by Jenna Jacob
“Oh, sister. If Mika hears you, you’re going to be in so much trouble,” Trevor warned.
“If you don’t nark me out, he’ll never know.” Julianna smirked.
Trevor gasped in feigned shock. “I’d never do anything like that to you…as long as you slip me a couple of twenties.”
“Have you decided to start a career in extortion now?” She laughed.
“Maybe. I’ll never tell.” Trevor grinned before leaning up to blow a raspberry on Tristan’s cheek. The little man kicked and squealed with laughter.
“Woman. Where the hell are you?” Mika’s demanding call rose above the crowd. “I’m back with the food, and we’ve got a horde of hungry guests waiting to be fed.”
Julianna rolled her eyes. “Here, take him again for me, please?” she asked as she settled Tristan back on Trevor’s lap. “I’ll be right back, sweetheart. Daddy’s bellowing for mommy, again.”
“Dadada bellwoah ’gin?” Tristan asked, confusion wrinkling his chubby face.
Trevor blinked at the little boy, then laughed. “I won’t nark you out. Your son will do that for me.”
Her eyes grew wide. “Oh, good go—”
“Julianna?” Mika roared again.
“Coming, my love,” she answered on a singsong sigh, then hurried away.
“Weed?” Tristan asked hopefully.
“Oh, all right,” Trevor replied, pretending to be put out by the boy’s request.
“Yay,” Tristan yelled, kicking his feet. Obviously the little guy wasn’t buying Unk Twebber’s act for a second.
“In a second, little man,” Trevor said with a laugh. “You’re as impatient as your daddy.”
I grinned, wondering how long it would be before Tristan repeated those words to Mika.
“You know, I never did get a chance to thank you for being so supportive during Liz’s ordeal,” I began, as Trevor’s expression grew solemn. “You kept me from losing my mind. Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me,” Trevor mumbled. “I don’t think I ever thanked you for…”
He paused as if unable to let the words roll past his lips.
“Hey, I was just doing my job,” I replied with a wave of my hand. “That was a terrible night, but look at you now. You’ve bounced back and—”
“No. Not really,” he confessed.
Sadness clouded his face. Without another word, he picked up the book and began reading once again. A palpable awkwardness hung in the air. I wanted to kick my own ass for bringing up the horrific memory of his beating.
Allowing him to redirect his focus on Tristan, I patted Trevor’s hand and issued a weak smile. “I’ll let you two get back to your story. We can catch up later.”
Trevor simply forced a tight smile and nodded. There was so much more I wanted to say, but knew my sympathies would pale in comparison to the demons he was obviously still battling. Instead, I kept my mouth shut and stood and wandered off to find Sam.
He wasn’t hard to miss, as the setting sun reflected in his golden hair as he leaned up against the wooden railing of the deck, drinking a beer and talking with Tony, Ian, and James. I didn’t want to interrupt their conversation, so I scanned the crowd, looking for Liz. She and another woman were chatting near the sliding glass door.
My nerves began to twitch. I took a swig of my beer, reminding myself that I was a big girl. I didn’t need Sam or Liz to hold my hand among these strangers. And just because I was a lifestyle virgin, that didn’t mean they planned to sacrifice me to the gods in lieu of dessert. Another gulp of beer and my pep talk finally succeeded in taking the edge off. And just when I thought I was safe treading these shark-infested waters, the hair on the back of my neck suddenly stood on end.
Flitting a gaze over the crowd, I found the reason for my discomfort. Tony Delvaggio who was sitting next to his pretty blonde wife, held me with a gaze of shooting daggers. He leaned over and whispered something in her ear before he stood and began walking toward me.
“Hello, Cindy.” He smiled tightly. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Doctor,” I nodded, returning an equally rigid smile while the tension in the air grew stronger.
“Please don’t take this the wrong way, and I apologize for bringing this up here at the party, but I wanted to be sure that Sam has spoken to you about the club rules.”
Ah, so the sexy shrink was afraid I’d divulge his secret. He was obviously as worried about me ratting him out as I was in regard to Freddy and Jeb.
“As a matter of fact, he did. Trust me. I know what’s at stake. Your secret, along with everyone else here, is perfectly safe with me.”
