by Linzi Basset
Paige began to crawl backward, her mind desperately searching for a way to escape his clawing hand.
“Prince Khalid? Where is he?” She asked. Her heart missed a beat when she detected a movement at the top of the stairs. Go back! Jaxon run! Don't let them catch you. The mantra screamed inside her mind but she did her best to keep her eyes glued on the threatening man kneeling in front of her.
He grabbed her chin in a vice-like grip and turned her face this way and that, examining her face with narrowed eyes.
“You are still an exceedingly beautiful woman, Paige. Hm, we suffered a very large monetary loss in this trip and all because of your lover!” He growled into her face. “I believe there is a way to make up for that. Yes. You will offer me a little compensation for what Ethan Brodie has cost us.” He barked out a laugh. “Yes. Sheikh Jamuhl would only be too pleased with a long-legged American sex slave.” His hand wrapped around her hair. He ignored her cry of pain as he yanked her to her feet. “Where is the fucking brat?”
“Please Borak! You're hurting me,” Paige pleaded, clawing at his hand that tightened around her hair.
“Get used to pain, whore. Jamuhl gets off on that. Your days of making love are over. From this point on your entire existence will depend on how often and how well you offer your fuck holes to the sheikh and his men.” He yanked her around. Paige bit back a scream. It felt like he was ripping her hair out of her scalp. “I asked you a question, Paige.”
“Let her go.”
The instruction came from a deadly calm voice; one devoid of emotion and was filled with such evilness that it made Paige to shiver.
“No! Ethan, go. Please get Jaxon out of here,” she pleaded with him, straining to see where he was but with Borak’s hold on her hair, she couldn’t move.
“Ah, how sweet. Pure as snow little Paige is concerned for her man. Look at him, Paige.”
Borak yanked her around by the hair until she faced Ethan who stood a short distance from them. His body was visibly tense but his face looked like it was carved in stone. Borak held her in front of him as a shield. Her breath snagged when she felt the sharp prick of a knife against her throat.
“Take a good look because he’s going to be bleeding soon and he’ll be dead before we walk through the front door.”
“Don't move, Paige,” Ethan warned in clipped tones. His blood ran cold when he noticed the red droplets of her blood running from the small cut Borak had inflicted on her skin. His eyes bore into Borak's, lips turned up in a smirk. This unsettled Borak, who looked around frantically.
“Who are you looking for Borak? Your henchmen that you left guarding the front and back doors? Or perhaps the prince, who is hiding in the truck outside?” Ethan lifted his shoulders in a negligent shrug. “I wouldn’t depend on any of them if I were you. They’ve bled out by now.”
“Y-you killed the prince?” Borak stuttered. He felt elation surge through him which was quickly dampened by concern of how he was going to escape with his life intact. His hold on Paige tightened. “Don’t come any closer, Brodie. I will kill her,” he warned in a dark voice. He looked around frantically for a way to escape.
“There’s nowhere to run, Borak. Let her go and you might not get hurt . . . too much,” Ethan cajoled. He was concerned about Paige’s pallor. He noticed her trembling even from where he stood. The knife against her throat was too close to her jugular for him to take a chance to charge.
“How did you know we’d be here,” Borak croaked. His face throbbed and his shoulder began to pulse with pain now that the morphine started to wear off.
“When we received word that someone had intervened and got you released, we knew Khalid would come for Jaxon. If only to spite me,” Ethan said. He leaned his shoulder against the wall in a move that infuriated Borak.
“W-we?” He looked around again.
“Yeah,” Ethan straightened and smiled magnanimously. “We.”
The next moment pandemonium ensued. Rhone and Keon came through the front door which frightened Borak enough to give Paige a hard push so that she stumbled into Ethan. He instinctively caught her in his arms.
“Fuck,” he cursed and twisted around in a desperate attempt to keep the descending knife from burying into Paige’s back.
“Aghh,” Borak screamed and stumbled back. “You little shit!” He shouted at Jaxon.
