by Jane Jamison
“Are you ready to give up?”
She’d prided herself on never giving up. “No. But I do hope they start getting to the real training soon.” She put out her hands and examined her nails. “Before I don’t have a fingernail left.”
“Why don’t you turn it on them?”
“What do you mean?”
“If they’re making you do all these chores and they can see how you’re not liking it very much, why not do the reverse?”
Jilly sometimes took a long way to get to the point. “I still don’t understand.”
“You know the old saying ‘kill them with kindness,’ right?”
“Yeah. So?”
“Then bend over backward and be the most submissive sub they’ve ever seen. If they tell you to eat dirt, then you eat dirt and thank them for it.” Jilly hugged her tighter. “Maybe then they’ll want you bent over for a different reason.”
“Do you really think that’ll work?”
“I don’t know, but isn’t it worth a try?”
“I won’t do anything demeaning.”
Jilly frowned at her. “Of course not. Besides, since when is pleasing the men you love demeaning? Come on, sis, it’s not like you’ll ever change your personality. Just prove to them how much you want them.”
The back door opening brought their discussion to an end. Derrick, with his usual stern expression, crossed his arms and studied them.
“Sub, when you’re finished hanging up the laundry, get back inside. We’ve got another chore for you to do. Hi, Jilly.”
She gaped at him. “That’s it? ‘Hi, Jilly?’ No getting to work for her. She still works here, too.” Sort of.
He did a one shoulder shrug. “I figured she’s busy over on the Tristons’ ranch. They said they were using her.”
Using her. For fun stuff. Not as a lowly cow hand.
“Anyway, Jilly, I was going to give the boys a holler, but you can do it for me. Ask them if they’d like to come over tomorrow for some dinner later. Nothing fancy, of course. Just a cookout.” His didn’t bother smothering a smirk. “But the men will do the cooking.”
“I sure will. Thanks.” Jilly stood, taking Molly along with her. She hugged her, whispering in her ear. “Hang tough. He’s still giving you that I-want-you look.”
She sighed. “Okay. I’ll give your suggestion a try. What harm can it do, anyway?”
Jilly practically floated away, waving at Derrick and humming a tune. She couldn’t help but wish she felt the same way.
* * * *
Four hours later and Molly wasn’t sure she could bend over any more. She’d done everything the men had told her to do, even adding sir to her responses and calling them Dom Caleb and Dom Derrick. Along with the sweetest smile she could muster up. But so far, Jilly’s plan hadn’t changed a damn thing.
She set the plate filled with three foil-wrapped diced potatoes on the picnic table, then faced Derrick as he added another steak to the grill. They were four large men, but could they eat two steaks apiece? Probably. She and Jilly would share one.
“Okay. The potatoes are ready to go whenever you want, Dom Derrick.” At least she’d learned how to peel and cut up potatoes without spilling any blood. If she thought about it, she’d learned a lot in the past few days. None of which would help her land a job at the club, but the knowledge would be good to have if she got everything she wanted. Like staying with the Houston men forever. But was that anywhere on their radar? Or would they be her Doms, but not her men?
“Great. They should be here any minute.”
She pushed the plan into higher gear. Hoping he’d notice how she swayed toward him, she got close enough that he couldn’t ignore her, then went to her knees. “Master Derrick?” It was the first time she’d ever used the word master, but it fit.
His hand brushed the top of her hair. It was a simple gesture, but after the way they’d treated her lately, it was enough. Tears sprang to her eyes and her throat threatened to close up.
“Hey, what’s the matter?” He took her by the arms and tugged her onto her feet. “Why are you crying?”
She shook her head, suddenly embarrassed to have gotten so emotional. “I’m sorry, sir. I don’t mean to. It’s just that—”
He bent low so he could see her face better. “What is it? You can tell me.”
