by Jane Jamison
“It’s getting worse, too. His beatings were always bad, but now he’s done it in public. He thinks he can get away with anything because he already has. And what about your men? Are you going to leave them to rot in jail until they finally get a hearing?”
Her men. If they’d been her men yesterday, then that was the past and gone. There was no way they’d want her now. Not after betraying them.
He cheated.
But was that enough? Yes. It was enough to end their relationship or whatever it was called. But was it enough not to stand by his side against her father’s lie? She didn’t need to have seen the fight. She knew the biggest liar was her father.
The ache that had torn at her all night was now a dull pain. But that didn’t make it any less awful. Instead, it made her believe that the ache was there to stay.
“I checked. Paul thinks their bail hearing will be soon. Maybe even tomorrow.”
She railed at Suzie then, telling her to leave her alone. Her shocked friend had left the bedroom, leaving the bottle behind. Carly, as much as it angered her to think she was anything like her father, had upended the bottle all night until there was nothing left.
“Carly, are you listening to me?”
She blinked, suddenly aware that Belinda had come out the back door and was standing, partially hidden behind Paul.
Anger welled inside her until it was like a raging flash flood. “What the hell are you doing here? Don’t you get it? I’m out of the picture now. Hank’s all yours. You don’t have to rub it in.” She fisted her hands, trying to keep from scratching the woman’s eyes out. “Go ahead and get Ron, too. Why not? They’d love sharing you.”
“It’s not what you think.” Belinda, normally outgoing and boisterous, spoke in a timid voice.
“Yeah. That’s what Hank said.” She couldn’t stand it any longer. After last night, she had no desire to be humiliated again. “Paul, please send my final check to Suzie’s home, will you? I’m staying there for now.”
“But you’ve got it all wrong.” Belinda came at her, but she backed away, unwilling to let her get too close. “Hank didn’t do anything. I was the one coming on to him. He kept pushing me away, telling me that he wasn’t going to be anyone else’s Dom any longer. The only woman he wants is you.”
She paused, all of a sudden, hesitant to continue.
“Go on. Tell her the rest.”
She should go. Why give Belinda any chance to explain? And yet, she had to know.
“I tried coming on to Ron earlier that day, but he shut me down, too. He said what Hank said. That you’re the only woman, the only sub they’ll ever want. Don’t you see, Carly? It’s more than just sex play for them. They’re in love with you.”
Her heart betrayed her with a quick skip of its rhythm. No. She couldn’t let herself believe it. If she did, she knew what would happen. They’d let her down. They’d lie. Maybe they hadn’t cheated on her yet, but they would. All men did.
Didn’t they? Or could Hank and Ron be the exception to the rule she’d come to live by?
“Their hearing is this morning at ten o’clock. I was planning on paying their bail, but I’m sure they’d rather see you over my ugly mug. I’ll give you the money for their bail.” Paul handed her waitress uniform back to her.
“I doubt they want to see me.” Oh, but how she wanted to see them!
“Bullshit. Look, Carly, you don’t have to keep working here, but I’m not asking you to quit, either. Keep the outfit until things get figured out. In the meantime, if you care anything at all about them, you’ll get your ass down to the courthouse over in Hard Luck and be there when they go before the judge. That’ll go a long way to mending the bridges you burned last night.”
“They don’t love me.”
“Carly, I know you’ve had it rough, from your father to men you thought you loved, but Hank and Ron aren’t like those others. They’ll never let you down.”
“The men I thought I loved?” And yet, she knew that was true. She’d never really cared about any other men in her life. She hadn’t let them get that close. Not as close as Hank and Ron had gotten.
“Yeah, honey,” added Belinda. “Anyone with eyes in their heads can see how much you love them. I’m sorry that I messed that up, but you can fix it. Go to them. Make them see how sorry you are for not sticking up for them.”
“They really turned you down?”
Belinda rolled her eyes. “Yeah, can you believe it? It didn’t do much for my ego.”
