He frowned, but nodded before stalking into the living room.
“Did you follow us here?” Eli demanded from behind Fiona.
“Yeah, I did,” Nash snarled as he sat on the couch.
“Great, now you’re stalking me.” Fiona sighed and sat in a recliner opposite him.
“It’s not stalking,” he snapped. “It’s concern. Why didn’t you tell me Peter Murphy framed you?”
She swallowed hard, exchanged a look with Eli, who stood protectively by her chair. “How do you know about that?”
“Cause I paid a visit to the Strength Inc. gym.” Nash leaned forward and pinned her with his stare. “Had a little chat with Murphy.” Then he glanced at Eli. “Did you know about this? Murphy framing her with a steroid rap?”
Eli nodded. “Yeah, both Thomas and I know. We’ve been helping Fiona to bring the asshole down.”
Nash gave a disgusted scoff and shook his head. “So even you knew before me.” He hung his head and his hair fell in a black curtain around his face. “This is bullshit. Fiona, I want in on this. You have to let me help.”
“You don’t owe me anything, Nash.” She looked away when he pinned her with a glare filled with hurt.
“I want the whole story. How did Murphy set you up?”
Eli moved away from the chair and took a threatening stance. “She said you don’t owe her anything, and Fiona doesn’t owe you a damn thing either.”
Nash glowered at the big man and rose up from his seat. “This is between me and my ex.”
Before they could get nose to nose, Fiona stopped them. “No, it’s not, Nash. Look, I’ll tell you more, but not tonight. I’m exhausted. So is Eli. We’ll talk at work tomorrow.”
“I’m counting on it,” Nash said, then with a glare cast in Eli’s direction, he stomped out of the room and slammed the front door behind him as he left.
***
The next day at the club, Nash caught up with Thomas just before he opened.
“Hey, you’re here early,” Thomas said. “I thought you weren’t a morning person.”
Nash ignored the jibe and sat in the chair opposite his brother’s desk. “I know what you’re hiding for Fiona. I also know you’re helping her.”
Thomas ran a hand down his face then sat. “Fiona told you everything?”
“Not everything. That’s why I’m here. I know Murphy framed her. Convinced the Strength Inc. board that Fiona was talking her fighters into doing steroids. I also know you’re helping her nail the bastard. I want in. So fill in the gaps for me, brother.”
Thomas stared at him in silence a while before he spilled the information. “Murphy wanted Fiona to rig a match for him. A title bout between him and the Beast. He knew Fiona was tight with some of the judges, so he wanted to pay them off to bend the rules. Fiona told him no and he didn’t like it. He planted steroids on her, himself, and some of the other fighters she reps. Blamed it all on Fiona and Strength Inc. fired her, plus they blackballed her with other MMA agencies.”
David “the Beast” Harker had lost the heavyweight championship to Jacques St. Pierre in a controversial and memorable match, where he also announced he and Jacques were lovers, and sleeping with their rep, Bella Rosen. Nash wouldn’t forget that match anytime soon, nor would any MMA personnel who witnessed it. He knew the Beast had been hungry to get that belt back, and he also knew the man was a tough competitor. But Murphy was tough as nails himself, had taken the belt from St. Pierre in a brutal match, so why wouldn’t he want to win the fight on his own merit? Why did he need to stack the odds in his favor?
“I don’t get it,” Nash said. “Murphy’s got the skills to win the championship on his own. Why rig the event?”
“Cause Murphy’s got gambling debts coming out his ears,” Thomas told him. “Fiona was hiding his little problem. He didn’t want the match rigged so he’d keep the title. He wanted a guarantee that the Beast would win. Since the odds were in Murphy’s favor, he wanted to bet against himself. Bigger payoff.”
“This shit just gets thicker.” Nash rubbed his stubbled chin. “I know you’re helping her bring him down. I want in.”
Thomas sighed. “That’s up to Fiona, brother. I can’t make that call.”
“I’ll talk to her tomorrow night. One way or another, I will be a part of this.”
