by Sophie Oak
Slater’s face became a mask of irritation. “Lucas is the Senator’s youngest child. He’s the youngest of three and, undoubtedly, the most troubled. He’s twenty-three, and he barely made it out of college. He seems to have an addictive personality. He can’t stay away from booze and women…or men. He really doesn’t judge. If it has a pulse, he’ll jump into bed with it. If there’s a camera around, all the better. He has no sense of decorum whatsoever. He’s the bane of his father’s existence.”
Julian smiled grimly. “I’m afraid Jackson doesn’t keep up with the latest gossip magazines.”
Jack shook his head. He didn’t. He couldn’t care less. Abby did, though. She often came home from the grocery store with some ridiculous magazine she’d bought because the headlines were so atrocious. “Someone has to reward truly outlandish reporting, Jack,” she would say. She and Sam would laugh about the latest over-the-top hijinks. Jack would hold himself apart. He wondered if Abby and Sam knew who Lucas Cameron was. “I don’t care about his reputation. I want to know why he’s decided to ruin mine.”
Slater let out a long, suffering sigh. “I’m afraid he’s decided to take after his older brother.” There was a long pause as Jack refused to take the obvious bait. He gave Slater his best “no bullshit” stare, and the older man caved. “Lucas found out about the deal you made with the Senator years ago. He found the paperwork and made the proper assumptions. He might be a wretched addict, but he’s got a brilliant mind. Anyway, once he got it into his head that his father would cave to blackmail, he came up with this scheme.”
“Why is he involving me?” Jack’s entire manner was brusque. He couldn’t care less that the great Allen Cameron was, once again, being raked over the coals by his unfortunate offspring.
“His father won’t give him another dime,” Slater admitted. “Senator Cameron is currently in a little power play with his son. He’s told Lucas that he will admit to the affair with your mother and claim you as his son before he’ll give in to blackmail again.”
Jack was out of his chair before he could take his next breath. The implications of that admission made his head want to explode. “Like hell he will!”
Julian held out a hand, gesturing toward a chair. “Jackson, please.” He turned to the older man. “I believe you will find that outcome is unacceptable to Mr. Barnes.”
“Damn straight,” Jack said, clenching his teeth. “I will not have my wife barraged by tabloid reporters. The senator and I had a deal. I’ve kept up my end of the bargain. I expect him to do the same.”
“The trouble isn’t really with the senator.” Slater looked as though he was trying to placate a growling beast. He held his hands out in defense. “Lucas is the one pressing forward with his blackmail scheme. When he decided his father was serious, he did a little research. It didn’t take him long to trace you, Mr. Barnes. It was a little harder to find Mr. Lodge, but he decided that Lodge would be the easier mark.”
Julian snorted and somehow made it elegant. “He’s threatening to bring down The Club. He says he has evidence of illegal goings-on here that he intends to hand over to the tabloids.”
“What’s his asking price?” It didn’t matter. Little Lucas wouldn’t be making any money. Jack intended to take his little brother apart piece by piece. There wouldn’t be enough left to collect blackmail. He merely asked because he was curious.
Julian sighed. “He wants ten million from me and twenty million from you.”
Jack felt his blood pressure rise. “That little shit isn’t getting a dime from me. When does he get here?”
“He’s due to arrive at seven p.m. this evening.” Julian glanced down at his calendar. “I’ve sent a car to retrieve him. We’ll be dining with him at nine, if that’s all right with you.”
“I have no intention of sitting down to dinner with a boy who’s trying to blackmail me,” Jack swore.
“Now, Jackson.” Jack recognized the voice. Julian was in full-on teacher mode. “There’s no reason to leave civility behind.” Julian turned his attention to Slater. “Did you need a room, sir? Or were you planning to return to DC this evening?”
Slater looked slightly horrified at the thought of bunking down in a notorious club. Jack could have told him that Julian owned the entire building. The rooms on the upper floors made a five-star hotel look like a Motel 6.
“No,” Slater choked out the word. “I’ve taken a suite at the Fairmont, thank you. I just thought I should be on hand in case I was needed. The senator is making this his top priority.”
