“I did?”
“Yes, ma’am, you did. And you missed the applause of appreciation at the end of our impromptu scene.”
She was tempted to jump from Hawk’s lap and find somewhere to hide until Antony, or Whitney, or someone else could take her back to her little house in the woods so she could hide from the world. Instead, Lace stayed where she was and marveled. As it was, she was too relaxed to move, and Hawk felt good as he held her securely. It had been a long time since she had let anyone touch her so intimately, and she was shocked that it felt soooooo good.
Hawk did not seem to mind, so they remained where they were for a few minutes more while he encouraged her to drink a bottle of water. Once she finished, he set the bottle aside, then gave her a tight squeeze before releasing her.
“Break time is over, dragonfly. Time to get back to work.”
Suddenly realizing she was keeping him from his work, Lace scrambled from his lap. Once on her feet, she had to grab the table when her leg muscles quivered and threatened not to hold her.
“I’m so sorry,” she apologized, locking her knees to keep them from folding. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, and she dropped her chin to her chest so she did not have to look at him.
Hawk stood. He forced her to her to look up at him with two fingers under her chin. “Don’t be sorry, sugar. I enjoyed it every bit as much as you did. Now why don’t you take Raven and walk around for a while. Get some strength back in those legs. I’ll keep an eye on both our tables.”
“You don’t mind?”
“I wouldn’t suggest it if I minded,” he said with a wink and a grin. “Besides, you need to spend some one-on-one time with Raven, too.”
Lace nodded then slowly approached Raven, whose serious expression shifted to a smile as she grew near. He did not say a word though Lace knew he had heard everything his brother had just said.
“What can I do for you, little one?” he asked, his voice low and gentle.
Lace swallowed hard. She could do this. She wanted to do this. “Would you like to take a walk with me?”
“I’d be honored.” His smile grew until it seemed to encompass his entire being. “And maybe we can find a private corner to fool around in for a bit.”
“I don’t know. I may not survive it if I come again like I just did.”
The fact that she had peaked at all amazed her. That she had found such pleasure in a public place with a man she had met only hours before boggled her mind. That she had fainted from that release was beyond comprehension.
And here she was, about to go off with another man for what sounded like more of the same, though neither brother seemed to mind.
Were they the answer to her long-held fantasy of being with two men? What would happen once the weekend ended? Would they continue as a triad? Or would they all go home and forget it ever happened?
“Stop overthinking things,” Lace scolded herself softly. “Enjoy today and leave tomorrow’s worries where they belong, in tomorrow.”
“Did you say something?” Raven asked as he came around a display of what looked like buggy whips.
“Just talking to myself,” she said, with a falsely bright smile.
“Uh-huh,” Raven said as he took her hand in his. “So, Miss Santeen, what would you like to see first?”
* * * *
As they walked around the room with the rest of the convention-goers, Raven released his hold on Lace’s hand when she tried to hide behind him. He lifted his arm up her back and draped it around her shoulder, his fingers sliding just under the top of her corset.
She sucked in a quick breath of surprise as the fingertips brushed over her nipple, but did not fight when he pulled her closer into his side. He was not surprised to find that she fit perfectly under his arm. He could not help the grin that took hold of his lips when he felt her arm slide up the back of his thigh and over his ass until her arm wrapped around his waist.
As they stopped at the various vendors’ booths, displays, and teaching demonstrations that were going on around the room, he made note of what caused Lace to shiver and press closer to his side in fear or distaste as well as what held her rapt attention. The wax play demonstration on the main stage had her turning her head into his shoulder in aversion as did the sadistic Domme who had bound her male slave and was placing clothespins all over his body.
Lace seemed intrigued as they watched Master Dane and his slave Merlin tie their slave Sloan to an upright post, and Raven wondered how Lace would react to being tied up. The men then blindfolded her and began to tease her with a variety of toys until she begged for release.
Across the room, he stopped her at the booth selling dildos, vibrators, and other goodies. “Do you have any toys?” he asked, watching her closely.
Her eyes went wide as she saw the variety of styles and sizes. Her fair skin went rosy from her hairline all the way down to the top of the borrowed corset. He was not sure if it was in reaction to the display before him or his question.
“Lace?” he asked softly but with a touch of demand in his voice.
If he had not been looking directly at her, he would have missed the small up and down motion of her head. “Which ones?”
Lace looked over the table then turned her face up so her gaze met his. “Nothing like these,” she whispered.
“What kind are they?” When her head began to drop, Raven slid his hand up her chest and up her neck to hold her head so he could see her face.
She swallowed hard before whispering. “A lipstick vibrator and a mascara vibrator. Whitney and Jenna gave them to me for my last birthday.”
“And that’s all?”
“I have a couple other things, but I don’t use them.”
“Well I think we need to pick up a few toys for later. And you will use these, with us and without us,” he declared with a wink.
“Excuse me?” she asked as embarrassment and fear took its place.
Raven ignored the question. Looking over the choices, he picked three butt plugs of increasingly larger sizes and a realistic-looking cock vibrator. He then added a small bottle of lube to the pile and a large box of condoms.