***
Eli threw his shirt in the hamper and then turned to Fiona as she climbed into bed. “You really going to let Nash help us with Murphy?”
“He’s still got contacts inside Strength Inc.” She touched his arm when he sat on the mattress. “That could be useful.”
Eli frowned. “He’s doing this to get back with you.”
Fiona stroked his hair from his shoulder. “I’m with you, Eli. Nash is my past.”
“For now.”
Sliding across the sheets, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged. “Sounds like someone could use some reassuring.”
He chuckled. “I’ll never turn you down, darling.”
“Good.” She kissed behind his ear. “I get to be the top tonight.”
Fiona left the bed and went to the walk-in closet. Inside, they kept some of their BDSM toys on a few shelves. From one, she selected a coil of hemp rope. Red, because it was Eli’s favorite color.
Over their brief time together, he’d taught her so much, fulfilled many of her sexual fantasies. He’d been willing to do things with her she’d never felt comfortable discussing with Nash. It wasn’t that Nash was a bad lover. No, their sex life had been carnal and satisfying, but at times he could be selfish, wanting all the pleasure to be on his terms. Like with the threesome proposition they’d fought over. Nash was fine with two girls one guy, he was the one who brought it up, but wouldn’t entertain two guys one girl. That, his cheating, and the fact he often brushed her off when she tried to bring up her needs had killed their relationship.
She should love Eli. He’d given her so much. And Fiona decided in that moment that she was ready to love him. Rebound be damned, these were true feelings. Nash was indeed a part of her past.
Eli gave her his back and placed his wrists behind him, one on top of the other. Fiona kissed across his shoulders, caressed the tense muscles there and lower. She grazed the hemp rope across his skin as she did so. His breathing grew labored and he began to relax.
She looped the vibrant red rope around his thick wrists, creating an intricate pattern that she secured with figure eight knots. A strong link that would be hard for him to undo. He’d taught her how to tie many different kinds, from a bowline to a sheepshank, going over why one knot was better for this situation and that. With Eli, her sexual world, as well as spiritual, had opened up, for BDSM was also a culture close to the more esoteric side of her being.
Once his wrists were firmly secured, she told him to lie back on the pillows. He did as she bade, watching her the whole time. After another trip to the walk-in closet, she applied a fragrant warming oil to his well developed pecs, massaging it into the tight muscles. She stopped to flick her tongue over his nipples and bite the taut tips. He growled and thrashed in his bonds, and she knew not being able to touch her drove him mad. But it was this denial that would also accentuate his pleasure.
Her hands moved lower, rubbing the oil into the flat plane of his stomach. At his groin, she teased him, kneading the muscles along his inner thighs, flitting her fingers over his pubis bone, but avoiding his thick erection. When he snarled again, she licked pre-cum from his glans, blew on the head, but then pulled her mouth away when he bucked his hips up, begging entry. She laughed at his grumbling.
He groaned when she cupped his balls and began stroking them. His eyes fluttered closed and his lips parted as she played with his perineum, pinching and tugging it. Fingers explored his anus and he lifted up to give her better access.
“Please,” he moaned, and she knew what he wanted.
This time, she relented. Her mouth wrapped around the head of his hard, long cock and she laved her
tongue beneath the ridge. He drove his penis deeper, bumping the back of her throat, and she swallowed then sucked him harder. He whimpered and began slowly fucking her face. All the while, she kept working his scrotum, alternating between sharp pinches and gentle caresses. Her fingers would explore his asshole too, making his grunt and groan from the assault of bliss.
Up and down, up and down her mouth went. She swirled her tongue over his steely shaft as she descended and ascended. His breathing grew more ragged and he thrashed against the ropes as he thrust between her lips.
“Untie me,” he commanded. “I need to touch you. I have to fuck you.”
She pulled her mouth from him and met his eyes. “I’m in charge. Remember?”
His brow wrinkled from frustration. “Please, mistress. Please let me touch you, be inside of you.”
She reached up and stroked his face. “That’s better. Sit up.”