Jack just bet he was. He was up for reelection soon, and he had his eye on the presidency in a couple of years. A scandal involving his sons, one legitimate and one not, wouldn’t do the politician any good. “I don’t give a crap about the senator, but I will protect my family. Do you understand?”
Slater gave him a nervous glance. “Yes, I believe you will, Mr. Barnes.” The campaign manager took a deep breath, and his shoulders came down, relaxing slightly. He stood and straightened his jacket. “I will leave it to you, then.” He passed a card across the desk to Julian and handed one to Jack. Jack glanced down. It contained Slater’s contact numbers and the Cameron campaign slogan, “Family First.” Jack rolled his eyes as the officious man left the office.
“I’m going to need a room after all.” He wasn’t leaving until he was sure this mess wouldn’t come back to haunt him. Every protective instinct in him was on full alert. He had to make sure that nothing hurt Abby or Sam.
Julian nodded as he pressed a button on his phone. “Yes, of course. I’ll have you settled in one of the smaller rooms.”
Sally the sub walked briskly into the room. She had a notebook in her hand. “Yes, sir?”
Julian stood, so Jack did as well. Jack looked at the clock. He had a few hours before meeting his soon-to-be-dead baby brother. He would clean up and call home. He would come up with some excuse that didn’t involve worrying his wife or partner.
“Please get Mr. Barnes checked in to one of the rooms on the fifteenth floor. I think there’s one open next to the Platinum Suite,” Julian ordered. “I believe he’s going to need clothing.”
“Sorry, I didn’t bring a suit,” Jack groused. Julian insisted on dressing for dinner.
Julian’s hands ran down the lapels of his suit. His mouth curved up fondly. “I doubt you wear them often on that ranch of yours.” He looked back to his secretary. “Call Neiman’s, please.”
Sally bounced slightly up and down in her heels. There was an expectant air surrounding her. Julian nodded slightly. Sally’s eyes lit up.
“We should have called them sooner. They could have sent the suit over with the stuff the clients in the Platinum Suite ordered.” There was a cheerful grin on Sally’s face. Her earlier debacle with Jack seemed forgotten.
“Have you met our latest guests, pet?” Julian’s smile was smooth. Jack thought for a moment that he might be missing something.
Sally nodded vigorously. “She’s very pretty. She wanted to know where she could buy some hot shoes for tonight. She’s never been in The Club before. She’s not sure what to wear. She’s really nice, though.”
“And her husband?”
Jack fought to keep control of his temper. He didn’t want to listen to Club gossip. He wanted to get to his room and get Abby or Sam on the phone. He had some explaining to do. Sally continued.
“He’s very handsome. The valet was super excited. They roared in on a brand new motorcycle.” Sally’s face turned serious for a moment.
“Yes, pet? Do you see a problem?”
She thought for a moment and obviously decided to press on. “She’s a sub. At least sexually, she is. She’s very soft and gives off an air of innocence that will have every Dom in the club panting after her.”
“No Dom in this club will go after a collared sub,” Jack said. He’d worked here for years, and that rule had always been in place.
“She’s not wearing a collar, at least not now.” Sally tapped
her pen against her red lips. “And there’s something about her husband.”
“Yes,” Julian urged her on. He seemed very pleased with his little sub, as though she were figuring out a problem he already knew the answer to.
“I don’t think he’s a Dom.” She twirled her pen in her hand as she thought. “He’s playing at it, but if I had to guess, he’s a sub, too.”
“Then he’s an idiot.” Jack was done. “If he walks into the dungeon with a gorgeous sub, he’s going to lose her. The Doms here will sense weakness. Hell, the man already proved himself to be a dumbass. He drives a motorcycle. That’s a death trap. He lets his wife on that thing? He deserves to lose her. I’m going up to my room. I need to make a call.”
He stalked out of the office and into the waiting room. He was surprised to be assaulted by boxes and sacks with the names of Dallas’s most exclusive stores.
“I had them bring it up here,” Sally explained.
