by Ashley Shay
Carly leaned a bit closer and whispered, “Isn’t that a bit risky? Having a bunch of strangers…humans in town?”
Rosa doubled over laughing then shook her head, her eyes sparkling. “Carly, Carly, what am I to do with you?”
Carly sniffed and started walking again. Okay, so she’d said something stupid. It wasn’t the first time and probably wouldn’t be the last time. She’d entered a whole new world and figured it would take a while to learn the ropes no matter how much she tried to accept everything.
Rosa linked arms with her again. “After what we just talked about, you do realize that shifters have been around for millennia. Most of us have learned to control ourselves pretty well over the thousands of years we’ve been in contact with the humans.”
Carly nearly stumbled on the sidewalk as she turned to Rosa in disbelief. Rosa yanked on her arm and pulled her upright.
“You’re a shifter too?” Carly asked incredulously.
Rosa laughed. “Of course. Didn’t you know?”
“No,” Carly said, shaking her head in disbelief. “How would I have known?”
“Oh, Tyler is quite the talker when he gets started. I figured he told you all about my serpent heritage. He just loves to rub it in.”
Suzie skipped ahead once again, this time to look into a window filled with the cutest kittens Carly had ever seen. At least she assumed they were real kittens. She shook her head, wondering at how her mind worked. Of course they were real kittens. No one would put a child in a window. The kittens all seemed to like Suzie. All of them scrambled forward and pressed against the glass. She was a regular kitten magnet. Carly wondered why Tomás hated the little girl so much, why Tomás hated everyone so much.
“She’s been wanting a kitten…” Rosa said thoughtfully then waved her hand. “What am I thinking? Tyler would kill me.” She brought her attention back to Carly, who couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the beautiful woman in front of her. “What? Why are you staring? Do I have something on my face?” She swiped at her cheek.
“No, you’re fine,” Carly murmured. “More than fine.”
She’d had a weird twenty-four hours, one in which she’d been chosen as the mate for five men, and if that weren’t bad enough, she’d discovered her lovers—her five lovers—were all shifters. Then this morning she’d been treated to something out of Supernatural episode and seen a little girl turn into a cougar cub before her very eyes.
Now she was supposed to believe that this woman was some kind of snake? Rosa definitely had the slinky, sensuous glide associated with a snake. She moved with a sinuous and elegant grace, her hips moving smoothly beneath her silk wraparound skirt, and the long, slim lines of her back in the halter top were proud and straight. Her long, straight hair slid along her waistline, swishing back and forth like a pendulum. With enough imagination, Carly could almost see Rosa slithering and sliding through the sands of the desert. She’d be so hypnotic…
“You’re a snake.” Carly couldn’t believe the words were coming out of her mouth.
“A snake shifter,” Rosa said patiently. “There is a difference, you know.”
“But you’re so beautiful,” Carly said.
Rosa’s dark eyes sparkled, and her full, pouty lips curved up in a smile. “Snakes can be beautiful as well.”
“Yes, I suppose they can. Are all snake shifters beautiful?”
“It does seem to be our burden to carry,” Rosa said. “You’re not afraid of snakes, are you?”
She uttered a tiny laugh. “No, of course not. That would be silly, right?”
“Not at all. Lots of people are afraid of snakes. With good reason,” Rosa said seriously. “There are terrible serpents out there.”
Carly gulped, suddenly overwhelmed by the memory of that man in Haney’s office. He’d had the same sort of smooth movement Rosa had. He’d glided through her office, elegant and self-assured, his head held high, his back straight, his dark hair glossy and slicked back from a very handsome face. Beautiful, graceful…and yet he’d felt…wrong. If anyone had ever been a snake, that man would have fit the bill.
“Come on,” Suzie shouted. She teetered on the heels of her cowboy boots. “Unless you’re planning to buy me a kitty,” she said sweetly.
“What about Tomás?” Rosa asked.
“He’s a bastardo,” Suzie said. “Even Lucia says so.”
“True enough, chiquita, but Lucia loves Tomás. And we can’t have a kitty because Tomás would kill it.”