Jaxon had been lying in wait. He’d managed to climb down a water pipe and entered through the side door, just in time to kick back Borak’s arm, stopping Rhone and Keon in their tracks. The force of the kick caused Borak to stagger. With a roar of fury, he charged at Jaxon, only to encounter a raging bull protecting his own.
He retreated, the knife clutched in his hand. His breath wheezed from his throat. “You don’t scare me, you bastard,” he sneered and charged at Ethan.
Ethan sidestepped and delivered a hard, right kick into his solar plexus. Borak doubled over.
“Get Paige away from here, Jaxon,” he ordered, relieved when he immediately obeyed and all but carried a protesting Paige into the open-plan den, away from Borak, who huffed before he charged again. The rush of adrenaline and a will to survive dulled the pain of his wounds.
Ethan moved to the side, infuriating Borak, whose swipe encountered nothing but air. Ethan kept his weight on the balls of his feet. He was an expert in Muay-Thai kick-boxing, which was incorporated into Krav Maga. He waited for Borak to turn and come at him again. His leg swept up in a devastating kick that was powered by Ethan’s tightly coiled torso. The heel of his boot crashed into Borak’s face, severing his upper lip and splintering cartilage through the soft mushy nasal tissue. The force of the kick drove his nose bone all the way into his brain tissue. His eyes rolled back.
He was dead before his head hit the floor.
Ethan straightened and snorted, “Well, that was too quick to be satisfying.”
“Wow, Dad! I want to learn to kick-box like that. Kapow! One jab and he’s gone. Holy fucking molly,” Jaxon exploded as he rushed toward them.
“Jaxon!” Paige reproved where she leaned against the wall, her hand covering her mouth as she stared at the grotesque face of Borak Saud, blood spreading in a widening pool under him.
“Sorry, Paige, but wow! Did you see what Dad did?”
“Enough, Jaxon. Paige has had enough for one night,” Ethan said as he picked her up in his arms and walked toward the stairs. “Get that motherfucker out of my house, Rhone and make sure that Khalid Saud doesn’t have another fucking opportunity to get loose.”
“How do you expect Jaxon to stop cursing if every second word you say is one?” Paige berated Ethan as he climbed the stairs.
“Sorry, my sweet. It won’t happen again.”
“Ethan,” she whispered against his chest.
“Yes, luv?”
“I love you. Did I ever tell you that?”
“Yes, my sweet. You have.”
Jaxon, Rhone and Keon stared after the couple until they disappeared into their bedroom.
“Well, there you have it,” Keon said smiling, “another one bites the dust.”
“Gmpf,” Rhone responded. He kicked Borak’s foot, only slightly annoyed that he didn’t get in on any action.
“Just gmpf? No words of wisdom that he’s making a mistake?” Keon prodded.
Rhone slanted an irritated look at him. “Stop annoying me, Keon. I’m not in the mood.”
“Well, mate, you better get your ducks in a row and fast, or you might just lose out on the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”
“And what’s that, Uncle Keon?” Jaxon asked, elated at the prospect of being safe from the clutches of the prince.
“Keon doesn't know what he’s talking about, Jax.” Rhone searched Jaxon’s expression. “You okay, son?”
“Yeah, and relieved. Finally, I don’t have to worry about being forced back to Riyadh. I fucking hated that place.”
“You’re home now, Jax and none of us are going to allow anyone to take you
away again. That’s a promise.”
Chapter Nineteen
Two weeks later . . .
“This is ridiculous. How much longer are they going to punish us?” Lauren grumbled irritably as she slammed down the serving tray on the bar.
Samantha glanced at her listlessly. She was tired. She’d been working long hours on an order to craft dining room furniture for the Bellingham Hotel Group.
“I suppose until we appear contrite and apologize profusely,” Paige mumbled, just as annoyed.
“Gmpf, as if that’s going to happen,” Samantha said. She glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes turned icy. “But in the meantime, they are basking in the attention of all these eager subs.”
