by Lexi Blake
“It didn’t fit under the gloves I had to wear,” she explained softly.
Jack’s hand came out, lifting her chin up. He forced her to look him in the eyes. “What gloves, Abigail?” She tried to turn to look at Sam. Jack held her in place. “Don’t you dare look at him. You look at me. You’re answering me. He’ll get his chance to answer for what he’s done. What gloves? What gloves were so important that you would take off the ring I put on your finger?”
His deep green eyes were practically black in the dim light. It didn’t frighten her on a physical level. She trusted him implicitly. Any pain he’d given her before had only enhanced her pleasure. But her heart was a different matter.
“I had to wear gloves or Sam wouldn’t let me on the motorcycle,” she admitted.
Jack’s eyes closed briefly and when he opened them, Abby knew she was in for a bunch of that pleasure and no small amount of pain.
Jack let go of her chin. He nodded as though coming to a decision. He turned and faced Julian. The club owner was a commanding presence in the center of the room. He stood with his hand on Sally’s bent head, stroking her as though attempting to give her comfort. His eyes weren’t comforting as he looked at Jack.
“Your subs upset my business, Jackson,” Julian said evenly.
“I’m sorry.” She was starting to think she couldn’t say that enough. From the look on Julian Lodge’s face, this was more serious than she’d thought.
“Silence,” Jack ordered harshly. He stared at her until she closed her mouth. He stood beside her, and his hand went to the back of her neck. His fingers curled around the nape of her neck, and there was no mistaking the warning in them. “I understand, Julian. I apologize for both of them. Their behavior reflects poorly on me. You have the right to require any punishment you think fit. I ask you, as an old friend, please let me administer it.”
Julian appeared to think it through. “It will be public. I cannot let this go unpunished or everyone will think such behavior is acceptable. They interrupted scenes that many of my clients practiced weeks for and looked forward to. I wish I could let it pass, but I cannot. Tomorrow night in the dungeon, I want both she and Samuel to feel the lash.”
“Damn it, Julian.” Jack’s hand tightened slightly around her neck. It wasn’t at all painful, more a sign of his growing panic. Though she knew he was upset, his voice was steady as a rock. “I’ve never used anything on her before but my hand and a crop.”
“Then you should practice between now and then,” Julian replied. “I will allow a single tail, but nothing less. You used to be an artist with it. I have no doubt you can be again, for her sake. If you agree, then they can stay. If not, I have to ask them to leave and I will revoke Samuel’s membership. But Jackson, put collars on your subs before they leave their rooms again. Do you understand?”
Jack nodded. The hand on her neck relaxed. “Yes. She won’t leave the suite without it. Sam might never leave the suite alive again, so we won’t have to worry about him.” He glanced over at Sam. “I assume you took out the Platinum Suite.”
“Yes.”
“Yes?” Jack’s voice was sharp.
“Yes, Jack.”
“Get down there with her,” Jack barked.
She felt Sam kneel beside her. His eyes were down, but his hand found hers and gave her a reassuring squeeze.
“Are we done, Julian? I would like to take my subs upstairs. It’s time I had a long talk with them.”
She held her breath as Leo stepped forward. “I’m not done.” He stood in front of Jack, going toe to toe with him. “I’m the Dom in residence now, Master Jack. I know that used to be your job, but you’re a guest now. Had two subs caused the trouble yours did tonight, what would you have requested then?”
Jack’s jaw tightened. “I would have immediately requested punishment. Julian would have wanted punishment for disrupting the scenes, but I would have requested punishment for the insult to me.”
Leo nodded. “They both will pay for abusing Master Julian’s trust. I want her to pay for the insult to me.”
The hand on the back of her neck tightened almost painfully, and Abby decided not to argue.
“What insult?” Jack asked.
Leo’s eyes skimmed over her. She watched from beneath her lashes. “She started everything. I was attempting to watch over Master Julian’s possession. She questioned my authority over Sally in public. She proceeded to ignore direct orders given to her for her own protection. Though the male is the one who fought, I understand and forgive his actions. He was protecting her. He’s your partner?”