“He doesn’t kill me,” Suzie said proudly.
Rosa patted her nose, and Suzie giggled. “That’s because Tomás knows better than to tangle with a cub like you.”
Carly finally snapped out of it, pushing the memory of that terrible man back inside the deep recesses of her mind, where he belonged. She was safe now, in a new life and in the middle of a new adventure. She smiled and took Suzie’s hand. “There are no kittens in the cards today, honey. But I’ll file it away for later. Maybe we can convince Tomás to behave.”
“Good luck with that,” Rosa said.
They continued down the street, peering in windows, planning their shopping lists, and laughing at Suzie’s antics. She was quite the charmer and talked incessantly anytime someone stopped her on the street to say hello. Everyone seemed to love Suzie. They treated her like a tiny princess and went out of their way to compliment her outfit, tell her how pretty she looked, and ask about her daddy. They were all well acquainted with Rosa too. Carly felt like an outsider, even though Rosa introduced her to everyone as “the alpha’s new woman.” The moment anyone approached, Rosa took her arm, whispered a name and occupation, and fell into a conversation.
By the time they’d reached the end of the street, Carly felt as though she’d run a gauntlet of inspection from the entire town. All the while, they were followed by two very large men who looked anything but casual in their dark clothes and sunglasses and with the tiny earpieces they wore that apparently connected them to the ranch. Carly felt very conspicuous being shadowed, but Rosa and Suzie completely ignored the men, as did the entire town. Apparently the Lucas women were shadowed everywhere they went.
Her eye caught on what was obviously a club at the edge of the main street. It was an exclusive one, from the elegant look of it, and had been tailored to represent a Western bordello. The door was closed, and though there were two windows on the ground floor, they were tinted so darkly, she saw nothing inside. She stepped back a bit on the sidewalk and glanced up through the wrought iron railing overhead to see red velvet draping the windows and French doors that opened onto the balcony. Above the door, in script letters, a sign warned visitors they must be members to enter. Carly smiled at the name. Clandestine.
“Is that a private nightclub?”
Rosa glanced at the club then back at Carly, studying her for a moment. “I’m sure you’ll find out eventually.” She herded them out of the steady foot traffic and cupped her hands over Suzie’s ears.
Suzie immediately began to squirm and pull at Rosa’s fingers. “Hey! Let me go!”
“Clandestine is a fetish club. BDSM. Just about any kink you can imagine. Cougar owns it.”
Carly glanced back at the closed door wondering what sorts of things might be waiting for a visitor inside. She knew nothing of that world, but there was a reason the windows were tinted so darkly. She shivered just thinking about what they might be. “Cougar owns it?”
Rosa nodded. “Owns it, manages it, enjoys it. The membership is invitation only.”
“Hmm,” Carly said, “so it’s only open to locals?”
“Hell no,” Rosa said. “The Lucas men have friends all over the world. Half of them are members of this club.”
“All shifters?”
“No, despite what you might think, there are some humans out there perfectly capable of dealing with our world. Some of them belong to this club. It caters to people and shifters with a certain…need for the unusual. It’s a safe place for shifters and humans t
o interact without fear of reprisal.”
“I see,” Carly said. “It sounds rather…kinky and…indulgent.”
Rosa burst out laughing. “Niña bonita, you don’t know the half of it. Half of this town is owned by the Lucas brothers. It’s been that way for nearly two hundred years. The Lucas clan may have come to Texas for sanctuary, but when they arrived, one of the alpha’s goals was to make money, and that’s what they did—anywhere he could make it. If it’s legal, and it makes money, you can assume the Lucas brothers have a share in it.”
“But a BDSM club?”
Rosa smiled, finally releasing Suzie’s ears. The little girl glared up at Rosa, but Rosa merely caressed Suzie’s face in a hypnotic rhythm until the child leaned against her. “That shouldn’t really surprise you. After all, Cougar is a little on the wild side.”
“Cougar hasn’t really been…overly friendly.”
“He’ll come around, Carly. Give him time.”
“That’s good to know. I want him to like me.” Carly gave a sly smile. “So about this wild side…Does Purrrfectly Fine Lingerie deal in leather?”