He did as he was told and she worked fast to loosen his bonds. Her lover threw the rope to the floor and seized her arms, then he claimed her lips in a feral kiss as he pushed her to the bed and straddled her.
He nudged her legs apart and buried his cock deep inside her. His eyes fluttered closed and he let out a pleased sigh as he rocked his hips back and forth, back and forth. She splayed her palms over his taut ass and guided him, losing herself in the sublime pleasure he had to give. With one hand, he reached between them to stroke her clit as he pumped in and out of her pussy. Their eyes locked and they watched one another as they enjoyed each other’s bodies.
It wasn’t long before ecstasy exploded within her core and she gasped as the orgasm shuddered through her, gripping his ass even harder as her vagina clenched tight around his shaft and milked him until he, too, trembled and came hard.
***
“You promised we’d talk.” Nash held out a motorcycle helmet.
Fiona regretted answering the door. “I have clients. I can’t leave now.”
“I just checked the appointment book. You’re free for the next three hours. Let’s go for a ride.”
He had her there. She didn’t have another client scheduled until after 4 pm. With a sigh, she took the helmet and followed him down the staircase. The club crowd emitted a dull murmur as they headed through the people. It wasn’t too packed yet. The place didn’t really fill up until after 9 pm.
Fiona looked around, hoping to spot Eli in the mix, but he was nowhere to be seen. And she had promised Nash they’d talk. So her only option was to go with him.
She followed him outside, zipped up her jacket against the chill, and then got on the bike behind him. It had been a long time since she’d gone riding with him. As he started the bike and they took off, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed into his broad back. It felt too good. The smell of leather. The solid, reassuring feeling of holding him. The wind on her face, tangling her hair, as they raced through the afternoon traffic. It played havoc with her senses, and once more her emotions were at war. When their marriage had been happy, she’d always loved riding with Nash.
As if to further torment her, he took them to Hastings Park, the place where they’d had their first date. Her heart ached and filled with nostalgic joy all at once. That afternoon, they’d fed the ducks and talked about what they wanted out of life. Everything had seemed possible in that moment. They had their whole lives ahead of them to explore together, get to know one another, and enjoy experiences shared.
She thought about the turmoil that followed. The many fights. The times she’d caught him in bed with other women. All the joy plummeted and soured in her stomach.
As if sensing her thoughts, he turned to her after they sat on a bench under a pine tree. “It wasn’t all bad, was it?”
She smiled sadly. “No, there were good times.” And she went over those good memories as she stared at his face. There were lines around his eyes now that weren’t there before, and wrinkles at the corner of his mouth, as if one too many grim frowns had taken their toll.
“I’ve never been the same since you left,” he whispered, looking away to glance at the lake that bordered the park. “If I could take it all back, all the shit I put you through, I would. Losing you taught me a lot.”
“I made mistakes too,” she said, laying her hand on top of his and regretting it. The spark was still strong between them and it instantly crackled. “I shouldn’t have stayed as long as I did. We were two opposites trying to make it work long after we should’ve said goodbye.”
He gazed at her, those intense, almost black eyes piercing into her very soul. “Let me make it up to you. Let me help you, Eli, and Thomas nail Murphy for what he’s done to you. Please.”
She took a deep breath and held it. She knew letting Nash in on this was dangerous. It would open her heart up to him again, and she wasn’t sure she could handle that. Being around Nash was like being too close to a fire. You inevitably got scorched, and she wasn’t sure she could take the burn a second time around.
“I fucked up.” He squeezed her hand. “I want to make it right.”
She couldn’t tear her focus from that handsome, weathered face. He’d changed, she realized. Gone was the cold, aloof Nash she’d been married to. The one who closed off when he didn’t get his way. Now, he was going out of his way for her, and, especially near the end of their marriage, he’d never done that. Instead, he’d punished her by withholding affection when she didn’t do things his way. But now, when they’d made love recently, there was a tenderness to him, a humility, she’d never seen before. The accident had changed him, and maybe losing her had to. Softened the rougher edges. But he could just be playing her for a fool. She knew that was a possibility too.