“Don’t you think we should just apologize and end our own misery? Do any of you even remember what we’re being punished for?” Lauren asked. She yanked on the chains between her hands. It caused the clamps around her nipples to tighten in reaction. “How much longer before they remove these clover clamps. They’re killing me tonight.”
“Five more minutes,” Paige said, glowering at Ethan, who was smiling at the sub rubbing her tits against his chest. “And we’re being punished because we had the audacity to publicly announce that the three of them are assholes for the stupid rule that a sub is publicly punished by everyone in the club for daring to oppose a Senior Master. Apparently, we had no reason to interfere,” Paige recalled what had gotten them into the fix they were in. “If he doesn’t step back from her, so help me, I’m going to lose it,” she grated through clenched teeth.
Ethan glanced up at that moment to catch her heated glare. His one eyebrow did that sexy jiggle upward. A small tremor shimmied through her as she watched his eyes blaze over her body. His darkening eyes, at her continued insolence, were an ominous promise of intent. The sub pressed against Ethan, drawing his attention back to her.
“I guess we actually came off lightly then. We could very easily have ended up next to that sub,” Lauren conceded with a drawn-out sigh.
Paige threw caution to the wind, and before Lauren or Samantha could stop her, she stormed toward the trio of men and subs surrounding them.
Ethan saw her coming from his peripheral vision and turned his head to watch her storm toward him. A slight twinge at the corner of her mouth gave her away. She was furious. He loved how possessive and jealous Paige was over him. Much like he was toward her, he silently admitted.
Paige felt his eyes on her near naked body. The three ladies had been given leather harnesses to wear as part of their punishment while serving drinks. It consisted of nothing more than a few leather straps connected with golden hoops at strategic places. The leather strips were studded with gold accents and snaked around her breasts, before multiple strips connected to a ring just above her pussy and around her waist. From there, two straps ran on either side of her pussy and toward the back, leaving everything on display. It covered nothing of importance and drew attention to all the naughty bits.
A shiver of embarrassment tingled through her when her nipples became erect under his stare. It annoyed her that even though she was angry at him, her body was still getting aroused by no more than a glance from him. She pressed her thighs together to stop the tremor in her loins. She refused to give in to the lust he awakened in her—not while she was in attack mode.
“Oh no, you don’t.” A voice growled low in her ear. Big hands caught her around the waist and dragged her against a large body.
Paige didn’t bother to struggle. Not against the strength of the mammoth behind her. His breath was hot against her temple.
“You’re not going to taunt Master Apollo and extend your punishment, Rose. Not tonight,” Master Goliath said in her ear.
“And why is that?” she snipped, still glaring at Ethan and the sub, whose tits must be raw from all that rubbing against his chest!
“Because I am claiming what you owe me tonight, Rose.”
“I owe you nothing . . . oh,” she gasped when she recalled the commitment she’d made to him that night she’d interrupted his scene.
“Yes, Rose . . . oh,” he teased gently.
Paige looked around and glanced at him over her shoulder. “What about your sub? Aren’t you in a D/s relationship with her?”
He shrugged his huge shoulders. “It didn’t last long. She became very demanding the moment we signed the contract. It seems she forgot who the Dom was. I don’t have time for shenanigans in a relationship.”
“Well, Master Goliath, if you want to claim what I owe you, you better get that tit-sticking sub away from Master Apollo before I lose it,” she snapped when the sub pealed with laughter at something Ethan said.
Samantha and Lauren had reached them by then and at that point, they too had had enough of watching their men being pawed at by other women.
“Enough. Take your fucking hands off him,” Samantha snarled. When the redhead sub didn’t react quickly enough, she gripped her by the hair and yanked her away from Rhone.
“Ace! For fucks sake. Let her go,” Rhone grated harshly. His eyes glimmered darkly as he loosened her fingers from the wailing sub.
Lauren’s glare didn’t deter the sub stroking Keon’s chest, but the sharp heel of her stiletto did the trick when she stepped onto her foot. She screamed and fell to the floor, clutching her throbbing instep.