Julian stared at the bounty crowding out his waiting room. “And why is all this not up in the Platinum Suite?”
Sally’s smile was small and secretive. “There’s a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door, sir.”
Julian laughed. “Well, after giving her husband’s credit card a good work-out, she should spend some time pleasing the man.”
Jack stared at the ridiculous indulgence around him. Who needed that many pairs of shoes? “That man definitely isn’t a Dom, Julian. You’re going to have trouble tonight. He has no control over his sub, if this is any indication. She’s walking all over him.”
“She does seem to be making a statement, doesn’t she?” Julian mused. “Perhaps you could speak with him. You used to be excellent at teaching a Dom how to behave. He might just need a little advice from someone who knows how to maintain control over his household.”
Jack nodded. This man obviously needed some help. “Sure, if I have the time, I’ll have a drink with him.”
“It’s good to have your help, Jackson.” Julian’s eyes look a little wistful. “It’s good to just see you again. We’ll handle the Lucas Cameron situation.”
Jack nodded. He’d definitely handle it.
Chapter Four
Abby stared at herself critically in the bathroom mirror of the suite Sam had checked them into not an hour before. It was a ritual most women approaching forty performed on a regular basis. She snapped the front closure on her brand new La Perla bra and wished it had a little more support. It looked so beautiful in the shop. Sam’s eyes had glazed over when he’d seen it. He’d snatched up the emerald green bra and matching thong, saying it would look gorgeous against her fair skin. Now, she wasn’t so sure. Her boobs weren’t what they used to be. She didn’t even want to turn around and be confronted with the sight of her ass in a thong.
It was hard getting old, she thought as she considered herself in the ornate mirror. The Club’s suite was the most decadent room she’d ever been in. It came fully equipped for BDSM play with hooks in the ceiling and walls. The bathroom was bigger than most hotel rooms, and the mirror was something else. It took up one whole wall of the bathroom. Between the wall-sized mirror and the one over the sink, a woman could see herself from every angle. There was no getting away from it. She was going to be thirty-eight this year. She stared at the little lines around her eyes and thought about the strikingly beautiful woman who had shown them up to their suite. She’d been a lovely blonde and couldn’t be older than twenty-five. Abby had a daughter approaching that age. Lexi was twenty-one. Though she hated herself for doing it, she’d watched Sam’s reaction to Sally. She smiled. Abby doubted Sam would be able to pick her out of a crowd. He’d paid very little attention to her despite her perfectly toned body.
Abby wondered if Jack had met the lovely Sally.
“Now, see, I can feel your anxiety from the other room, gorgeous.” Sam came up behind her, and his hands curled around her shoulders.
She looked at the two of them in the full-length mirror. Sam was wearing jeans and a tight, white T-shirt that molded to his every muscle. He had a boy next door sexiness about him that always got to her. Like Jack, he was five years younger than Abby. He hadn’t even reached his prime, while she was on the other side of hers. It was one of the dirty little tricks Mother Nature played on the female of the species. Men got more attractive as they approached forty, and women just got older.
“Do I even want to know what you’re thinking?” Sam let his hands find her curves. His mouth came down on her shoulder, dropping little kisses across her skin. Everywhere his mouth touched, she felt the skin come to life.
“Probably not.” He wouldn’t understand. She didn’t want to bring him down with her insecurities.
“Abigail,” Sam said, his voice going hard. “Lean forward and press your hands against the mirror. Spread your legs.”
Abby looked at him. She wasn’t offended by the change, merely curious. “What are you playing at, Sam?”
He stepped back and gave her a dark look. His arms crossed his chest, and his sensual mouth became a flat line. “I’m playing at being your Dom, and if you can’t obey me, we won’t be in that club tonight. If you can’t give me the same respect you give Jack, we might as well just have dinner in town and find a movie to watch. It isn’t safe for you to go in there without protection.”