Rosa laughed, a throaty, sexy laugh that made people glance their way. “Oh, Carly Barnes, you are a bad girl, and you’re just what the Lucas brothers need. I don’t think our reluctant Cougar has a snowball’s chance with you around.”
Suzie grabbed their hands and began to tug them both. “C’mon, I want to look at purses.” Her little cowboy boots made thumping sounds as she determinedly led them down the street. “Can I have a pair of cowboy boots too?”
“Chiquita, you have dozens of cowboy boots,” Rosa chided. “I don’t think any new colors are left.” She turned to Carly. “In case she didn’t tell you, Suzie’s favorite store is Cowgirl Dreams. It sells designer boots, hats, and Western purses. I think our little kitten keeps them in business.”
“Yellow,” Suzie said as if that explained everything.
“Yellow what?” Carly asked.
“Yellow boots. I don’t have a pair of yellow boots.”
Rosa rolled her eyes, but Carly looked at her seriously. “You do have yellow boots, Suzie. You were wearing them the day I came to Cattail.”
“Ooooooh,” Suzie said, tapping her lip. “Yeah, I was, but those were bird yellow. I want corn yellow. It’s lighter.”
Rosa heaved a sigh, but Carly laughed. “Corn yellow it is.”
“And after that,” Rosa said, “ice cream for me and you while Carly tries on some clothes.”
“Ice cream!” Suzie shouted and raced ahead to the entrance of Cowgirl Dreams.
“Some very naughty clothes,” Rosa said with a wink.
Carly blushed but then decided she needed to get over that, especially if she intended to wrangle an invitation to Clandestine.
Chapter Twelve
Inside Purrrfectly Fine Lingerie, Lisa Fauve met Carly with a glass of white wine and a smile.
Thank you.” Carly accepted the cool wine and took a sip from the overly full glass. “Mmm. Delicious.”
“I hope you don’t mind. I had to meet the alpha’s woman for myself. I must say, when I received the call, I was a bit surprised.”
Carly smiled, hiding her confusion. Someone had called about her?
“Is there anything in particular you’re looking for, Ms. Barnes?”
She glanced around the store and nearly swooned. She wanted one of everything. Lisa Fauve’s shop looked like Victoria’s Secret on steroids. She could have spent days perusing the racks, inspecting the merchandise in the array of drawers, and trying on a variety of panties, bras, corsets, and garter belts in every color and style, but the one thing she wanted seemed to be noticeably absent. Even so, determined to win Cougar to her side, she asked hesitantly, “Do you carry leather?”
Lisa arched one eyebrow in understanding, or surprise. “For wear or play?”
Carly’s brow furrowed as she tried to decipher what Lisa meant.
Lisa moved to a wall that held several racks of leather garments, mostly skirts and corsets. She let her hand drift over a row of buttery-soft clothing. “These are for wearing day to day, to show off your wild side. We also have articles of lingerie designed to be worn under clothing for an evening’s surprise. I have other articles, of course, created for more of a costumed event.” She smiled and leaned forward to whisper conspiratorially. “You know, one of those special planned evenings men love so much.”
Carly reached out and felt the smooth and subtle texture of one of the skirts. It felt wonderful under her fingers, but she wondered how practical something like this would be in the Texas heat.
“Is this what you had in mind, Miss Barnes?”
Carly nearly changed her mind. She thought maybe she should stick with the pretty silk lingerie on the other side of the room. Just as she was about to return to those racks, she heard herself say, “I was thinking about something for…play.”
Lisa gave her a sultry smile. “Of course. We have a full leather-and-accessory room. Follow me.”
She moved off to the right and through a closed door. Entering the room, Carly stared openmouthed at the displays showing mannequins dressed in sinfully designed leather outfits that showed more skin than they covered. Several of the mannequins had been posed to showcase the bondage apparatus in their display. Carly felt her pussy moisten as her mind whirled with what she could wear, how Cougar might react, and how it would feel to be splayed in one of those sling harnesses. She desperately wanted what the sign proclaimed to be a “studded cage dress,” although nothing about the outfit looked like a dress. It linked around the neck like a halter and hugged the skin in a series of leather straps punctuated with studs. It would leave her breasts jutting through the leather and expose every bit of flesh. Her mouth watered just looking at it. She’d never had a reaction to an article of clothing before.