His wide grin reflected his relief. “Excellent. Thank you for guarding our anonymity, and welcome to the family.”
Instead of wasting my breath to explain I was more like a distant cousin, twelve times removed—not even really related to the kinky clan—I simply smiled and thanked the man.
Liz sidled up next to me and looped her arm through mine. “Some of us are going to help Julianna in the kitchen. Want to join us?”
“Yes. I’d love to.” Anything to keep from having my psyche sliced open by Tony was a welcome change. Turning to the man, I nodded. “If you’ll please excuse me?”
“Of course, pet. I’ll send Leagh along to help as well.”
After a few short minutes of working alongside the other women, I started to relax. Their laughter and one-liners proved they were a close-knit group. They had me laughing so hard I had to hold my side. It was strange, but I had to keep reminding myself they were submissives—women who willingly handed their independence over to Dominant men. And I realized that Sam had been right, they were staunchly self-assured and funny as hell.
“How long have you been in the lifestyle?” a beautiful, delicate-boned African-American woman named Ebony asked.
“Cindy’s just started dipping her toes into the water,” Liz answered. I sent her a grateful smile for having my back.
“Oh, that reminds me,” Julianna began. “Mika wanted me to be sure and let you know about the submissive classes we have at the club. They’re every Saturday morning from nine to noon. We’d love to have you join us. It’s really a lot of fun.”
“It is,” the women answered in collective agreement.
“I really miss those meetings,” Savannah, a dark-haired beauty with big brown eyes, pouted. “But Trevor needs me more than you all do right now.”
“You two will be back with us soon. How’s his karate lessons going?” Mellie—who I’d learned moments earlier was Savannah’s sister—asked with a note of concern.
A sad smile tugged the woman’s lips. “He’s a fast learner, but sometimes he crawls inside himself. I can feel the anxiety rolling off him. Thankfully, he’s still seeing Tony on a regular basis. I’m sure he’ll eventually work Trevor past the aftermath of his attack. It just breaks my heart though. I love him so much. It kills me to see him so…haunted.”
A tear slid down her cheek. The others murmured in sympathy. The memory arose of Trevor being wheeled into the ER the night he was beaten. My heart ached for the sweet young man then as it did now. On the outside, he seemed perfectly fine—happy, in fact, as he read and giggled with Tristan. But then looks could be deceiving, a fact driven home by the group of strong-willed women surrounding me.
“Ixnay onyay evortray,” Julianna warned in pig Latin. It took me a minute to decipher she was really saying to stop talking about Trevor. “I think he’s coming inside to help.”
“Speaking of which, what can I do?” I asked.
“Grab those potholders,” Julianna instructed nodding toward the stove. “And start hauling trays of lasagna out to the dining room table for me, please. I’ll throw the salad into a big bowl.”
The sliding glass door opened and Trevor sauntered in. “Tristan is ready for cake,” he announced with a laugh.
“When isn’t he?” Julianna asked dryly.
“Give me something to do, sister,” T
revor pleaded. “Something that will keep me from breaking down and giving that little heart-melter an entire cake for dinner.”
“You do and I’ll have Drake tie you to the bar naked for a month,” Julianna warned, waving a wooden spoon his way. Trevor’s eyes grew wide in horror. “You can check the tableware in the other room. Make sure we have enough for everyone, and keep Tristan far away from the dessert.”
“On it.” Trevor grinned, darting toward the dining room.
“Mellie, Savannah, would you please grab the salad dressings out of the fridge and set them on the table? Ebony, can you light the sterno cans beneath the chafing dishes so we can keep the lasagna and cheesy garlic bread hot? Leagh…um… Oh, hell, just stand there looking gorgeous as usual, doll. Everything else is covered.” Julianna laughed, giving Tony’s beautiful wife a tight hug.
“Is that all I’m good for…eye candy?” Leagh teased with a mock scowl.
“From what I hear, you’re better at sucking the chrome off a Harley, but I don’t know that for fact,” Trevor called from across the room.
“Oh, yeah?” Leagh laughed. “From what I hear, so are you.”
“Damn straight. Daddy loves it, too,” Trevor preened.
