by Snow, Ava
He watched Slade rise from the couch and approach his desk. “Dare, I know what you feel for this woman. I see it in your face, your body language. You haven’t taken a sub in years. All you’ve talked about was getting Alia back. I’ve never known you not to get something you set your mind to. Just look around you. Tell her everything and give her time. If she’s half the woman you have told me about, she’ll come back to you. It will take her time; you’ll have to earn every bit of her trust again.”
Dare ran his hands through his hair again as he listened to Slade. Through the years his friend had always given him good advice. Slade turned to leave and stopped with his hand on the knob when Dare called out. “I hope you’re right, man. Thanks.”
Slade nodded, but otherwise didn’t say anything else before walking out.
Dare rose and went into the bathroom connected to his office to change into his leathers. He had a whip class to teach and needed to get his head in the game.
Chapter Six
Charles Ward took his daughter to her childhood home that he had never moved from, even after his daughters were grown and on their own. He’d done nothing but worry since he had gotten the phone call from Darius McKade. He’d called to let him know he was back and would be telling Alia everything. He knew Darius hadn’t even noticed him standing there when he’d stormed out of Alia’s bakery. Charles knew this day would come. He knew from the moment those contracts were handed to him that he’d have to look his baby in the eyes and tell her he chose his business over her happiness.
Alia had turned into a beautiful, strong woman just like her mother, with her long, dark hair, heart of gold, and spine of steel. At this moment though, she looked lost and upset. He sat on the couch and pulled her close, wrapping her in his arms. He wanted to treat her as his little girl. Kiss her ache and make all the pain go away, but he knew that wouldn’t work as it hadn’t worked in the past.
When they’d first walked in the door, she could still see her mother standing at the stove in the kitchen or calling her and Pam to dinner. The love and warmth of this home had always comforted her. But it wasn’t comforting her today. Her mind was still reeling; she just knew it wasn’t going to get any better.
Alia raised her head and looked up into her father’s chocolate brown eyes, eyes that mirrored her own. Instantly, she knew that everything Darius had said was true. She pulled back and shook her head. “Daddy? How long have you known?”
Her father sighed deeply before he spoke. “Almost from the beginning.”
She reared back, her mouth opened to argue, but he put his finger to her lips to stop her.
“No, baby girl, let me finish. When Darius delivered the contracts, told me he was leaving, I had no idea what was going on. I cursed him for all he was worth, and told him what he could do with the contracts. He made it a point that whether I took them or not, he was leaving and you’d be hurt.” Charles ran his hand over his crop of short hair. He’d always been a solid rock; even when her mother died, he was the strong one. She’d never seen him so…distraught.
But she still didn’t quite understand, so she waited for him to continue. “Darius had only been gone a few days when you were released from the hospital, and Davis McKade paid me a visit. In not so many words, he let me know that Darius signed an agreement that would save my business. He would be marrying Tracy Stevens and would not be returning. That Darius had done what was best for all involved.” Alia could imagine the smirk on Davis’ face as he delivered that news to her father. He would have been all too happy to crush her father anyway he could.
Understanding began to dawn. Pulling away from her father and rising to her feet, she remembered that her father had always told her she was just like her mother; in this instant, she guessed he was right. Once she began to understand, putting all the pieces together, her anger went from zero to boiling in seconds.
“In other words, you all decided my life for me. Darius thought it would be better to live a lie; you thought it best to keep me in the dark?” She looked at her father with a mixture of hurt and anger, drawing back further when he stood to reach for her. Not allowing her to move away any further, he grabbed her, holding onto her just as tightly as he did the day she’d lost the child she’d been carrying. The walls of the home that had always been a comfort felt as if they were closing in on her.
Her father spoke into her ear as he held her firmly. “Lia, you were already in pain! What good would it have done to only cause you more?”
“How do you know it would have caused more, Dad? Neither of you thought to talk to me. You both let Davis McKade run all our lives—just as he’s been running people’s lives for years. He made me loose something I’ll never get back. I hope he burns in hell for it.” All the hurt, anger, and frustration of the past six years came roaring back to life in an instant. A horrid thought crossed her mind as she pulled out of his hold and stared up at her father. “Does he know? Did you tell Davis? Darius?”
She didn’t need to explain, her father knew what she was talking about. Lia could see the hurt that still lingered in his eyes. She would have never thought he’d betray her like that, but after his revelations now, she couldn’t be sure.
“Davis already knew,” he confessed. “I don’t know how he knew, but he did.”
All the color drained from her face, and she thought she would be sick as she started to walk away. Walking to the front door as fast as she could, needing to get away, she turned as he called her name. The sound of his voice was strained and full of pain. “I love you daddy, but it’ll be a long time before I forgive you. You chose your business over a lie. You chose to live with that lie.” Lia spun back around and left the house with a soft click of the door, a stabbing pain cramping her chest.
*****
“My name is Alia Ward, and I’m here to see Darius McKade.”
Alia didn’t remember driving to the House or even walking through the ornate wooden doors. All she knew was her anger had driven her here. She didn’t even know if Darius was here. The guy she had seen the other night may not have been him at all. The girl at the desk took one look at her, trying to sum her up. The female was super-model thin with large plastic boobs and way too much makeup. She scowled at Lia before telling her to have a seat.