However, her heart wanted to believe him.
“All right, you can help us,” she said, and the decision both thrilled and terrified her.
He smiled, stroked her cheek. “When this is all over, can we try again?”
She pulled away. “I don’t think so, Nash…” It was too hard to breathe, to think.
He closed the gap she made. “There’s been no one else since you. I meant what I said. Every woman’s face becomes yours, Fiona. I need you.”
And the danger amped up. She had to focus on breathing to keep from hyperventilating. Eli flashed through her thoughts and guilt spiked low in her belly, especially over the words she was about to utter. But the impulse was too strong to resist, and she let her heart rule her head in that moment. She had to test Nash. Had to see just how far he was willing to go to get her back. Had to know if he’d really changed.
“Maybe there is a chance. I can’t guarantee that, though. But, if we try again, I need you to do something for me. Something to prove you’ve really changed.”
“What’s that?”
She sat up straight, summoned all her courage. “I need you to scene with me and Eli. You had your two girls one guy. Give me two guys and one girl. If you really want me back, it has to be on equal terms all the way.”
His smiled turned to an enraged sneer. “That’s blackmail!”
“No, it’s more like coercion.” She stood and crossed her arms over her chest. “Take it or leave it.”
He stepped closer, brought his face near to hers. “Does he know?”
“Know what?”
“That we slept together.”
Fiona’s heart thudded in her ears. Her dangerous game grew all the more risky with each passing second. What the hell was she thinking? There was more than her heart at risk here.
“No, he doesn’t. Not yet.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell him,” Nash snapped. “Unlike you, I won’t stoop to Murphy’s methods to get what I want.”
Then he stalked off toward the bike and waited for her. After she calmed her chaotic mind, she followed. There was no warmth in touching him now as she wrapped her arms around him and prepared for the ride back. The drive was filled with silence.
***
Nash arrived at Thomas’ office early for the meeting Fion
a had called. The instant tension between him and Eli didn’t go unnoticed when Fiona and her new lover walked in the room. Her stomach tightened and she took in a deep, cleansing breath. This was like walking a tightrope above a pool of sharks.
Thomas tried to ease the edginess by greeting them warmly. She took a seat next to Nash, which earned her a dirty look from Eli. He pulled up a chair close to her and Nash shot a glare his way.
“Nash is going to help us bring down Murphy,” she said, and Eli’s body tensed.
His jaw clenched and unclenched. “Do you think it’s wise? We don’t really need another person in on this.”
Before the two men could erupt in an argument, Fiona added, “Nash knows the inside of Strength Inc. as well as I do. He still has contacts there. If he goes in, it’ll raise less suspicion than you or Thomas trying to get access.”
Eli nodded, but still gave an unimpressed frown.
Fiona cast a desperate glance in Thomas’ direction and he picked up the cue. “Let’s fill Nash in on what we’ve got so far. You know about Murphy framing Fiona for the steroids, but he was also stealing cash from one of her accounts.”
Nash’s eyes widened. He glanced at Fiona and then at his brother, but didn’t say a word.
“Like I told you,” Thomas said to his brother. “Murphy has a gambling problem, and he was taking Fiona’s cash to fuel his addiction.”
Fiona added, “Murphy had one of his hacker friends accessing my computer, recording my keystrokes, that sort of thing. I didn’t have a clue until the cash went missing.”
“But Murphy isn’t as smart as he thinks he is,” Thomas continued. “He’s been gambling at my casinos, so I have proof of his little problem. That and I have my own set of hacker friends who can prove Murphy was stealing from Fiona.”
“Is he still stealing from you?” Nash practically growled the sentence.
Fiona shook her head. “I changed my accounts right after the money went missing. The bank investigated, but Thomas’ people got quicker results.”
Surrender Boxed Set (Surrender Series Volume 1 - 7. BDSM romance with man love, bad boys, and billionaires.) Page 58