And that’s all it took for another round of verbal zingers to ignite and volley through the air. Tears of laughter slid down our cheeks when Mika burst into the room wearing a quizzical expression.
“What are you wild ones doing in here? Are we going to eat or laugh all night?”
“Where’s Tristan?” Julianna gasped, trying to peer around Mika’s muscular shoulders. “What did you do with our son?”
“I sold him to the gypsies,” Mika drawled as he rolled his eyes. “Relax, pet. Drake has him. He’s fine.”
“Don’t tease me like that. Dammit, you scared me,” Julianna scolded.
“Watch your tone with me, my little wench, or I’ll fire up your backside here and now,” Mika warned. Marching toward her, he pulled back his hand, level with her butt.
Undaunted, Julianna thrust her backside out and wiggled it at him. “Please do, Master.”
Narrowing his eyes, Mika shot her a glare that filled me with fear. “I’m going to edge you all night long. That should take the sass out of you,” he threatened.
I leaned in close to Liz’s ear. “What’s edging?”
She grinned and murmured back, “When your Dom takes you to the point of release over and over again but doesn’t let you come. It’s wickedly awful.”
Julianna groaned and shot him a pleading gaze. “No. Please. I’ll behave. I’m sorry.”
“Too late, pet.” He shrugged. “If dinner is ready, I’ll start sending the guests inside.”
“Yes, Sir, it’s ready.” Julianna pouted. It was plain to see which parent Tristan plucked that ploy from.
“Good girl,” Mika praised. Drawing his hand back once again, he landed a loud, hard smack to her ass.
The blow would have reduced me to tears, but Julianna simply purred, then wrapped her arms around Mika’s neck. She flashed him a needy look, then drew him in close for a long, passionate kiss. Mika turned and strutted back out to the deck, wearing a proud, contented smile.
“Let’s eat,” Julianna announced, her voice giddy and breathless.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Sam and I sat at one of the big tables with Liz, Ian, James, Tony, and Leagh. We laughed and talked as we stuffed ourselves on gooey, lasagna and chased it down with rich red wine. Outside the walls of Genesis, everyone seemed…well, normal. Though the various topics of conversation left no doubt in my mind this definitely wasn’t an Amway party. No, I’d let Sam drag me in behind enemy lines, and I was now deeply entrenched with the Kink Squadron. And as long as I kept from fixating on that fact, I relaxed and had a fun time. I felt like a fraud, though no one seemed to care I knew virtually nothing about the lifestyle. They were warm, friendly, and welcoming.
“Oh, you little twit. That’s a bold-faced lie. Oh, my god, I can’t believe you… Savannah, you are such a brat,” cried a blushing Mellie from the table beside us.
Her sister didn’t seem the least concerned about Mellie’s scorn. Savannah simply cackled with those around her.
“Sirs, I respectfully request you beat Sanna’s ass red tonight,” Mellie demanded of the swarthy Native American Master named Nick, and Dylan, a buff blond with a charming dimple.
Suddenly, Joshua—Mellie’s Master—sobered and lifted a sandy-blond brow. “Surely you’re not giving instructions to Sanna’s Masters, are you, precious?”
“No, Sir.” The pretty dark-haired woman paled. “It was… I…I was only suggesting, Master.” Even I could tell Mellie was blatantly backpedaling to keep her own butt out of trouble.
“Of course not,” Joshua replied wryly. “So tell me, what was this clandestine shopping trip Sanna just ratted you out all about?”
“I didn’t rat—”
“Pet,” Nick interrupted with a scowl and a tone that brooked no argument.
Savannah sent her sister a pleading stare before mouthing, “Sorry.”
“It’s a surprise…or rather, it was supposed to be a surprise,” Mellie explained while her shoulders sagged dejectedly.
“For me?” Joshua’s eyes flashed with delight like a little boy at Christmas.
“No, for the mailman,” Mellie drawled sarcastically. “Of course for you, Master. Do you honestly think I’d be buying gifts for some other man?”
Joshua let out a mighty roar, then gripped Mellie’s hair before yanking her head back and planting a long, soulful kiss over her mouth.