Not to be intimidated, Lia stared right back at the blonde until she turned back to her computer. The House was an impressive sight. The power of the place seemed to hit you as soon as you walked in the door. It was once an old mansion with loads of rooms. It seemed the new owner had made lots of renovations. She hadn’t seen much of it the night she came just as she wasn’t seeing much right now. Her anger was clouding her eyes and her judgment.
“Alia Ward?”
She turned to see a man right out of a fantasy novel. He had to stand at least six foot three and weighed two-fifty or two-sixty. All muscle. Dark blonde hair that hung to brawny shoulders framed piercing blue eyes. He was dressed in fitted leather pants, with a matching vest and boots. God he was gorgeous, oozed power. Her eyes finally made their way back up to his face and the hand he held out.
“I’m Slade Jamison. Darius is in a meeting at the moment, but I came out to see the woman that has his leathers in a twist.” His voice was as deep as Darius’ and just as sexy. The sound of his voice alone could make a woman give him anything he wanted.
Steeling her spine, Lia took his hand in a firm shake, huffing at his words. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Jamison. Do you know how long Darius will be?” She tried to take her hand out of his only to have him tighten his hold. She looked into eyes that were as blue as the ocean, knew immediately this guy was trouble. He wore his dominance like a second skin. Lia had to force herself to keep her eyes on him.
He gave out a short bark of laughter before releasing her hand. “Aww, pet. Now I see what it is that Darius loves about you. The thought of your fire has kept him going for years. I can’t wait to see you dance for him.”
Her body trembled at his words before
she could stop it. She opened her mouth to speak, but the deep rumble of Dare’s voice stopped her.
“Alia?”
She’d been so lost in Slade’s words, she hadn’t seen him approach. Her eyes grew wider at the sight of him. He stood next to Slade in nothing but leather pants and boots. Lia could feel the heat rolling off his body even with the distance between them. It went right through her. Two incredibly alpha men standing side-by-side, it was many women’s fondest fantasy. And yet, she only had eyes for Dare.
The blonde woman came around the desk, stepping right in between them, breaking the spell his appearance had put on her. She watched as the blonde ran her hand up Dare’s bare chest and purred. She took a step forward ready to rip the woman’s arms out of their sockets, but Dare grabbed her wrist and pushed the nervy hussy towards Slade. His eyes never left hers as he did. In an instant, the bitch had helped her remember why she was there, though now it didn’t seem so important.
“Precious?”
Her anger, that had abated a bit, returned with a vengeance when she heard him call her that. “I told you not to call me that.” She’d let her anger drive her here; now all she wanted to do was leave. She turned to leave. Dare’s sudden tight grip on her arm said differently.
“Not so fast.” The sound of his voice stopped her dead in her tracks. The look in his eyes had her lowering hers before she could catch herself.
Chapter Seven
“Where are you taking me?”
Ignoring her question, Dare pulled her along behind him as he walked to his private rooms. He also ignored the laugh Slade threw his way.
“Let go of me, Darius McKade!” The fire in her voice only made him want to tame her more.
He completely disregarded her. At the end of the hall, he pushed her into the room then closed and locked the door. She whirled around to face him, all the fire he loved reflected on her face. She hadn’t yet taken in the room he’d brought her to. “Strip and present yourself, Lia.”
Whatever she was about to say caught in her throat. She finally turned around and looked at the room. He watched as she took in the big bed in one corner, the spanking bench, the St. Andrews cross in the corner, and the cabinet filled with everything he’d ever need. She turned back to face him with wide eyes. Shaking her head, she backed away from him.
He could see a fine tremor rack her body. She was fighting her submissiveness and losing. He would help her face that defeat—gladly. It was time she got a taste of the man that had returned for her. She knew what he was before he’d walked out, but now, he was so much more.
“The punishment will only be worse if you make me repeat myself, Precious.”
“There will be no punishment, Darius. I may be a submissive, but I am not YOUR submissive, and I won’t ever be again.”
“You can lie to yourself, but you won’t lie to me. I can see all I need to in your body language. I can see, smell your arousal. You have never stopped being MY sub; I will prove that right here, right now.” He stalked closer to her. “If you want to keep your clothes intact, strip them and present yourself. I will not repeat myself.” He made sure the tone of his voice brooked no argument.
She seemed to weigh her options just as he moved a step closer to her. Realizing he wasn’t joking, she stripped, folded her clothes, and knelt on the floor at Dare’s feet. Her knees were spread wide, forearms on her thighs, palms turned up, back straight, head bowed. She was a thing of beauty and all his.
Dare walked around her, inspecting her. Her pussy was shaved and pouting, waiting for his touch. Arousal coated her spread legs, pierced nipples were pebbled to a perfect hardness. His Lia had grown into her submission. Dare stood quietly in front of her a few more moments before putting his hand on the top of her head. “Look at me, Precious.”