“Good god, what is the matter with you two?” Keon roared. He pushed Lauren away and assisted the crying sub to her feet. The two women immediately scuttled away from the two fuming women. The one standing next to Ethan followed them when she caught the same menacing look in Paige’s eyes.
“Don’t you dare glare at us like that. What did you expect? You have us serving the entire fucking club while you’re allowing every sub in here to rub up against you,” Samantha snapped angrily.
“You forget your place, Ace,” Rhone warned softly. What they had done was the kind of thing that would get a member expelled from the club.
“Me, forget my place? I beg your pardon, oh mighty Master Razor,” Samantha raged.
“You forgot your place, Master Razor and you too, you grinning oaf,” Lauren interjected, glowering at Keon, whose smile disappeared in a blink of an eye.
“Your actions can’t be overlooked and however much you believe you had reason to act, it should’ve been done in a different way and aimed at us, not the subs who were innocent bystanders,” Keon rasped in a dark voice.
“Innocent bystanders, my ass,” Lauren mumbled but realized by the number of members surrounding them that they had committed a cardinal sin, as far as club rules were concerned.
“Your punishment will match your menacing act. Let’s go.” Rhone’s voice boomed over the excited chatter of the people who followed them to the dungeon. His hand around Samantha’s arm kept her by his side. It didn’t stop her or Lauren from railing at the two Masters.
Paige started to follow them, but Goliath’s arms drew her back against him.
“You’re not going anywhere, Rose,” he said dolefully.
“But I also need to be punished,” she protested.
“Luckily for you the sub was scared off by those two, so no, you’re not due anymore punishment, except perhaps . . . this,” Ethan said softly and without warning, removed the two clover clamps from her nipples.
“Oooow, fuck!” Paige screamed as the blood rushed back into the abused vessels. Her knees wobbled from the pain searing her brain. She reached out to his shoulders for something to hold on to. “That was uncalled for, Master Apo-llo.” Her voice broke as he lazily strummed her clit, watching her eyes go languid as ripples of pleasure surged through her. The pain from her nipples mingled with the pleasure he was offering, to set her loins afire.
Paige’s knees buckled. Goliath tightened his arms around her as an unexpected climax quaked through her.
“Oh, my god!” she gasped for breath. Her nails dug into Ethan’s shoulders with every shudder that scored her body. He winced as her nails cut into his skin. He drew in a bre
ath and reeled as her sweet, tangy smell overwhelmed him.
“What just happened, Rosebud?” He drawled while continuing to draw lazy circles around her sensitive clitoris.
“I’m sorry, Master Apollo, I climaxed,” Paige had the presence of mind to apologize, which brought a pleased smile to his lips.
“It’s a good thing I’m not in the mood for punishing you tonight, my pet, especially as I’m looking forward to feeling you thrash between Goliath and I.”
“Delightful prospect, indeed, Master Apollo,” Goliath agreed. He nibbled on the soft skin at her nape. Another thrill shivered down her spine.
“Then shall we? I reserved the Devil's Wish room for us,” Ethan held out his hand and dragged Paige against his chest. “I’ll be there for you, my sweet. I, for one, can’t wait to see how you’ll take to two cocks plundering your softness.”
The promise in his voice offered delights untold, which made Paige tremble in anticipation. He’d been subtly preparing her for double penetration without her realizing it. Over the past couple of weeks, he’d been using dildos inside her ass while fucking her. Just remembering the overwhelming sensations he’d generated, caused her skin to sizzle with the lustful thoughts that ran through her mind.
Ethan noticed Paige’s nervousness when they entered the room and undressed. It could be the amount of testosterone that suddenly filled the air when their naked bodies were exposed to her wide-eyed stare. Especially since both of them were already fully aroused by no more than the thought of the tantalizing pleasure that awaited them.
“Remember that we are here for pleasure, my sweet and if at any point you feel overwhelmed or can’t continue, it’s within your power to stop us.”
“Right,” Paige said, nodding her head. “My safeword.”
“Which is?”
“Red.”
“Just say it and we’ll cease immediately, no questions asked.”