Had she ruined her chances with them? Could she get them back? She hadn’t trusted them, and yet, they’d trusted her with their hearts every day. Trusting them with her body had been easy, but had she really given them a chance to win her trust where it really counted?
“Paul, I might be late for work tonight.”
“Don’t worry about it. Belinda will fill in for you.”
“I will?” Belinda wasn’t the brightest brick in the wall, but she finally caught on. “Oh, sure. I will. You go on and do what you need to do.”
She clutched the uniform to her chest and fought back the tears. “Thanks.”
He pulled out a stuffed envelope out of his back pocket. “Here’s a couple of thousand dollars. That should cover their bail.”
“No, thanks. I’ll pay it. It’s the least I can do.”
His eyebrows lifted in the question he didn’t voice. “Okay then. What are you waiting for?”
She pivoted around and ran to her car. The drive to the neighboring town of Hard Luck would take a while, but first she had to stop at the bank.
* * * *
“Hank Irons and Ron Callows. Your bail’s been made.”
Ron grunted at the guard, then knocked Hank on the arm. “See? I told you Paul would come through.”
“Yeah.”
Hank hadn’t spoken much since last night. After a while, Ron had given up on trying to get him to say anything at all. Neither one of them had slept much, not so much because of their less-than-appealing accommodations—winding up tossed in the drunk tank wasn’t like staying at even a low-rent motel—but because they’d been too worried about Carly.
Was she all right? Where had she stayed? After the “Belinda incident” as they called it, she wouldn’t have gone back to the ranch. Hopefully, she hadn’t ended up sleeping in her car. At least after months of Belinda’s constant advances, after thinking they might give her a try, they’d finally set Belinda straight. After Carly had come into their lives, other women didn’t have a chance.
They were one-woman men and Doms who had found their ultimate submissive. If, that was, she still wanted them.
Getting processed out took almost as long as getting processed into the jail. At last, however, they were able to retrieve their possessions, then follow the guard out into the main lobby. Their court date wasn’t for a few months. Ron hoped it would be long enough to get things straightened out.
“What the hell is she doing here?”
He followed Hank’s stare to find Carly standing by the front door. She was a sight for sore eyes. Hell, she was a lot more than that. She was an angel and a seductive mistress, ready to save their asses and take their souls, all rolled into one beautiful package. He checked her legs, needing, yet hating, to see how her wounds were healing. But she’d worn jeans.
He strode over to her, taking Hank by the arm to steer him that way. “Darlin’, I can’t believe you’re here.”
“Neither can I.” She looked nervous, her gaze jumping to each of them. “I didn’t know if you’d want to see me. Not after what I did.”
“You mean about saying I cheated? Or about not standing up for us against your father’s lies?”
“Hank, come on. Cut her some slack.” Hank had every right to be angry, but he didn’t care. Nothing would separate them. Not if he had anything to say about it.
“Both.” She bit her lower lip.
His cock twitched. If he didn’t get them out of there, the cops might see his erecti
on and figure out another charge to throw his way. Was there a law against getting horny in a jail? If so, he was guilty as hell.
“Belinda told me the truth.” She swallowed. Hank wasn’t making it any easier on her. “I’m sorry I accused you. It’s just that every man I’ve ever known has lied to me or cheated on me.”
“We’re not like those other men.” Hank’s tone was gruff.
“No. I know that now.”
“Do you, Carly?” Ron didn’t want to go hard on her like Hank was, but he had to make sure she understood. “Are you ready to really trust us? Because if you’re not, then we need to slow things down.”
Why was he saying that? He didn’t want to slow things down. If he had his way, he’d put them into warp speed. But still, Hank needed that assurance and so did he.
“I do. I realize now that I’ve let what other guys have done, what my father has done, influence me, but I’m not going to do that any longer. I’m sorry. I’ll do my best to not let it happen ever again. Can you forgive me?”