There was not an ounce of condemnation in the Dom’s question. He was merely attempting to outline the relationship.
“We share our wife. But I am the head of the household.”
“Well, your wife is topping from the bottom,” Leo accused. “I can’t let the rest of the subs see her get away with it. Twenty tonight, over my knee, right now.”
The hand came off her neck and she heard a sigh. His voice was low, and she couldn’t stand the defeated sound of his reply. “We’ll be out of here in an hour. Julian, I’m sorry. Consider my membership revoked. Come along, Abigail. Sam, I expect you to pack whatever you need and meet us in the lobby.”
“No!” She reached for his hand. Jack did business with the members of this club. It meant something to him. It was the whole reason she wanted to come here. She wanted to see this side of him. It had been the first place he’d called home. Now she would be the reason he lost it. Jack growled at her. She kept her head down, but she couldn’t keep quiet. “Please, Jack. Please don’t. I couldn’t live with it. I’ll do whatever he asks. I can handle it. Please don’t let this happen.”
His hand found her chin again, and his expression was softer now. “Abigail, he could hurt you.”
“Nothing will hurt me more than knowing I did this to you.” She could feel the tears streaming down her face. “Please?”
He forced her to look him straight in the eyes, his gaze steady. “I will never allow another man to put his hands on you like that. Do you understand me? I don’t care what you’ve done or what their rules are. I only trust Sam. This relationship is between the three of us. I won’t let anyone else in, not even for a moment, no matter what it costs me. All right?”
Though it hurt her heart, she knew he wouldn’t move. She nodded.
“Leo, I wonder if you would indulge me.” Julian’s voice cut through her misery. “If Jackson administers the punishment, will you be satisfied? He’s serious. He will leave and not come back rather than allow you to touch her. It will more than likely cost me a friendship I would prefer not to lose.”
The slight incline of the dungeon master’s head indicated his assent. “But I expect him to take this seriously. It’s obvious to me he has no control over his subs. He needs to reestablish control or allow them their freedom so they can find more appropriate Masters.”
“How about you let me worry about my wife and my partner and you keep your hands off of her.” Jack took a threatening step toward the other man. “Don’t think I don’t see the way you look at her. You don’t want to punish her. You want to get your hands on her. It’s not going to happen while I’m still breathing. Get me a chair.”
Jack hauled her up and she let him. If this was what it took, she could handle it. Hell, a part of her was already soft and wet. Deep down it was what she had hoped for. She glanced around at the crowd of people watching while Jack was brought a chair. They were going to watch him spank her. She hadn’t really hoped for this part. She felt her skin flush as they watched her.
Julian and Leo seemed particularly interested, but Sally’s head was up, too. There was a strangely familiar face in the back. He had black, fashionably tousled hair and wore trendy clothes. He was young, but he watched the scene before him with a fascination that was hard to miss. An older man in a suit, however, stood right behind the young man, and his disdain shone on his pinched face. It took her back to a tim
e when she saw that look on a lot of people’s faces. She felt seventeen again, with the contempt of her hometown all around her. She’d been young and pregnant, and they’d called her a whore.
“Abigail.” Jack’s voice brought her back to reality. He sat on one of the office chairs from the horny ad execs scene. “Come here.”
She turned away from the man with the disgusted expression. The rest of the room didn’t seem shocked at what was about to happen. They were excited. A thrill went through her. Screw the guy in the back. She wasn’t going to let people like that affect her anymore. She walked to Jack and let him pull her over his lap.
Her pussy throbbed in anticipation. Her mouth went dry as Jack’s big hands stroked up her legs and began to push her skirt up. She was suddenly glad she’d fought Sam on her choice of underwear. He’d pushed for a thong, but she was eager to wear the cute silk bikinis that matched her corset. Now it would give her a bit of modesty.