A ripple of longing fluttered through me. Memories of Sam’s fist in my hair and the tingles his touch ignited over my scalp made my pussy clutch.
“You may keep your surprise a secret, my mouthy girl,” Joshua apprised after ending the kiss. “But your lily-white ass will be blazing and beautifully marked for me later on tonight.”
“Thank you, Master.” Mellie swooned as if happy to receive his pain. With a victorious and haughty expression, she flashed Savannah an evil grin, then stuck out her tongue.
Another burst of laughter resounded from their table. I, too, couldn’t keep from grinning at the sisters’ playful antics. But I wondered why the formality between Dom and sub—that I’d witnessed at the club—had all but vanished. It gave me hope that there might actually be such thing as part-time submission. Not that it mattered. After all, I wasn’t a sub.
“Cin? Would you be up for something like that?” Liz asked, yanking me out of my pondering.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear your question. I was listening to the banter at the other table. Guess that serves me right for being nosey.”
“It’s okay. Savannah and Mellie are hilarious when they get on a roll.” Liz grinned. “Ian Sir asked if you and Master Sam would like to observe a session between the three of us.”
Watch them? “Why?” The question flew off my tongue abruptly.
Surely she wasn’t serious. I’d rather have a root canal, without Novocain, than watch my best friend strip down and get her ass beat.
Liz’s cheeks turned crimson, and she flashed a nervous glance at her two Doms.
“Because we wanted to give Sam an opportunity to explain the dynamics of what we do in a more private setting, pet,” Ian explained. Though his tone wasn’t exactly a command, it certainly felt like one.
“Ah, sure. I guess that would be all right.” I shrugged quickly, darting a glance at Sam. His gentle smile told me he approved of my answer.
Great. And wouldn’t sitting there watching Liz be as awkward as hell.
At my blatant lack of enthusiasm, James sent me a sympathetic smile. “It won’t be awful. More like a low-key, informal demo, Cin.”
Since I had no clue what a demo entailed, I simply smiled and nodded. Still, if at any time during this informal demo he or Ian whipped out their dick, I would be outta there. No part of me wanted to watch my best friend get it on with her men.
Butterflies returned with a vengeance, dipping and swooping in my belly. I downed my glass of wine to the amusement of everyone at the table. I wanted to crawl under the damn thing and hide. Sam slid his broad hand over my thigh and gave me a reassuring squeeze.
“We’ll set it up, soon,” he agreed.
I swallowed tightly hoping soon might mean a couple of centuries from now.
“Any word on how our resident douchebag is doing?” Joshua leaned back in his chair at the other table and pointedly asked Sam.
“Dammit, man,” Ian groused. “Why’d you have to spoil a wonderful evening by bringing that prick up?”
“Sorry, man. I didn’t mean to curdle your dinner. I’m simply holding out hope he comes down with a nasty staph infection or something else fatal,” Joshua stated contemptuously.
“I doubt we could be that lucky,” Tony added cynically.
“You know, Sam,” Dylan began. “I respect your Hippocratic oath and all, but none of us would have blamed you if you’d let him bleed out.”
“Master,” Savannah gasped as she stared, slack-jawed, at the chuckling men.
“What? Do you have a secret crush on Kerr or something?” Dylan’s taunting grin caused his dimple to sink deep into his cheek.
“Gross. No. But that’s a terrible thing to say,” she chided.
“No, it’s not,” Mellie stated matter-of-factly. “It would save a lot of heartache for other subs.”
Joshua exhaled a heavy sigh, then pulled her against his chest. “I’m sorry, love. I wasn’t trying to pick the scab off old wounds.”
Evidently Mellie had a history with Kerr. It would certainly explain the animosity shared by those around us. I made a mental note to get the whole story from Sam or Liz soon.
Mellie shook her head, then pressed her lips to the back of Joshua’s hand. “You didn’t, Master. I stopped wasting brain cells on that chicken-s—poop, a long time ago. Besides, you’re who I want to focus all my attention on now.”
The love in her voice brought a smile to Joshua’s lips. “And I adore your attention, girl.” He slanted his lips over hers and kissed her hard. “I intend to have you focused on all kinds of delicious things, later tonight.”