Hank groaned as though making a huge sacrifice. “Yeah. After all, it’s our duty as your Doms to teach you. But never again or you’ll have to get punished.”
“Promise?” She was a vixen, all right. A vixen who had them wrapped around her finger.
“Darlin’, I wouldn’t push it if I were you.”
“Okay, okay. But you’ve got to know. Will I probably screw up again?” Her wan smile was tender, heartbreaking. “Yeah, probably. So, if you don’t mind, I’d like to apologize for those mistakes in advance.”
Ron knew his friend well enough to know he couldn’t hold a grudge. Especially not with the woman of their dreams.
Hank nodded like an old wise man. “Yeah, you will. And we’ll have our screw-ups, too. But just remember this.” He took her face between his hands. “You are our woman. You’re the one we want to spend our lives with. You’re our submissive and you must trust us or, eventually, it’ll all fall apart. Baby, do you want that? Do you want to be our submissive even when we all fuck things up?”
“More than anything else.”
“Good. And I have to know. Do you love us? Because we sure as hell love you.”
“I do. More than anything.”
Ron fought back the tears and the embarrassment that came along with it. To cover, he glanced around. “Where’s Paul anyway?”
“He’s not here.”
He and Hank shared a look. “Then you paid our bail? With what? Did Paul loan you the money?”
“He tried, but I didn’t take it.” She shrugged. “What can I say? I’m really good at saving my pennies.”
“But you haven’t worked at the club long enough to raise that kind of cash.” Ron narrowed his eyes, only half kidding. “You didn’t rob a bank, did you?”
“Nope. I saved some money to put down on a house soon. Or at least as soon as my mother was ready to leave my father.”
“But you were sleeping in your car.”
“Like I said. I saved. I didn’t spend a dime that I didn’t have to. But I’m thinking that after last night, I should go ahead and get that house. Maybe then I can convince her to leave him.”
“Save your money. For that and for bail. We don’t want you to hand over your hard-earned cash for us.”
“So you’d rather spend more time in jail?” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Did you two meet some new friends? Are you tops or bottoms?”
Hank shook himself. “Hell, no, girl. Don’t even talk that way. We just don’t want you spending your money on us.”
“Why shouldn’t I? Are you planning on skipping town?” She gave them a teasing look. “Can’t I trust you to pay me back?”
They shared a laugh, the first one they’d had since getting thrown into the back of Sheriff Ray’s police car. “Naw. I think we’re sticking around and we’re good for it.”
“Then don’t worry about it.” She was all smiles, giving a well-needed lift to his mood. Hank appeared to be feeling better, too.
The idea came to him then, and he knew he didn’t need to ask Hank if it was okay. “You’re staying with us from now on, right? We’ve made that clear enough.”
“I was kind of figuring on doing that. You know. Since I’m your woman and your sub now.”
Hank took over, guessing where Ron was leading the conversation. “Then move your mom, too.”
“Huh?”
“I mean, into our house. It’s your house now and since your mother will need a place to stay—providing we can get her to leave—then move her into your new home.”
“Are you sure you want to do that?” She touched Hank’s cheek, searching him. “Did someone put drugs in the jail’s water? Are you sure you’re thinking clearly?”
“He knows what he’s saying and I agree. It’s the best solution. Besides, I guess she’s kind of going to be our mother-in-law.” He couldn’t believe what he’d just said. In the space of a few minutes, he’d gone from having no lover to asking her mother to live with them.
“Wow. That’s crazy. How many men would invite their submissive’s mom to live with them?”
Hank laughed and pulled her into his arm. “I’m thinking not many. But again, we’re not like other men.”
Jealousy swamped Ron, but it was fleeting. The happiness of having her back soon took its place.
“Ain’t that the truth?” Carly reached out, ignoring the stares of those around them, and pulled him into the threesome embrace.
