by Ivy Nelson
He was clearly pissed.
Three hours later, they approached Solitaire having finished with the police. When the stepped out of the car, Samuel stepped out of the shadows and approached Lance.
“I hope you plan on teaching your girl a lesson,” he muttered darkly.
Lance tossed her a sidelong stare before turning his attention to Samuel. “You have no idea. Thank you so much for rescuing her.”
Marissa bristled at that. She wasn’t technically his girl. Though she damn sure wanted to be after tonight.
Samuel shoved a hand in his pocket and rubbed at the back of his neck with the other. “Look. Things are getting a little too hot for me right now. I need to step away from Solitaire for a little while. Pass it along to the others that I’m tendering my resignation effective immediately. Someone else can fill my shoes on the board. It’s just too dangerous.”
Lance looked crestfallen. “I’m so sorry things got so out of hand.”
Samuel clapped him on the shoulder. “It’s not you, brother. I chose this line of work and the life I live. I always knew this place might just be a temporary home for me.”
“I’m sorry if I caused you any trouble,” Marissa whispered, suddenly feeling guilty.
Samuel turned to her and flashed a smile she’d never seen before. “I won’t lie and say not at all, but I would be making this decision whether or not I had to save your dumb ass tonight. I wish I could have stuck around longer to get to know you. Lance here sure seems taken. Do us all a favor and get him to take a fucking break every once in a while. Maybe someday I’ll be back. I hope to still find you here when I am.”
Marissa gave him a sad smile. It seemed like such a sad goodbye, but she didn’t fully grasp why.
With a little wave, Samuel disappeared into the shadows again.
31
Lance stood in the parking lot of Solitaire and watched as Samuel vanished into the night. When he was gone, he turned to face Marissa.
“What just happened?” she asked, genuinely confused. “I feel like he’s some kind of super spy or something and I thought all of you board members were super rich people. Rich people aren’t super spies.”
If his heart wasn’t so heavy, he might have laughed at her. “You haven’t had time to get to know everyone. And yeah, there are a few rich super spies. That’s not Samuel though. He’s difficult to explain and it’s not my place to explain him. Let’s get you inside.”
He wanted to drag her through the club into the dungeon and strap her to a cross so he could take his frustrations out on her body, but he knew they needed to talk first.
“You want to explain what the hell you were thinking?” he asked as they stepped into the lobby.
She looked around and he fisted his hand into her hair, pulling her attention back to him. “It’s just you and me, Riss. Everyone else is at the hotel for the night. Now fucking talk to me.”
Her bottom lip quivered, and he wanted to pull her to him and kiss her softly, but he deserved answers and they needed to settle their dynamic once and for all.
She blew out a breath. “After we talked at your building, I knew I wanted to come back to you, but I felt like we couldn’t work on our relationship until we figured out how to catch Sebastian. So, I stayed up until six this morning and tracked him down. I convinced him I could help him finish the job he’d started. Told him you’d dumped me again and I wanted revenge too. I wasn’t expecting Jodie to be along for the ride. Though I figured out she’s some kind of bat shit crazy groupie of his.”
Lance just stared as she relayed her story. “So, you what? Thought you were going to get some kind of confession out of him by meeting him alone? How stupid could you be?”
She winced. Maybe calling her stupid was a little harsh, but he didn’t care. He had to make his anger and disappointment clear. Not to mention, she needed somebody to light her ass on fire for pulling this dumb stunt.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I was just trying to fix things.”
“I think we’ve both discovered that trying to fix things without the other doesn’t work, Marissa. Why didn’t you just tell me you found Sebastian? You knew I was here.”
She blew out a breath. “I really don’t know. I was angry at him. I guess I wanted to give him a piece of my mind. It was reckless I admit. I’m sorry.”
“Well you damn near gave me a heart attack and I don’t know how I can ever trust you again.”
“And there it is,” she whispered her shoulders slumping. “We’ll always have trust issues between us.”
He growled and stalked toward her. “That’s not what I meant.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “I meant, I don’t know how the hell I’m every going to let you out of my sight again. I want to strap a collar around your neck and fit it with a tracking chip. I want to chain you to my bed at night, so I know you’re not going anywhere. I’m going to move your office next door to mine and install a window between the two so I can always fucking see you.”
As he spoke, he drew closer and closer to her until she’d backed against the wall and was staring up at him with trembling lips.
“I fucking love you, Marissa. I’m tired of fighting it just because we both fucked up in the past. So, you have a choice to make. We can either go through those doors and into the dungeon and I can punish you for being a fucking moron tonight or I can take you upstairs and fuck you until you admit that you’re mine and you were always meant to be mine. Either way, we’re not leaving here until you’re fucking sore, sated, and mine.”
He held his breath as he waited for her to respond.
Interminable minutes seemed to pass as she stared at him.
Finally, she cleared her throat and lifted a hand to his face. “How are you going to punish me? I was kind of a moron tonight.”
He let out a sigh of relief.
“Go to the dungeon and wait for me. You’ll find out soon enough.”