Carly felt Lisa studying her. “You have beautiful curves, Ms. Barnes. You would look magnificent in that.”
“Do you really think so?” Carly turned to look at the elegant woman. “Let’s be on a first name basis, please.”
“Then, Carly, may I make another suggestion?”
“Oh, yes, I’d be delighted for your help.”
“You will want a leather thong to wear underneath.” She laughed. “I realize the impracticality of it considering you are covered in nothing but bits and strips of leather, but I’ve discovered that men love nothing more than unwrapping a beautiful bare pussy, particularly a man like Cougar Lucas. You can drive him crazy with the anticipation alone.”
“I might be the crazy one here,” Carly said softly, suddenly defeated. She wondered when she’d gotten this insane idea. “I’m not even sure this will work. This is so not me.”
“Nonsense.” Lisa cupped her hands around Carly’s cheeks and lifted her face. Very gently, she said, “You are doing the right thing. Push your boundaries, find your comfort zone. You will never know until you try. If nothing else, Cougar will appreciate that you thought enough of him to try.”
Bolstered by Lisa’s words, Carly took the proffered garments into the private dressing area. She struggled for a few moments trying to decipher the seemingly complicated grid pattern of the leather. When she was about to call Lisa for a consultation, the dress slid over her body like magic. When she turned to look in the mirror, her mouth dropped open. She blushed over her entire body then stared, wide-eyed and stunned at her reflection, trying to figure out where the beautiful, sexy, alluring creature in front of her had come from. She’d never felt more alive in her entire life.
“How is it, chérie?” Lisa called from beyond the door.
“Oh my God, Lisa, I’m thinking of wearing this twenty-four seven.”
Lisa clapped her hands. “How delightful. Let me see.”
“Oh, I–I c–couldn’t,” Carly stammered.
Lisa chuckled. “Now, chérie, if you are happy with it, it’s only fair you show me.”
“I–I…suppose so,” Carly murmured. Yet, for s
ome reason, she still couldn’t force herself to open the door.
“Nothing pleases me more than seeing a sexy woman in a sexy garment I have chosen for her. May I see? It will allow me to choose for you again in the future…should someone make an inquiry.”
“I–I… yes, I suppose you’re right.”
She swiveled toward the door and reluctantly opened it. Lisa drew in a deep breath and clasped her hands over her face. “I have never seen such a beautiful vision before. Your skin is such creamy perfection and your breasts…Oh, they would send anyone in this town into such a jealous rage.” She twirled her finger in the air, and Carly spun on her heel, delighted with Lisa’s enthusiasm. “That ass…Oh my dear, you are a goddess personified.” She smiled a secret little smile. “I have it in red as well.”
Carly laughed, feeling completely confident given Lisa’s opinion. “Then I’ll take it in red as well.”
With those purchases acquired, Lisa led her back to the main showroom and to her highest-end silk and satin lingerie.
“Do you have any idea what the Lucas brothers might like?”
Lisa nodded. “Very easy, chérie. I’ve been choosing things to suit their tastes for years.”
“Oh, yes, of course.” Carly’s shoulders slumped. She’d known that, of course she had, so why had she opened her big mouth and invited a bulldozer in to crush her feelings after such an exhilarating morning?
Lisa chucked her under the chin. “Oh, none of that now.” Her smile vanished, and she gazed at Carly with a bit of understanding. “Is this about Jillian?”
“No. Yes. Possibly.” Carly huffed. “I don’t know. Jillian was probably so…perfect.”
Lisa laughed. “Well, my chérie, you are certainly right. Jillian was practically perfect. She had a dancer’s body, much like Rosa has. They met while in the same dance company in San Francisco, so it stands to reason they are very similar in build.”
“I knew it,” Carly muttered.
“Jillian was not perfect because she was a willowy woman filled with grace and perfection of movement.”