The pain, the frustration of the past days flowed out of her. “I don’t know why I’m here. I’ve been working so hard and doing everything you told me to do, but I don’t understand how any of this is preparing me for the club.” She didn’t dare talk as though she could assume she’d be their permanent sub. The dream was hers and hers alone.
“Aw, shit, babe.” He pulled her against him, enclosing her in his strong arms.
She couldn’t help it. The tears came faster. “I want you and Caleb as my Doms and I’ll do anything to make it happen. But I don’t understand why you’re working me so hard. And on the ranch.”
He let out a breath, a torture sound rumbling through his massive chest. When he didn’t speak, she kept going, knowing it might be the last time she’d ever be able to open up to him.
“You and Caleb haven’t touched me for days. Don’t you still think I’m attractive? Do you want me as your sub? Or as a hired hand?” A sob broke her words apart. She wondered if he could still understand what she was saying.
He held her away from him and, for one of the few times since they’d met, she could see every bit of his emotions displayed on his face. “Shit, babe. It’s all my fault. I fucked up.”
She couldn’t speak now. All she could do was hope.
“I wanted to be sure you could handle living on a ranch. It’s a rough life, especially when we’re first starting out. There are always more chores to do than there is time in the day.”
She nodded. He wanted her as a hired hand. Had she failed to please him in the cattle shelter? Or Caleb at the pond? Had he realized he didn’t want her after all?
“But not wanting you? Shit, babe, do you know how many cold showers I’ve had to take lately? Hell, I even jumped into the pond with all my clothes on because I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”
“You did?” She couldn’t have asked for anything better. “And Caleb? Does he feel the same way?”
“Yeah, he does. He wasn’t too keen on my plan, but he went along with it. We were going to back off once the cookout got going.” He blew out another tortured breath. “I’m not good with words, but I have to tell you. Caleb and I have talked about being Doms at the club and about one day finding one woman who would be our permanent sub. When you came along, I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t believe it. There you were right in front of me and I figured it was a dream. That you were a dream.”
“For a man who’s not good at words, what you just said sounds really good.”
The sun died away as a cloud passed overhead. Her gaze slipped over his shoulder to the darker clouds forming at the horizon. But who cared about the weather, about anything other than her men?
He kissed her, crushing his lips to hers. Her head swam, sending any doubt she still had swirling out of her mind. He gripped her, sliding the straps of her sundress off her shoulders then following one strap down as he traveled his kisses along her neck. She leaned her head back and thrust her pelvis forward, reveling in the feel of his lips kissing her skin, his arms encasing her body.
He pulled her up, bringing her legs around his waist. Dipping his head, he took her nipple into his mouth. The fullness of his crotch pushed against hers, wetting her pussy as his fingers slipped from her back to cup her ass.
“Derrick, please. I need you so much.”
His groan rumbled against her breast. When he took her mouth again, she was ready to go to the ground and have him shove his cock deep inside her.
“Damn. Why didn’t anyone let me know?”
She jerked away from Derrick, her heart pounding, her mouth parted, still feeling the sensation of his lips against hers.
; Caleb stood a few feet away from the back door, holding the plates and utensils for the meal. “Mind if I join in?”
“Are you kidding? It’s about time I get both of you.” She reached out for Caleb, who dropped everything onto the picnic table with a clatter.
“Uh, should we turn around and go home?”
Shit, shit, shit. When am I going to catch a break?
Derrick let her go, putting her feet on the ground as she tugged her straps back to her shoulders. Thankfully, she’d had her back to the others. When she looked into his face, she saw the same disappointment there that was churning her stomach. He did an about-face, no doubt trying to hide the erection tenting his jeans.
But her mother had always taught her to behave like a good hostess and make their company feel at home. No matter what.
She plastered on a big smile then turned to see her sister and the Triston men. “No way. The steaks are cooking and, Derrick, um, was about to toss the potatoes on the fire.” She moved quickly toward them, needing to get away from the knowing looks of Alex and Mike. If they’d seen even a little of what Derrick and she had been doing, then it was too much.