He felt Lace trembling though several inches now separated them. After paying for his selections, he handed her the gift bag. “Carry your new toys, little one.”
Obviously still shocked, she accepted the bag without a word.
Knowing he had pushed her far enough, he led her back to her table. She seemed tense and shaky the whole way across the room, though she remained silent.
Once she stepped behind her table, she took a deep breath and relaxed, as if the six-foot table represented some sort of security. She held the bag out to him, but he shook his head and slid his hands in his pockets.
“You keep it for now, little one.”
She looked a little lost but nodded and bent to stow the bag under her table. Then she pulled her chair up and settled into it, as if hoping to hide from the world. Or maybe it was just from them, he considered as he crossed the few feet to where his brother stood talking with Jenna. “What’d you buy?” Hawk asked as Jenna walked away once the brothers had agreed to hold a flogger class the next afternoon.
“A few toys we’re going to need later. Plugs, vibe, slick, and condoms.”
“Ass training?”
“Uh-huh.”
“When do you plan to start?”
Raven glanced over and saw Lace was busy with a customer. She still looked timid, but at least she was smiling at the woman as they sorted through one of the baskets. “She needs some time to settle and think about things. If she’s okay with it, we can start tonight. If we fast track it, by tomorrow night we should be able to take her together.”
“I only hope I last that long,” Hawk said as he reached down and adjusted the erection that pushed out the front of his leathers.
“Don’t worry, brother. You will come at least once before midnight,” Raven promised before turning to say hello to another customer.
Chapter 7
By the end of the night, Lace began to feel more like her feisty old self again. It had been two years since she had smiled and joked and actually talked face-to-face with people as she was currently doing. She was overcoming the fear of embarrassment that had kept her in hiding from the world faster than she ever would have thought possible. Except for the Dom who was responsible for the braided leather collar she now wore, no one made faces or mentioned her scars. Jenna, Whitney, and their men checked on her regularly, usually while introducing her to another member or couple who would buy something, or more often than not, ordered a special outfit, or asked for an appointment at a later date to discuss her designing something unique for them.
Raven and Hawk kept a close eye on her as well, bringing her food and drink and then hanging around to make sure she consumed whatever it was they brought.
As Taurus and the outside security guards escorted the last stragglers to their cars, Lace collapsed into her chair. She was exhausted but curious as to what the Woolphe brothers had planned once they were upstairs and alone. In front of her men, Jenna had offered to let her sleep on the couch in her apartment if she did not want to be alone with Raven and Hawk. Lace watched the brothers still, watching her closely as they waited for her answer.
Lace smiled at the Domme before shaking her head. “Thanks, but I’ll be okay sharing guest quarters with Hawk and Raven,” she said with a grin and a wink.
“All right, but you have my number if there’s any problem,” Jenna said before grabbing Gentry by the crotch. “Go find Antony. It’s time for us to head upstairs.”
“Yes, Mistress,” Gentry said with a gasp before hurrying away once she released her hold on him.
Lace watched and wished she had a man who would treat her with the loving dominance that Jenna showed to both her men. One man would be good, but two would be even better, she thought as her gaze shifted to the two men who approached from their table.
Their heated expressions told her that they were not going to just crash and sleep, though she wished that could be their agenda. They were no doubt planning to follow up on all the subtle hints and messages they had mentioned to her during the past hours of hot and heavy flirting.
“Dragonfly? Are you ready to go upstairs?” Hawk asked as he gently laid a hand on her shoulder.
“Um, I need to use the restroom first,” she said, needing a moment by herself to catch her breath.
“While you’re in there, check out your collar. I’d like to know what you think of it,” Raven said.
Her eyes wide, Lace turned to look at the big man. She opened her mouth to refuse, but the look of black steel in his eyes had her closing it again. Instead, she whispered, “I’ll try.”
Before she could turn and escape, Raven grabbed her arm in a gentle grip. “What do you mean, you’ll try?”
She did not look at him as she softly admitted, “I have not looked in a mirror since I left the hospital two years ago.”
She heard Jenna audibly gasp and felt Raven’s fingers tightened around her arm for a few seconds before he released her. “Go do what you need to.”
Since she still did not know what to call these two men who seemed to have easily slipped into their roles as her dominants and protectors, Lace just nodded and hurried away. Though Jenna had told her she should call them “Master,” she wasn’t comfortable with that.
* * * *
Hawk watched as the little submissive walked away from them as fast as she could. Then he turned to look at Jenna and his brother. “What the fuck? Did she really say she had not looked in a mirror in two years?”
Raven looked just as shocked as he felt and nodded slowly then the two of them turned to Jenna, hoping she had the answers they needed to help Lace.
Jenna looked just as shocked as they did. With tears glistening in her eyes, she said, “I didn’t know. Oh my God, I didn’t know. Maybe putting you three together was a bad idea.”
Hawk frowned in confusion as his heart clenched in pain for their little dragonfly. “It’s too late now, Jenna. Why doesn’t she look into mirrors?”
