he was to order her about in her place? “Are you always this bossy?”
Still rattled that they had stepped in with Seth, which had been more than she had been able to do, Hannah was feeling very territorial. Seth acted like he would move in tomorrow, which was ridiculous. She would burn the place to the ground before she allowed him stand behind her bar.
Now Brody seemed to think he could step in and take over the same way. What shocked her even more was the soft, cuddly feeling in her chest and the wetness that overfilled her pussy as she listened to his decisions and plans.
When both men began to chuckle, she looked from one to the other. “What’s so funny.”
“Baby girl, I am Dominant with a capital D, a Master. Except when it comes to the intricacies of running your business, I will be in charge. Here you are the queen of clubs and we will do things your way. But when it comes to sex—”
“And a few other things,” Drew added with a grin.
“—and a few other things, then yes, I am in charge.” Brody gave Drew the one raised eyebrow look but the other man did not seem the least cowed by it.
“What few other things?”
“Your health and safety are the biggest areas. I don’t think you are taking care of yourself, or if you are endangering your own or someone else’s life I will step in and take over. I protect and care for what is mine,” Brody said, keeping his tone low enough that Hannah had to lean forward to hear. “Which is why you need someone to cover the bar for a couple hours. Since I have taken the rest of the afternoon off, I thought we would take you upstairs and play a little, see what you like and don’t like, see if you will enjoy being our baby girl.”
“Eat your stew, Hannah,” Drew said.
Hannah looked down and realized that she had been so caught up in Brody’s words she had stopped eating. A spoon full of the hearty beef stew was suspended above the bowl, halfway to her mouth.
“I can do it, Master,” Drew offered. He broke open and buttered one of the biscuits he had brought and handed it to Hannah. He did a second one for Brody and the final one for himself.
“I thought you would join us, babe,” Brody said with a smile that had Hannah’s lower body clenching with anticipation, though of what she wasn’t sure. “The three of us need to talk before we start training Hannah on life in my household.”
Hannah ate several more bites of stew as she considered what Brody was suggesting. Playing here this afternoon would be safe enough, and if she did not like it, she could just walk away. Of course, if she played with Brody and Drew, she would have to hide in her cottage whenever “the boys” came to play their games. Though her head tried to think of the practical aspects, her heart had already decided to go with whatever these two suggested.
“I could see if Sasha could come and cover,” Hannah offered hesitantly. “But I’d need a good reason.”
All of a sudden Hannah felt like a pagan virgin sacrifice standing at the edge of a volcano looking into the fiery depths the second before someone shoved her over the cliff. Only this blazing inferno came from within thanks to heated, enticing expressions of two handsome men she never thought she would have a chance with.
“Let me,” Brody said. He stood as he pulled his phone from his pocket. “Finish your lunch, baby girl. You’re going to need your strength.”
Fifteen minutes later, the front door flew open. The human whirlwind known as Sasha Loving bustled into the bar. As always Sasha appearance drew every eye in the room. The woman had to be sixty if she was a day, with pure white hair she wore in what could only be described as a military flattop style. Her pale blue eyes sparkled with life and she was always, always smiling about something. She was petite and fit and today wore a floor-length black velvet cape. When she took off the cape, Hannah saw she wore a colorful, full broomstick skirt, white peasant blouse, and vest. With the cape and her knee high black boots, the look would make any gypsy proud.
The lunch crowd had paid their tabs and headed back to work or wherever their days took them. Only Drew and Brody remained. Though she did not tell them, Hannah knew there probably would not be another customer in the place for hours, which was when the day-shift crowd arrived at the end of their workday for a beer or dinner on their way home. She often locked the doors if she needed to run errands or take a nap and no one had yet to complain.
“Thanks, Sasha,” Brody said, once again taking ov
er before Hannah could say a word. “We’re going to take Hannah upstairs for a little while.”
“Uh-huh,” the older woman said with a knowing grin. “Just make sure she can still walk when you’re finished with her. I’m meeting a new client for dinner and have to leave by five.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Brody said as he wrapped an arm around Hannah’s shoulders and pulled her along beside him. “Come along, baby girl, let’s go play.”