“Jilly, come with me. You can help me get the beer out of the fridge.”
“Why? It doesn’t take both of us to carry a six-pack? Even two.”
Molly didn’t stop. Instead, she hooked her arm in her sister’s and dragged her along with her. “Just come with me.”
She pushed into the kitchen, then pulled her sister into a hug. “They want me. They really want me.”
“Oh, sis, I told you. Hey, you’re choking me.”
Laughing, she turned Jilly loose, then held out her arms and spun around. If she got any happier, she’d bust wide open. “They were testing me.”
“They were? Why those sneaks!”
“Yeah, I know I should be mad, but I’m not. I’m just too damn happy. It’s was Derrick’s idea, of course. He wanted to make sure I could handle living on the ranch. That I could do whatever chores I had to do to help out. And I proved I could.”
“So what now? Are they going to be your Doms?”
She’d just tunneled her fingers through her hair, but at Jilly’s question, she dropped her arms like dead weight to her sides. “We didn’t get that far.”
“Yeah, I saw. You had other things to discuss first.” Jilly added air quotes to not only other things but to discuss, too.
She didn’t bother trying to deny it. Why should she? “And we would’ve gotten into a deeper discussion if you hadn’t interrupted us.” She did her own quotes around discussion.
“Ooh, lame. But interesting.”
“Maybe Alex, Mike, and I should take a rain check.” Jilly pointed out the window. “That way you could take all the time you want to discuss what you’re going to do. Besides, those clouds are looking pretty nasty out there. And the wind’s picking up, too.”
The dark clouds that had been at the horizon only a few minutes before had moved swiftly and were still traveling at a fast pace, barreling overhead. The door slammed open as the men rushed inside the house. Except for Derrick.
“Where’s Derrick?”
Caleb jerked his head to the side, toward the backyard. “He’s putting the grill out. It’s not safe to be cooking out. Not with the storm moving in. Damn thing came in out of nowhere.”
As though to prove him right, a clap of thunder boomed in the air. Rain started falling in big, fat drops.
“Sorry, Jilly, but we’re going to have to head home. We’ve got to make sure the livestock is secure enough to ride out this storm.” Mike took hold of Jilly’s hand and motioned to Alex. “Sorry, guys, but we’ll have to do this another day.”
“No problem.” Caleb followed the trio to the front door. “The ranch comes first. You three be safe on the ride home.”
“We will.” Jilly broke free from Mike and tugged Molly close. “Be sure to get all your talking done.”
She rolled her eyes. If Jilly had stressed the word talking any harder, the guys would’ve gotten suspicious. “Don’t you worry. I know what I have to do.”
Caleb shot her a questioning look, but Alex distracted him as he opened the door. A gust of wind blew hard, whipping the door out of his grip. He took hold of it again and held it securely until Caleb got it.
“See y’all soon.” Molly waved and watched as her sister and her men fought the gusty wind and pellets of rain on the way back to their pickup.
“Whew! It’s really starting to come down.” Derrick shook himself off. “I got drenched getting the grill squared away.”
“Well, don’t mind me. Go ahead and strip. I’ll get you some dry clothes.”
A thunderous boom lit up the darkened sky, then was followed by a loud cracking sound. Derrick bolted back to the kitchen window, followed by Caleb and Molly.
“Shit.”
At first she wasn’t sure what he was scowling at. A tree had snapped and broken in two, but it hadn’t landed on top of anything. “At least it didn’t hit the house.”
“Not yet anyway,” added Caleb.
“Huh? I don’t know…” She followed their gazes. “Oh, hell.”
The black clouds billowed overhead, but it was the swirling mass of cloud mixed with debris that caught her breath. Boards, limbs, and other items flew across the backyard. In the next moment, the picnic table was lifted up and tossed into the air, disappearing over the top of the barn.
“We need to get to the animals.” She rushed for the back door, but didn’t make it. “Hey!”