It hurt him to see some of the joy die in her eyes. “That’s if I can convince her. So far, I haven’t had any luck. It destroys me every time I ask and she refuses. I just don’t know how much longer she can take his abuse. Something’s got to give and when it does, I’m praying all hell doesn’t break loose.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll convince her.”
“Yeah, she won’t be able to resist our charms.” Ron grinned, loving that he could put that happy spark back into her eyes. “Come on. Let’s get back to Pleasure and get your mom to say yes. We’ll pack up her things and get her the hell out of there.” Ron broke free, then started down the steps.
* * * *
Carly’s first thought when she saw her mother was to wonder how things could change so fast. She’d been so happy driving back to Pleasure with the men she loved, the men she trusted with every part of her, including her heart. But when she’d pulled up to her childhood home and had seen her mother sitting on the porch steps, she’d known.
Oh, God. We’re too late.
Carly ran to her mother, her breath hitching in her throat even with the short distance. Her panic grew stronger the closer she got. Blood was splattered all over her mother’s housecoat, her arms, and her face. Her hair was matted in places that made the patch where a hunk of her hair was missing stand out even more. Her eyes were round circles and her hand shook as she lifted a cigarette to her mouth.
When had her mother started smoking?
“Mom.” Carly stopped a few feet away from her, then slowly approached her mother as though she’d frighten her away. “Mom, what happened?”
Her mother lifted a shaky hand, took a long drag, then coughed. “Carly, everything’s going to be all right. He won’t bother us anymore.”
Carly’s own hands shook as she sat down on the steps next to her mother.
Please, God. What did she do?
Chapter Eleven
Carly sensed more than felt Hank and Ron ease closer. They, too, didn’t want to startle her mother.
“Mom, did Dad do this to you?” Now that she was close enough, she could see her mother’s skin turning a sickly bluish-black where the bruising was already starting to form. One eye was partially closed, and a long gash slashed across her chest. Scratches covered most of her arms and legs, some still bleeding.
“Yes. But it’s okay, honey. He can’t hurt us now.”
“What do you mean, Mom? What did you do?” The possibilities made her head swim, but there was only one real possibility that stood o
ut from the rest. As much as she hated her father, she didn’t want that one to be real.
Her mother dropped the cigarette and lifted her gaze to hers. Her eyes were bloodshot, but it was the blank stare that stabbed fear into Carly’s heart. Her mother, the same woman who hadn’t had a smoke since she was a teenager, fished out another cigarette.
Carly glanced at the partly opened door, trying to see inside, but couldn’t. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what lay behind that door.
“We’ll check inside.”
Tears stung her eyes as she nodded at Hank. “Thank you.”
Hank motioned to Ron, then stepped past her mother and strode to the door. Taking care to take it slowly, the men went inside the house.
“Mom, where’s Dad?”
Her mother’s sigh shook her body even more. “In the living room.”
“Is he all right? Please tell me he’s passed out drunk.” If he was, then it meant he was still alive. If he was, then maybe they could get her mother out of there before he came to.
Her mother’s giggle came out high pitched and touched with insanity. “Well, that would be a matter of opinion. But, no, he’s not drunk.” She giggled again. “He was, but I think he sobered up.”
Ron came back out, carrying his cell phone. His face was set in stone. He paused, then spoke to her mother in a voice that was both gentle and firm. “Mrs. Rivers, where’s the gun?”
At first, Carly wasn’t sure she’d heard him. Then a shudder rippled through her mother. “I don’t know. I think I threw it away.”
Her mother shot her father?
“A gun? Is he—” She couldn’t say the last word. Life had suddenly gone topsy-turvy, taking her hope for the future and shoving it deep into the ground.
“No. But he’s not in good shape. He’s been shot in the leg and he’s losing a lot of blood. I’m calling for help.” He hurried off the porch and into the middle of the yard, out of earshot.
“Mom, what did you do? Did you shoot him? Did he shoot you?” She’d never expected her mother to get violent. Had never even heard her mother raise her voice.