She bit her bottom lip. “Um…”
He sighed and pressed his lips to hers. “I’m not spanking you, love. I want to drive my point home not drive you away. Be a good girl and go wait for me. I expect to find you naked and kneeling inside the door.”
She swallowed and backed away from him, heading in the dungeon’s direction.
He leaned against the reception desk of Solitaire and looked around. This place was his home and he’d damn near lost it. Damn near lost her. Now he had to go in there and impress upon her that he had no intention of losing either. Samuel’s abrupt departure was weighing heavy on him, but that was going to have to wait until tomorrow. Right now, he had a feisty little submissive to tame and claim.
32
Marissa’s knees buckled as Lance untied her from the cross. The aftershocks of the orgasm he’d finally given her still trembled through her.
He helped her to a nearby sofa where he tugged her into his lap and cradled her to his chest. After a few minutes of basking in the afterglow, she sat up and gave him a shy smile.
“I don’t recall your punishments being that fun.”
He shook his head and scowled. “If you’re not clear on where I stand about your safety and your submission to me, I guess we can tie you up and start over again.”
She shook her head wildly. “No, Sir. Completely unnecessary. I am very clear on your position.”
He grinned and kissed her deeply. “That’s what I thought.”
“Hey, Lance?” she whispered, suddenly feeling nervous.
“What is it, kitten?”
“I love you too.”
His next kiss was tender and sweet.
When he pulled away, she laid a hand against his cheek. “We’re going to make it this time.”
“We are. I’m sorry for the ways I fucked it up the first time.”
She shook her head and pulled him in for another kiss. “You don’t have to take all the blame. It’s in the past. Let’s focus on the future. We have a wonderful life ahead of us.”
When he
nodded, she changed the subject.
“Is everything going to be OK here?”
He nodded. “I think so. Forcythe and Jodie are both going to prison. I imagine they’ll both take plea deals to lower their sentences. Nicholas Sutton will likely stand trial again and it’s highly unlikely that he gets the sweet deal he got last time. He’ll spend a long time behind bars.”
“I’m sure that will make Patrick happy. I got the feeling there is no love lost between those two.”
Lance chuckled. “That’s putting it mildly.”
A hand flew to her mouth. “Fuck. I’m such an idiot.”
“What?” He asked, his eyes wide with confusion.
“Sebastian. In the diner. He said Sutton and Sterling won’t pay us. Grant Sterling. He’s in on this too and I think he’s been inside your club.”
Lance furrowed his brow. “What? That’s impossible. Too many people know who he is.”
Marissa shook her head and jumped up. “Do you have a piece of paper?
“Front desk,” he said, nodding to the door.
She jogged naked to through the dungeon and bar until she reached the front desk. Lance followed close behind.
On a piece of scrap paper, she wrote Grant Sterling and started crossing off letters as she wrote them in a different order and handed it to Lance.
“I asked if you knew which member Art Glenstring was and you didn’t. It’s gotta be Grant Sterling. I’m a puzzle solver. Why didn’t I see this until just now?”
He stared at the two names. “Son of a bitch. I need to call the board and brief them.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were back in the dungeon. Lance had briefed everyone he could get ahold of.
Now they sat on the sofa again, still naked and Lance sighed and stroked her hair. The short length didn’t make her as self-conscious as it first had.
“So, what about Samuel? I know you said I didn’t get to ask what he does for a living, but what made him leave that way?”
“I honestly can’t tell you. Russell knows him better than most of us and brought me in to provide him a backup safety net but that’s really all I’m allowed to say. Publicity is not his friend and could get him killed. He almost didn’t even become part of Solitaire, but he needs this lifestyle as much as the rest of us. I’m angry that it’s come to this and he feels like he has to leave but I’ll do my best to keep tabs on him and help him stay safe.”
She could tell it was making him sad, so she leaned in and kissed him again.
“Let’s go upstairs and you can continue ‘punishing’ me,” she said lifting her hands and making air quotes with her fingers.
He narrowed his gaze. “I get the feeling you’re not taking me very seriously young lady. I think a trip upstairs is exactly what we need.”
He gave her ass a playful smack as they stood and gathered their clothes to make the trip upstairs to his room.
Marissa finally felt at home again and she couldn’t wait to start her new life with Lance. There were still some things to fix, but they would do it together.
♦♦♦♦
Lance held Marissa’s hand beneath the table as they briefed the board on Solitaire’s newest security measures a week later. They were taking the weekend off from parties so they could purge Art Glenstring aka Grant Sterling from the roster and launch an investigation into how the hell he’d gotten through the membership vetting process. Hopefully, parties would resume the following weekend. Because he hadn’t told them about Samuel yet, he insisted on a board meeting despite the fact that the club was closed. Losing a member of the board wasn’t something he wanted to share via phone call.
David Eastman had already been briefed and was calling in to the meeting via video conference. Lance was hoping to have him, or his wife Emily replace Samuel on the board but that would be a discussion for later.