Derrick had her around the waist, pulling her back just as she opened the door. The wind whipped the door out of her hand, tearing it away from the frame. In the next instant, it was gone. “Come on.”
Only a man as strong as Derrick could’ve spun around and tossed her to his brother. Caleb took her hand and tugged her along with him.
“Where are we going?” The wind, thunder, and pounding rain was so loud she could barely hear her own voice.
“To the basement!” shouted Caleb. He led the way as they ran into the hallway, then opened the door leading to the old root cellar that had been converted into a basement.
She was out of breath as she followed him down the stairs, hoping the flickering lightbulb wouldn’t go completely out. Caleb jumped the last few steps then opened his arms to her. She fell against him then turned back to see where Derrick was. He’d just closed the door when a loud crash reverberated through the house.
“Get down.” Derrick came to her other side and, together, the men pushed her down on her knees against a central wall. “Cover your head.”
She did as they told her. Although she’d heard weather reports of tornadoes in Ohio, she’d never actually experienced one. Her body stiffened as she kept her hands over her head. Trembling, she tried to keep quiet. If nothing else, she wouldn’t burden them with her rising panic.
Yet when, all at once, the noise was gone, she started to uncover her head. Caleb shoved her head back down.
“It’s the calm before the tornado hits.”
“You mean that wasn’t it?”
In the next moment, she knew how very wrong she was. The silence exploded in a roar that deafened every other sound. Pressure built in her ears. The roar rose in volume, growing louder and louder until she was sure her eardrums would burst. Crashes, snapping sounds, and loud eruptions came from everywhere.
Time didn’t mean much. Not when the world around them seemed to be ripping apart. She shuddered, jumping at every sound. Both Derrick and Caleb had their hands over the back of her head, protecting her while leaving themselves vulnerable.
Chapter Seven
And then, as quickly as it had come, it was over.
“I don’t hear anything.” Molly took her cue from the men, standing up only when they did.
“It happens that way sometimes. Storms like hell, then goes calm, and then the tornado hits. Afterward, it might rain and it might not. I think we might have gotten lucky this time.”
Caleb rubbed her arms. “Are you okay, baby?”
“Other than being scared to death, yes.” She couldn’t believe the house hadn’t come down around them.
“At least the power’s still on.” Derrick headed for the stairs, bounding up them by taking them two at a time.
“Are you sure it’s over?”
“It’s over. Tornadoes are mean SOBs, but at least they don’t last long. Unless they’re huge or there’s another one right on its trail. We’ll check the sky once we’re upstairs. If it looks like there might be another, we’ll come back down.”
She didn’t want to leave the basement. It was cold, damp, and confined, but at least it was safe.
Derrick opened the door, swinging it outward in a slow, but easy arc. He stuck his head out and checked both ways. Smiling one of the biggest smiles he’d ever done, he nodded then stepped into the hallway.
“The house survived. All I see is a broken window. Part of a tree came through it.”
Debris and rain had filled the kitchen. The branch had come through the same window where they’d watched the funnel cloud approach.
“Oh, no.” She took off, ignoring them as they called for her to come back. Dashing to the living room, she was relieved to find her phone still lying on the coffee table where she’d left it. She punched in her sister’s number. Until she heard Jilly’s voice, she wouldn’t be able to think straight.
Jilly answered, not bothering to say hello. “Molly? Are you all right? Are the guys?”
Molly let out a huge breath at the sound of her sister’s voice. “We’re okay. How’s everyone there? The house?”
“We’re okay, too. It missed us. I was just about to call and check on you.”
She glanced back at the two men who had come to mean so much to her. “We hid down in the basement. Or cellar. Or whatever it’s called.”
“Did it tear anything up?”
She followed Derrick into the kitchen as he started cleaning the mess up. Caleb darted outside with a curse. She followed him and soon found out why’d he’d gotten upset. Derrick came beside her as she lowered the phone.