“What the fuck?” Jack fingered the underwear. “Since when do I allow you to wear panties? Get me a knife.”
So much for modesty. She felt a touch of metal as Jack cut the super-expensive underwear off her body. She watched them fall to the side.
“You’re just running wild aren’t you, baby?”
His erection poked at her belly. How long had it been since she’d felt that? She would do anything to get to that hard cock. God, she’d missed him so much. Abby felt her eyes fill with tears. He’d been right there and yet so far away for the last couple of months. This was the first time she’d felt close to him in forever, and it pierced her heart.
“Twenty,” she heard Leo say.
That was a mighty big number, but before she could protest, Jack’s hand came down on her ass and she struggled to breathe. It had been a long time since she’d been spanked. She’d forgotten how much it hurt at first.
Just as the pain was starting to bloom into something more, he struck again. He counted it out. She was grateful he wasn’t making her do it. Her brain was whirling, emotions far too high to do anything as logical as count. Her ass was on fire as he brought his hand down. He struck her right cheek and then her left. He moved down, striking her thighs, and then back up to the soft place where her cheeks met.
Unable to hold it in any longer, she cried out. She cried, and it wasn’t merely about the pain. She’d held it in for so long. She’d been strong. God, she’d almost lost him to that bullet. It had been a close thing. She could still feel his blood on her hands as she worked to save him.
For so long she’d been strong, holding it all in because he was the one who’d taken the pain. She hadn’t processed what had happened, had kept a wall up between them as surely as he had erected one.
She could still lose him. The count hit seventeen. She didn’t care who was watching. She cried because she couldn’t not cry anymore.
“Twenty.” Jack was breathing heavily as he finished. He immediately flipped her over. He was careful with her tender ass, placing her on his lap and pulling her close. “Don’t cry, baby. I’m so sorry. I won’t do it again. We don’t have to do this. Damn it, I knew I was too hard on you.”
She put her face close to his. He didn’t understand her at all. She pressed her lips against his. “I love you, Jack. I love you so much. I’m not crying because you hurt me. I’m crying because I’ve missed you. I’ve missed this. This is part of us. Please don’t pull away again. We need you.”
Jack leaned back slightly, as though trying to read her face. His deep green eyes studied her carefully. Whatever he saw there convinced him. His hands tangled in her hair. “I wasn’t trying to pull away, baby. I love you.”
He tugged her close and his lips sealed over hers. His tongue plunged into her mouth, devastating her with his dominance. He turned her in his arms, and she found herself straddling his lap, her wet pussy on display.
“Who does this belong to?” Jack’s arm wound tightly around her waist, holding her up. The other hand slid in her juices, parting her labia.
Everyone was watching and yet arousal screamed through her. She felt Sam’s eyes on her. They were hot, and she could see the erection tenting his jeans. He smiled slightly at her, letting her know he was there with her always.
“You,” she breathed. “It belongs to you. You and Sam.”
“Damn fucking straight it does.” Jack thrust two fingers straight up her pussy. He stretched her, adding a third finger. It still wasn’t as big as his cock, but it was enough to make her feel tight and almost painfully full. Her head fell back against his shoulder as she gave over to him. This was what she’d missed, knowing that she could give him everything, and he would take care of her. “You come for me, Abigail Barnes. You come for me now.”
His knees spread her legs wide. She was completely on display as he fucked her with his fingers. The hand on her waist tightened around her as he picked up the pace.
His fingers curled up and scissored inside her. He brushed his thumb firmly against her clitoris, and she came apart. She rubbed herself against him, desperate to prolong the soaring feeling. It rushed across her every nerve ending and left her shaking. As she came down from the high, he kissed her again and then stood with her in his arms. His lips curled up softly as he looked at her.
“Are you all right, baby?”
Perfect. That was what she was. Perfect and languid and sexy. She’d come in front of a crowd, and damned if she wasn’t willing to do it again. She nodded.