“But…” Hannah started to struggle before Sasha cut her off.
“I’ll be fine, honey. I’ve got my tablet, my sound-blocking earphones, and Manny will make me some nachos if I get hungry. Go have some fun.”
Since she was outnumbered, Hannah stopped fighting to stay downstairs. Brody whisked her up the stairs with Drew following just behind before she realized they were going anywhere.
Chapter Five
“Why doesn’t Sasha think it’s odd that you want to take me upstairs for a couple of hours? Did you tell her we were going to have sex? Oh my God, how will I ever face her again?” Hannah whispered as they reached the top of the staircase.
Brody looked down at her and smirked. “Sasha was the one who originally suggested the Tuesday night poker club. She also talked your grandfather into renting us the room here. She’ll never tell anyone anything. She’s a bottomless well. Secrets go in and never come out again. Besides, all she knows is that we’re going to talk,” Brody said as they strolled down the second floor hallway to the locked room at the end of the hall.
Hannah looked around the second floor hall, noticing a few cobwebs, and that the walls need a new coat of paint. She also needed to clean the light fixtures and vacuum more often.
When they reached the door that led to the poker club’s game room, Brody handed Drew his key ring. Drew opened the padlock on the outside of the door. Though she had a key as well, she had never used it. She only been in the rooms a couple of times in the years they had been using the room. Every time a club member accompanied her. The last time had been three months earlier when Carter Jackson did the semi-annual fire inspection of the entire building.
Drew pushed the door open then leaned in and flipped on the lights before stepping back again.
“Ladies first,” Brody said with a half-bow and hand flourish.
Her nerves jangling with a strange combination of fear and excited anticipation, Hannah moved past the men and into the room. She looked around with interest. In the far corner stood what she knew from her reading and research to be a St. Andrew’s cross made of two by fours, held together with some of the biggest nuts and bolts she had ever seen.
In the other far corner sat a wooden bench with a padded leather top and oddly placed shelves on either side of the legs. Separating her from that half of the room was a poker table. Along one wall were a series of metal cabinet units with mirrors on the wall opposite. She turned away from her reflection as soon as she recognized herself in them.
The floor was thickly padded. Drew closed the door then slid a deadbolt home with a soft snick.
“So, what happens now?” she asked. Her quivering voice gave away the fear that crawled across her skin like a spider.
“Now we’re going to play some poker and talk a bit. You do know how to play, don’t you?” Brody took her by the hand and led her to the table.
“I know a little bit, but not that Texas Hold stuff,” she admitted as she slid into the chair he pulled out for her.
“That’s okay. We’ll just play straight today,” Brody took a chair to her right, leaving an empty one between them. Drew took the same position on her left so they were evenly spaced around the table.
“We’re going to play a little different than normal,” Brody said looking at Drew. “Instead of playing for favors or money, we’ll be playing for clothes. Winner will get to choose what one item of clothing the losers take off.”
Hannah watched as Drew paled. “But Master…” he started before snapping his jaw closed and nodding. “Yes, Master.”
“I guess that means I should strip now,” Hannah said with a quick uplifting of her eyebrows though she did not back out.
Brody shuffled the cards and held them out to her. “I think you should cut the cards so we can get started. We don’t have much time.”
Once she took the top half of the deck and placed them on the table beside the rest of the deck, he picked them up and combined them. Then he quickly dealt the cards. Picking up her five, Hannah sighed. She had nothing except one Ace.
“Can I fold now?” she asked.
Brody smiled and shook his head. “No folding. How many cards do you want?”
“Four please,” she kept the Ace and tossed everything else.
When she picked up her new cards, she fought to hide a grin. Another Ace and a pair of tens.
In the end, she lost to Brody’s full house, but she did beat Drew who had a pair of fives.
“Drew, lose the sweater. Hannah, take off your pants,” Brody said as he collected the cards and shuffled again.
“Yes, Sir,” the two answered in unison as they stripped off the dictated clothing. After folding it, they passed it to Brody who set it on the chair between him and Drew.
