“You mean to tell me you were invited and I’m not even told about the wedding?” Scott swallowed. “If this were the real deal, I’d be offended.”
“It’s not, so don’t be.”
“Give me the LD on it.”
“The lowdown is—he’s getting married. I don’t know why, but I know the blushing bride and you do, too.”
“The suspense is killing me.”
“Melody Maverick.”
“What the fuck?” His elevated voice earned him a few conspicuous glances from the others.
“Jealous?” Drew asked.
“Hell no. That bitch about ruined me for other women.” He glanced outside and caught a glimpse of the only woman he cared about bedding. “Woman.”
“Yeah I figured that plural thing was a Freudian slip,” Drew said.
“Freudian slip my ass. There’s only one woman in the world for me.” He took a minute to process. So Manny was getting married. Damn. Who would’ve thought the Donovans would stick him with someone like Melody for a cover bride? “Tell me about Melody. The only thing I remember about her is she had a mean kick and a precise aim.”
“She taught you not to enter my apartment unannounced.” Drew laughed. “She trained under me and stuck around long enough to make everyone believe I was a powerful Dom with a lot of money.”
“If you believe the women who used to frequent your club, you are a powerful Dom with a lot of money.”
“Which is a hard sell when you don’t have a sub by your side.”
“That was your choice, best I remember,” Scott said, ready to move the conversation along. “So the marriage is a sham.”
“Uh, yeah,” Drew drawled. “I’m a hundred percent on that.”
“If the authority is building a cover, why not just forge the marriage certificate?”
“The Underground Unit is on a big screen somewhere.”
“I believe it. The authority is planning to sell off real estate. Brock claims they need to liquidate assets.”
“Liquidate my ass. They could cut the expense accounts in half and bank a few million extra a year. They have so many donors and benefactors that even Sloane and Veronica don’t have any idea where the money trails originate.” The Remington family, like the Donovans, had strong ties to the organization that dated back several decades.
“The more crooked this world becomes, the more money passed around under the table to secure the services from men like us.” He bit back the urge to question Remington further. “So you’re attending the wedding?”
“Yep. Wish you could be there, man, but I won’t know where it is until Donovan arrives.”
“I’m sure that’s the way the authority wants it. They’re probably afraid I’ll talk Manny out of it.”
Drew laughed. “I can’t wait to tell him he’s making off with the goose that still has her golden egg.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Melody. She’s still a virgin.”
“Yeah, right. I remember a few public sex acts between the two of you.”
“Are you sure about that?”
Scott took a deep breath and tried to remember just what he’d seen. “Come to think of it, everything between the two of you was strained and a little weird.”
“You didn’t see me fuck her and you never saw me kiss her.”
“What did I see then?”
“An agent training a fellow operative for her role in the lifestyle.”
“This must be some kind of major operation if the docs on this thing have to be legit.”
“Don’t feel too sorry for him, if he doesn’t fuck her, he can later have it annulled.”
“If?”
“Hell, I tried,” Drew admitted.
“She lived with you for over a month!”
“And slept in a cage,” Drew said. “That was her choice, by the way—she could lock it from the inside.”
Scott laughed. “So Manny is not only getting married, but he’s also marrying a prude.”
“I didn’t say she was a prude. I said she was a virgin.”
“Either way, what’s Manny supposed to do with that?”
“My guess is, he’s about to fall in love with the woman the authority wants him to marry.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Scott sat behind Maria and drew her back against his chest. He clasped his hands under her breasts and nuzzled her hair. “Hey, baby.”
“Don’t whisper sweet nothings in my ear if you’re all set to lie to me about the Manny situation.”
“I’ll never lie to you.”
“Did you lie to them?” she asked, tilting her chin to her shoulder. “Cade and Drake must’ve pounded you with questions. They must’ve suspected you were aware of what was really going on.”
“I didn’t know. Drew filled me in somewhat. Drake is on the phone now with Ace and Judson, another operative from—”
“I know who he is, Scott,” she said, annoyed. At times like these she realized he still saw her as his lover, not an active operative with the Underground Unit.
“Right.” He nuzzled her nape. “I’m glad you’re home.”
“Home?” She balked at that. “I haven’t had a home in over fourteen years and neither have you.”
“This sure feels like home to me.” He peered around her hair, brushing the locks over her shoulder. “Tell me about your place in the city.”
“You’re changing the subject,” she pointed out. “Let’s talk about Manny. Then, I’ll tell you about my rented space in Dallas.”
After some hesitation, he finally said, “I don’t know what’s going on exactly, but he’s getting married according to Drew.”
She shook with laughter. “That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“It’s true. The authority arranged the marriage.”
“Of course they did.” She laughed again. “No woman in her right mind would marry Manny. If he’s sprinting to the altar, it’s arranged.”
“I thought you liked Manny.”
“I like him, fine.” She involuntarily shivered. “But I sure wouldn’t want to go to bed with him.”
Scott jerked her around to face him. “What do you know about that?”
“Are you referring to his cock?” She rolled her eyes. “Remember who you’re talking to, Scott.”
“You might want to do the same,” he said, his eyes heavy with lust.
Her nipples spiked the second he gave her that penetrating look, the one that made her feel as if he could read her mind. Her pussy clenched with need and she shuddered as she thought about the possible consequences of revealing what she’d often seen on her missions. Would he punish her if she provided explicit details?
As the undeniable need rolled over her, she prepared for the hours ahead. Oh and it would be hours upon hours. She’d deliberately kept her distance from him, from all of them, since she’d been back at the ranch. Experience had guided her. Scott’s desire for her only deepened while they were apart.
“You’ve seen his dick.”
“Apparently his size is impressive to other men, but scary to women.”