“I’ve been selfish.” He softly kissed her hair. “I was foolish. I won’t be again.”
“Is the boss back?”
“The boss is back, baby,” he replied surely. “You’re in for a rough night.” He turned his attention to Master Leo, who stood silently watching them. Jack’s face became gloriously arrogant again. “Are you satisfied, Master Leo?”
“Not even close,” Leo muttered. “She’s beautiful, Master Jack. You’re a lucky man. I believe that scene makes up for the ones we lost.”
Jack turned to Sam, who was still on his knees. “Samuel, take our wife. I have something I need to deal with before we retire for the evening.”
Sam stood, and she was passed to him. His blue eyes gleamed as he looked down at her. Jack stared across the room, his face taking on a distinctly predatory expression. Abby followed his line of sight and noticed he was staring down the young man who seemed so familiar.
“Oh, my god.” Sam gawked at the man, slack jawed.
“What?”
“That’s gotta be Jack’s brother,” Sam said. “His biological father had three legitimate kids and that has to be one of them. It’s like looking at Jack ten years ago. Well, if he’d dressed like a metro douchebag, that is.”
Lucas Cameron. Now she knew where she’d seen him. He was on some of the worst tabloids she bought at the supermarket for the kitsch value. She had a thing for ridiculous headlines. It was a guilty pleasure.
Jack didn’t look like he was pleased to see his baby brother. He stalked toward the young man, the crowd parting and giving him a wide berth. Lucas’s eyes went big, and he took a couple of steps back. It brought him in contact with the wall. She had the feeling Lucas would have run if he could, but Jack was quick. He wrapped a single hand around his brother’s throat and suddenly Lucas was dangling a good foot off the ground.
“Listen here, you little shit,” Jack ground out. “I’m not paying you a dime. You will keep your mouth shut. Do you want to know how I know you’ll keep your mouth shut? Because if you don’t, I will kill you. I will beat you to death, and then I’ll take your body apart with a chainsaw. I own a whole lot of land, boy. I’ll be burying your body parts all across it. They won’t ever find you, Lucas. You’ll disappear, and no one will know what happened except you and me. Do you understand me?”
“Yes,” Lucas managed.
She sincerely hoped he didn’t pee himself.
“Good, now get back home and don’t bother me or mine again.” Jack let his quarry fall to the ground. �
�Samuel!” He barked the order and then walked out without looking back, certain his command would be followed.
Sam trotted after him, carrying her all the way. She stared back at Lucas, who looked a bit lost. He didn’t seem scared. He seemed almost sad as he watched his brother walk away. He was shaking his head as though he should have known that would happen.
Abby watched his face fall as they left the playroom.
Chapter Ten
Jack’s hands shook slightly as he strode into the elevator that would take them back to their rooms. He wasn’t sure if anger or raging desire was going to win out. The truth of the matter was both felt good. He’d been in a daze for so long, holding himself apart from everything, that the war of emotion flooding his body felt awesome.
He felt alive for the first time in six damn months.
He felt Sam follow him into the elevator and wondered exactly how he should handle his partner. Abigail looked soft and sweet in Sam’s arms. She’d been thoroughly satisfied by the experience in the playroom. Jack had to wonder why he’d stopped playing with his wife. He’d pulled back because he was terrified of losing her. Though he’d played a little and shared her with Sam, he was afraid that if she saw the real Dom side of him, she would turn away in shock.
“Nothing shocks you, does it, baby?” His voice was low as he remembered just how wet she got when he spanked her. What had he been thinking? He’d been viewing her as something fragile since that day she’d been attacked. Their wife was far from fragile. She was a rock.
“I don’t know about that.” She seemed a bit drunk on the experience. Jack was worried he might have created a monster. It was a good thing they hadn’t gotten kicked out of the club since it seemed like she would want to come back. “I was pretty shocked when Sally kissed me.”
Jack felt his eyebrows rise. He looked at Sam, who was smiling. “Sally kissed her?”