He was right about that. Abby leaned forward, pressing her hands against the cool glass of the mirror. Her curiosity about The Club grew every time Sam mentioned it. She figured she should be discouraged at Sam’s words, but she just found herself more intrigued. She spread her legs wide. She knew what Sam wanted. It was something Jack enjoyed. Or used to, Abby thought, then let it drift out of her mind. She concentrated on finding her balance in the five-inch Jimmy Choos Sam had insisted she wear out of the store.
“That’s more like it.” Sam’s hands stroked along her thighs. “I like this, Abby. I love how these shoes make your legs look a million miles long.” He gently snapped the back of her thong. “And I love this little piece of string between the cheeks of your hot little ass. It looks very sexy on you.” He leaned over and placed a kiss on the small of her back. Because he was Sam, he couldn’t just leave it there. His tongue came out and traced a line just to the top of her ass where her cheeks met.
Abby sighed as she felt the sweet stirrings of arousal. Her pussy was already soft and ripe. She needed this. She needed Sam. She moaned and pushed back against his hand when it cupped her pussy. She stirred against him, wanting his fingers in her cunt. A sudden thought split through her growing need. “Someone will be delivering those packages soon, Sam.” They’d gone a little crazy and bought far too much to cart back on the motorcycle. The stores hadn’t minded shipping everything to Julian Lodge’s building.
He got down on his knees in between her legs. Abby now saw why he was so insistent on the shoes. She was petite, but the shoes put her at the perfect height for his mouth to reach her pussy.
“No, they won’t.” Sam breathed the words, and she could feel the heat of his mouth through the scrap of silk she wore. He ran his tongue over the silk. “I put a sign on the door. Trust me, baby, that sign means something here. No one’s going to disturb us.” He slid his hands under the sides of the thong. “This is pretty, but it’s getting in my way. It’s time to take the wrapping off my dessert.” She obediently let him drag the undies off. Sam pressed his nose right into her labia. He breathed in deeply. Abby knew he loved her scent. Sam was an incredibly tactile lover. He used his thumbs to part her folds. She watched him from above. He reveled in the cream he found dripping from her pussy.
“I love how wet you get,” he muttered before leaning in for his first taste of the day.
Abby groaned as his incredibly talented tongue swiped across her pussy. Her clit was already begging for his attention. She could feel it pulsing with need.
Sam teased her. His tongue laved gently while his thumb just barely penetrated her. He set a steady, maddening rhythm that had her panting, but kept he
r just on the edge. Just a single inch in and then out again with his thumb. His tongue whirled tantalizingly but as soft as a whisper. It felt exquisite, but it wasn’t anywhere close to enough.
“Do you want to come, baby?” Sam’s deep drawl hummed along her flesh.
“Yes. Oh, please.” Abby moaned as his thumb began to thrust firmly into her channel. She pushed down against him. It was something Jack would punish her for, but Sam ignored. He got too involved in the sex. He got lost in the feeling and forgot to remain in control of the encounter. Sam’s tongue lashed against her clit. Abby pressed against the sensation, riding his tongue. Again, it was something Jack would have spanked her for. By this point, Jack would have her tied down so she couldn’t disobey again. Well, that’s what the old Jack would have done.
Sam just sucked her clit into his mouth while he fucked her with his fingers. Abby felt her womb clench, and the orgasm rolled over her like a warm wave. Sam pulled his fingers out and his face came up, catching her eyes and connecting them. She knew what he would do next. He slowly, lovingly licked his fingers clean.
“I love the way you taste.” Sam’s blue eyes were filled with anticipation as he got to his feet. He placed himself between her and the mirror. He took her face in his hands and kissed her. She could taste her orgasm on his tongue. His hands found the front closure on the bra he’d insisted she buy, and suddenly it hit the floor. He cupped her breasts and tugged on her nipples.
“It’s my turn, baby,” he growled. “Get on your knees.”
He was trying. He just didn’t have Jack’s authority. Abby obediently got to her knees. Sam was always impatient. He already had his jeans and boxers around his knees, and his big dick was in his hand. It was a gorgeous cock. It was big and perfectly shaped, from the bulbous head all the way to his tight balls. Abby leaned over and swiped it with her tongue. She gathered the pre-cum dripping from the head and eagerly drank it down.