“She told me once when Whitney and I got her drunk, on half a glass of wine I might add, that she was a monster and that was why she stayed all alone at her house. I never realized…” Her voice trailed off as she turned away and wiped her cheeks.
Hawk looked at his brother, who looked just as shocked by the revelation as he did. “What happened? How did she get the scars?” Raven asked softly.
“I don’t know. I don’t know that she’s ever talked about it to anyone. From what I understand from Whitney, she got out of the hospital, moved into her grandmother’s house, and has been hiding from the world.”
Though Jenna’s revelation brought hundreds of questions to Hawk’s mind, he clenched his jaw and remained silent. She was not the one with the answers. Lace was. Though it would probably hurt all of them in one way or another, the only way they could move forward in building a relationship was to force Lace to open up to them about her past.
Looking at his brother, he saw that Raven had come to the same conclusion. Lace would have to face her past and the sooner, the better.
“Jenna, would it be okay if we used one of the playrooms before we headed upstairs to the guest apartment?” he asked.
“Which one?” the Domme asked, sounding hesitant.
“The mirrored room,” Raven answered, proving they were of a like mind when it came to dealing with Lace. “It’s time for Lace to let go of the past and heal.”
Jenna looked at Raven and then at him before nodding. She went to the bar and brought back a key, which she handed to him just as Lace came back into view at the back of the room. “Be gentle or you’ll deal with me.”
Hawk nodded with a smile, but Raven was the one who said, “We’ll try, but we’re going to be reopening old wounds.”
“I’ll be awake for a couple more hours if she, or you, needs me. When you come up, knock on my door and I’ll send Antony down to turn off the lights and finish locking up.”
With that, Jenna turned and walked away. When she reached Lace, she gave her a hug before heading to the back hall and out of sight. A moment later, he heard the sound of a door opening and closing in the otherwise silent room.
When Lace reached them and stopped several feet away, she looked nervous.
“So, what did you think of your collar, little one?” Raven asked.
Both men moved closer so they were less than an arm’s length from the fragile-looking woman. She took a step back, but they matched her step for step. The bar stopped her retreat.
“Answer Raven,” Hawk said, keeping his voice low and soft.
“I…um…well…I didn’t look. I couldn’t,” she said, her voice quavering with fear.
Hawk’s heart and gut knotted painfully at her words, her tone, and the look of fear on her face.
“Shhh, that’s okay, little subbie. We’re going to cure you of this mirror aversion,” Raven practically purred as he reached out and traced a finger along the top edge of her corset.
“Why?”
“Because you are a beautiful woman and need to know it.” Hawk said with a smile. Taking her hand in his, he was not surprised when his brother took her other hand. He led the way back to their table where they had tossed a sheet over the leather goods they had on display there.
Lifting one side of the sheet, he picked up a braided leather leash. He handed it to Raven before putting the sheet back in place. Releasing Lace’s hand, he went around the table and opened a box in the pile behind the table. It took a few minutes, but he found what he was looking for. Pulling the flogger out of the box, he stuck the handle into his back pocket and then opened the box of leather cuffs. He pulled out a pair of padded wrist cuffs and another of ankle cuffs. After closing the boxes, he returned to stand in front of Lace.
“Now, little one, you’ve spent most of the day with us. Do you think you could trust us to help you put your
past to rest?”
Lace looked up at him, clearly skeptical and afraid, but slowly nodded her head up and down.
“Hold out your wrists,” he said.
Though they trembled, she did not pull back as he secured the cuffs around them. He then knelt and wrapped her ankles in cuffs as well. Straightening, he smiled at her, hoping to reassure her.
“Good girl,” he said, cupping her cool cheek before leaning in and giving her a quick, soft kiss of reassurance. “Now, let’s go upstairs and face your fears.
“Not quite yet,” Raven said as he stepped around Lace and turned so they both faced her. “First, you need to take off Mistress Jenna’s dress and lay it on the bar.”
Chapter 8
Lace blinked then blinked again as her brain rebelled at the order to get naked in front of these two men in the full light of the bar. Though they had seen her naked before upstairs, something about undressing here in the club made her stomach roil with fear.
“I…” She started to refuse then stopped because she did not know how to finish the statement.
Dammit, it had been two years since she had been randomly attacked and scarred. Instead of moving past the trauma, she had taken refuge and hidden from the world. Now these two men were willing to help her. Maybe she should put herself in their hands. Otherwise it was time to pack up and demand Jenna or one of her men take her back home where she could go back into hibernation.
Taking a deep breath, she lifted her hands to the top of the borrowed corset. As fast as she could and with little fanfare, Lace opened the dozen hooks holding the top together and tossed it on the bar. Fighting against the tears that threatened to overflow, she pushed the elastic waist skirt down and stepped out of the circle of material.
Picking it up, she laid it with the corset. A moment later, her thong joined the rest of her clothes and she was naked except for the collar Raven had put on her earlier.
Their Sub, Their Mistress [Club Esoteria 10] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 5