It only took three more hands before Hannah was down to her bra and panties and Drew was naked, except for his necklace. Since he was out of the game, Drew slid over one seat to help her. Hannah was shocked when they actually beat Brody the next game.
“All right, my dears, what shall it be? Top or bottom?” Brody asked.
Hannah looked at Drew. Drew returned her look with a shrug and a nod for her to decide. “Sweater please, Sir,” she said with a grin.
As soon as he pulled the sweater over his head, Hannah wondered if she should have asked for his jeans instead. Brody Markham in clothes was a distraction. Bare to the waist, he was lethal on her concentration. His olive skin, dark nipples, and rippling muscles made Hannah want to toss the cards aside, crawl across the table, and lick every inch of exposed skin.
The tattoo around his upper left arm drew her attention. It wasn’t the normal barbed wire or other traditional design, but three lines. Leaning closer, she saw that each line was a single word repeated over and over around the thick biceps. She leaned closer, but even squinting, she could not make out the exact words. Lifting her eyes, she looked to Brody for the answer.
“Love. Honor. Protect,” he said, pointing to each line as he said the word.
She nodded her understanding. They were more than mere words inked on his skin. They were the words he lived by.
She was shocked when she and Drew won the next four hands and she was now the only one wearing clothes. Though her bikini panties were lacy and did little to cover much more than her mound, at least she could claim she won the game.
“So, what do we do now?” she asked softly as Brody studied the cards of her winning hand.
She lost her train of thought when he stood and pushed his blue and white pinstriped boxers down his legs. When he straightened, she got a bird’s eye view of the imposing erection that pointed her way like a directional finder. Licking her lips, she swallowed hard.
Glancing at Drew, she found him to be just as mesmerized by the sight of Brody’s naked body with its triangle of dark hair across his shoulders and chest that narrowed to his navel and then the treasure trail that led to his cock.
“Now we play for favors,” Brody said, sitting down again as if he often sat naked at the poker table.
Hannah blinked as her brain clicked back on again. What was it about these men that took her from smart, coherent businesswoman to a mindless, need-filled wanton in a microsecond?
“What kind of favors?” she asked suspiciously.
“Winner’s choice,” Brody answered, looking far too smug and self-satisfied for Hannah’s comfort.
He was up to something, though she had no idea what it might be. A glance at Drew said he ate least understood what Brody meant.
“Again, I ask, what kind of f
avors? Back rubs? Hours working in the bar? What?”
“If that’s what you want as your prize. But first you need to hand over your panties,” Brody said with a bright twinkle in his eyes as he extended one hand across the table, palm up.
“But I didn’t lose them,” she pointed out, trying not to sound like she was whining.
“It will be much more fun without them,” Drew said with a grin.
Though her nerves shimmered with anxiousness, Hannah refused to shy away from such an obvious dare. Standing, she turned her back to the men and shimmied out of her damp panties, pushing them to mid-thigh. From there they fell to her ankles and she stepped out of them.
She smiled at the soft, deep moans that sounded loud in the otherwise silent room once her ass was uncovered. Bending over caused another chorus of moans, as she picked the damp material off the floor. She folded them neatly before placing them in Brody’s palm with a smile and a wink. She sat down just as her quaking knees gave out.
Brody’s gaze locked with her as he lifted the silky material to his nose and inhaled deeply. After holding the air in, he released it on a long sigh. “Mmmm. Wet panties. I love the scent of our sexy woman.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks as he took another breath before tossing them on the pile with the rest of the clothes he had won. Not knowing how to respond, she dropped her head and focused on shuffling the cards.
“Look at the pretty blush, babe,” Brody said, his voice deeper and filled with a strength she did not normally hear in it. “Such a rosy pink. I wonder if the rest of her will pink up like that when I flog her until her juices run down her thighs, and she’s begging for our cocks.”
Hannah squirmed at the image his words gave her. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at Drew. He returned her look with a reassuring smile. Obviously gears were shifting from card playing to the other games they played while in this room.
“Deal the cards, baby girl, and let the real games begin,” Brody said as he dropped a hand below the table to his table.
Queen of Clubs Page 4