The past week with Marissa had been invigorating and exhausting at the same time. They were working together at Moss Tech every day. At night, they couldn’t keep their hands off of each other. He’d been reluctant, but they agreed to see a couple’s therapist twice a month. Their relationship was a work in progress, but it always would be, and they were both committed to making each day better than the last. Now, she was here supporting him as he gave his friends the not so great news that Samuel was leaving them.
He glanced at his computer screen one last time before he changed the subject and let everyone know. He’d reached out to Samuel, hoping he would call in and say goodbye at the meeting. So far, he wasn’t responding.
Marissa gave his hand a gentle squeeze, encouraging him to go on.
Clearing his throat, he said, “I’m afraid I have some bad news.”
“If you think you’re leaving us just because you have Marissa back you better think again,” Austin blurted.
Patrick squeezed her shoulder. “Let him finish baby girl.”
“Sorry,” she muttered.
Lance gave her a kind smile. “I’m not leaving. Neither of us are.” He blew out a breath. “But Samuel is. Last week when we caught Forcythe, he asked me to tell you all that he was tendering his resignation. I understand that not everyone here knows exactly what he does, but David trusted him just like the rest of us. We’re going to respect his wishes and find a replacement for him on the board.”
Turning his attention to the screen on the wall, he watched David Eastman’s face. Their founder was stoic.
“Lance is right, we have to respect Samuel’s need for space and privacy right now. It could literally have life or death ramifications.”
Everyone nodded their understanding. No one, not even Dakota, could think of anything to say.
“I wonder if you or Emily would want to sit on the board again now that you’re both on steady ground.”
David flashed his kind smile. “I appreciate that, but I think we both prefer to continue our role as silent partners. I was thinking you could ask Jax Fischer to take his place.”
“Why Jax? You know that man ruffles my feathers,” Dakota complained.
Everyone chuckled. “He’s played a big role in our lives,” Elijah said. “It’s not a bad idea.”
Knowing she was defeated, Dakota shrugged. “Fine. Just gives me a good excuse to give him hell more often.”
Lance looked across the table at Russell. He was the only one not laughing. The news about Samuel would be hitting him hard. Maybe he and Marissa could take him to dinner and talk after the meeting.
The group made small talk for a little while before Elijah adjourned the meeting and agreed to call Jax Fischer.
As the group was standing to leave, a video call came in on his phone.
“Hold up everyone,” he said. “I’ve got Samuel on the line.”
He cast the call to the screen David had just vacated and a very tired looking Samuel appeared.
“What the fuck is going on?” Russell growled.
Samuel shook his head. “Not now. I just wanted to call and say a proper goodbye. I really am sorry that it’s come to this but it’s better for everyone if I just disappear for a while. The club got a little too much publicity for it to be safe for me.”
“Is it forever?” Hunter asked.
Samuel shrugged. “It’s hard to say. You can bet I’ll be doing everything I can to get back there someday. Just not for a little while. Keep taking care of each other. Tell David I’m grateful for the opportunity and I’ll see you all again someday.”
The screen went dark and everyone was quiet for several minutes. Russell stood and stormed out of the room.
“Someone make sure they check on him,” Garrett murmured. Lance assured him he would.
As everyone filed out, Lance hung back with Marissa, his arm tight around her waist.
“You OK?” she asked quietly. “I know that was hard.”
He bent his head and captured her soft lips in a kiss. “It was easier with you here. Ready to go home?”
She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. �
��If you’re asking if I’m ready to go back to Chicago, then yes, Sir. But I think we both know this place is our home.”
His heart swelled as he kissed her one more time. She was so right. Solitaire was their home and he would always do what he had to in order to protect it.
♦♦♦♦
I hope you enjoyed Pressure! I would love a review if you did. Eager to find out exactly who Samuel is and what kind of love he’ll find? You won’t have to wait too long, Ice will be out in late August of 2020. Make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter to be notified as soon as the preorder is available.
About the Author
Ivy Nelson is an emerging contemporary romance author, hopeful romantic, and passionate advocate, who is versed in all things steamy, sultry, and sensual. It all started back when she read her first steamy romance novel at the age of fourteen. From that point forward, it became her favorite genre—one she wanted to write in herself someday. Sylvia Day’s writing style cemented that passion and gave her just the inspiration she needed to be an author herself. In December of 2018, Ivy published her debut novel, Power Desired at the age of thirty-two.
Most recently, Ivy completed the “D.C. Power Games” series and the most recent book in her “Diamond Doms series” titled “Pressure”. In a not-so-distant past, she was a student-affairs professional at a university and earned her political science degree, which explains her politically driven romance debut.
When she isn’t penning steamy scenes or attending writing/kink/BDSM conferences, you can find this contest-winning karaoke singer and bookworm passionately supporting human rights or growing her Sims 4 empire. She is also a wine aficionado and certified whiskey taster (no, really, she has the certificate to prove it). All that aside, Ivy loves spending quality time with her amazing son and husband of three years at their home in Houston, TX. To find out more about Ivy and her work visit www.ivynelsonbooks.com
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