Her gaze slowly traveled up his body. The hard ridge of his dick pressed against his leathers. Unable to remember the last time it had been this hard, he knew the second she spotted it. When her eyes finally met his, he was blown away by the stark need in her gaze. “How long has it been since you’ve gifted someone with your submission?”
*****
It felt like the proverbial cat had her tongue, and she couldn’t seem to find her voice to answer his question. Her body was a mass of need and want, her nipples rock hard. The almost painful weight of her nipple rings caused her cream to flow freely between her legs. She shook as she looked into the gray eyes that she’d always loved; so dark now, they were nearly black. It had been too long since she had given into this need. Knowing instinctively Dare could give her what she needed, was she ready to give in to him?
He took the choice out of her hands. “Rise, Lia.”
Rising to her feet, he led her to the spanking bench that smelled brand new. She didn’t say a word as he positioned then cuffed her wrists and ankles to the bench. He made adjustments so that her ass was high in the air while she briefly wondered if he had brought the little blonde tramp to this room. Had he ever cuffed her to this bench, with its butter-soft leather that seemed to melt into her skin? Moving her arms and legs, testing the tightness of the restraints, she discovered they were tight, but not tight enough to hurt, just enough to hold her there until he released her. She settled into the bench and gave a small whimper as another shiver raced over her body when he ran a firm hand down her spine. Dare lulled her into a sense of calm as he continued to run his fingers lightly down her back before running an open palm over her butt. Lia cried out when the hard slap of his hand came down across her backside.
She couldn’t stop the moans that left her or the wiggling of her bottom as Dare rubbed in the sting from his slap. Knowing her cheeks were starting to pinken, she hoped it pleased him. She got her answer when he groaned then continued the hard slaps to her ass until her cries turned into whimpers and pleas for more. “Quiet, Precious. I know what you need and when you need it.”
Lia knew she was giving in to him too easily, but she hadn’t felt this way in a very long time. Her body was on fire, her juices flowed down her thighs, and her emotions were running on ultra-high. Dare was going to take her places she shouldn’t let him, but couldn’t seem to stop. She wanted it…no needed it. She’d been bottled up way too long. The sudden sound of his deep, lust-filled voice made her jump a bit.
“Tell me, Precious, did you come here to me because you’ve talked to your father? Have you found out that I’d rather you hated me for cheating than for destroying him? What did you come to say?”
Lia shook her head as best she could, not really wanting to answer his questions. When her response didn’t come right away, the slap to her butt did. The slip of his fingers into her drenched pussy made her cry out. He worked her with them until she was ready to explode. She fought the urge to give in, was losing the battle when Dare pulled his fingers free.
“Not yet, baby. Only when I say so.” He only chuckled at the curse she gave him before slapping her ass again. “I know you want to come, Precious. Answer me, and I’ll give you what you need.” Dare slapped her cunt before thrusting two fingers in hard and deep, quickly removing them to rub her bottom. She was so close and he was torturing her.
“Bastard!”
“Answer me.” His voice was raw with demand.
Panting through harsh breaths, she said, “I didn’t really know you were here. I just got in my car and drove, letting my anger guide me.”
She felt his hand still on her burning ass, knew when he was no longer kneeling beside the bench. Unable to see him from the corner of her eyes, she had no idea where he was or what he was doing.
Chapter Eight
Standing across the room, Dare watched her as he ran his hand over the tails of the flogger he’d picked up. Her beautifully inflamed-red ass was high in the air, making him feel like an untried school boy ready to come in his pants. Darius could see the slight tension return to her body. Did she really not know this was his club? “So you just thought to come to a sex club and to see if I was here?” he a
sked as he walked back to her and ran the soft leather strips against her heated skin. His shaft tightened more, becoming damned uncomfortable as he watched her start to shiver.
“I didn’t think! I let my anger drive me!”
Darius kept running the flogger over her back, ass and thighs as she answered his question with pure fire in her tone.
“Darius, stop playing games. If you’re going to fu…” The last of her words came out on a scream when he let the leather tails of the flogger smack against her already heated thighs. He loved the sounds of her whimpers and harsh breathing filling the room.
“Do.” Smack “Not.” Smack “Try.” Smack “To.” Smack “Top.” Smack “Me.” Smack “From the bottom!”
His last order was punctuated by the cowhide tresses hitting directly over her pussy. Her scream that could have shattered glass, was music to his ears. He was so rigid he hurt and was sure he could drive nails into concrete.
“Deep down you knew I was here, Precious. You also knew I’d take care of you.” Dare bought the strips over her ass, thighs and pussy in quick succession, knowing she was on the verge of release. However, he wasn’t ready yet. “DON’T COME, Lia!” He could see her body shake as she tried to follow his command. The heavenly smell of her musk drew him like a bee to the honey pot as he dropped the flogger then crouched down behind her.
Dipping his head and burying his face in her pussy, he groaned with pleasure as he sucked and lapped at her juicy gift. He had his Lia once more, and he wouldn’t let her go again.
*****
Lia cried out as he slowly dragged his lips over her pussy before pushing his tongue deep and moaning. The sound of that moan vibrated against her, making her core swell even more. Darius had always been able to bring this response out of her. He always seemed to know what her body needed before she did.