“Scary?” Scott balked at that. “You’re talking about a man’s penis, not a snake.”
“According to one of his previous lovers, he was a cobra, so I guess some women put him in the same class.”
“Mind telling me why or when you were looking at Manny’s cock?”
“Not at all, Sir,” she whispered, crawling her fingers up and down his inner thigh. “St. Augustine. Last February. He participated in a threesome with two females, one of whom he later…put to rest, for lack of a better explanation.”
“I heard something about that.”
“I saw the whole thing,” Maria admitted. “The authority should’ve just ordered him to strangle her. He could’ve been pretty creative with that one.”
Scott narrowed his gaze. “You think you’re funny. Don’t you?”
“I’m horny as hell
now,” she whispered, cupping his nuts and squeezing gently.
He yanked her forward and pecked her lips before trailing to her ear. Holding her head close to his mouth, he whispered, “Talking about another man’s cock makes you wet?”
His hot breath made her wet. The other nonsense was a deliberate attempt to spike his interest and bring forth the punishment.
“Thinking about your cock makes me wet,” she whispered, arching her neck as he kissed lower. “The way you stroke me, the way you look into my eyes and whisper my name right before you ram inside me. That makes me hot, Sir. That’s what gets me going.”
“You’re spanked.”
“Am I?” A throaty moan slipped from her throat. “Why?”
He pushed her shirt up and crammed his fingers inside one of her bra cups. He wasn’t gentle but she didn’t need or want a tender hand. He pinched her nipple and she cried out with the pain and pleasure as he clamped the point between his forefinger and thumb.
“There’s a list of reasons, baby,” he crooned. “You admitted to looking at my buddy’s cock. You’ve apparently forgotten how you should address me when we’re alone together, and let’s not forget how you almost got yourself killed a few nights ago.” He twisted the tender gem until she moaned. “I could think of another ten or twelve reasons to blister your beautiful bottom, but I have a much better idea.”
“Do you?” She strained her neck and hoped for a richer, more fulfilling kiss, just a little spicy start to kick off a guaranteed good night.
Instead of granting her what she needed, he took a step back and sat down on the lounger. “Take it all off, sub.”
“Here?”
“Did I ask?”
“Anyone could see us.”
“Not anyone—just Drake, Cade, and David.” His lips twitched when he mentioned David’s name.
“Now you want to share me with David?”
“That won’t happen,” he said. “But if he wants to watch, I don’t mind.”
“Do you like showing me off, Sir?”
“Damn right I do.”
She licked her lips and stared at the front bulge in his slacks. She firmly rubbed her bottom lip, imagining the tip of his cock at her mouth, the hard crest parting her lips. Her nipples throbbed then and her pussy tightened.
“I’m waiting.”
There wasn’t any doubt he wanted her. His body gave him away. Shadows encircled his eyes. His penis made a profound impression in his slacks.
He might have thought he could resist her, but she could break down his defenses. She’d show him how a submissive could encourage her Dom, provoke him.
She unbuttoned her shirt and shrugged it away from her shoulders. A few seconds later, she unzipped her slacks and peeled them away from her legs. She stepped out of her sandals and left her pants and top next to the pool.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.
“You wanted me to swim, I presume.”
“Without a stitch of clothing,” he told her. “I want to watch your pussy lips flare as you swim.” He dragged his thumb across his bottom lip. Ah damn, she loved that look, that hard male creature staring back at her as if he were in deep thought, contemplating what he planned to do to her next. “Take off your panties and bra.”
She swallowed hard and held her head high. “Will you spank me first, Sir?”
“No,” he replied, rising from the chair.
He went to her then and grabbed hold of her hip with one hand while reaching behind her back with the other. He unhooked her bra and slipped the straps down her shoulder. Instead of kissing her lips, he descended with the material, pecking his way down her arms before lifting her hand to his mouth and sucking her fingers.
A cry was nearly torn from her throat as he circled her middle digit, drawing it between his lips with a hard suction. When he teased her all he could stand, he pushed her hand against his hard cock and showed her how he wanted her to stroke his rigid length. “We could do this all night or you could dive in and show me what I need to see.”
“Don’t I always give you what you want, Sir?”
His reply hung in the balance, but he finally said, “Now that we’re together again, you give me what I need, Maria.”
He then helped her out of her panties and guided her to the pool. He popped her on the bottom and she sashayed away. A few seconds later, she dove into the deep-end, aware of the splash she left in her wake. And just as she’d suspected, she had an audience when she surfaced, but to her surprise, David didn’t join Cade and Drake.
His absence greatly disturbed her, but not because she needed another pair of appreciative eyes admiring her strokes. It was far more disconcerting than that, but she dismissed the gnawing sensation at her neck and decided her sixth sense was due in part to her previous assignments. She felt some sense of responsibility for David. She’d watched over him and protected him on many operations.
She flipped to her back and made an artful performance out of the elementary backstroke, adding a few intimate flicks and flutters along the way. She pushed her knees apart and drew outward signs of admiration from her onlookers.
From guttural masculine growls to hooded eyes and obvious frontal bulges, her men let her know they liked her synchronized strokes. And her audience’s enthusiasm for her swim techniques only stimulated her desire to perform.
She spread her arms and legs and invented her own strokes, wondering which of her lovers would join her first. Speculation disintegrated into doubt as one shot rang out.
“Scott!” She flipped to her stomach and scoured the property, searching for signs of danger.
“Get out! Now!” Scott sprinted to the pool and dragged her out by her arms before her foot hit the ladder.
“We have supplies in the pool house,” Cade said. “Take cover!”
The commotion left them scattering in different directions, but Scott was steadfast in his efforts of shielding and protecting her. She’d never felt more secure in the throes of danger.
An enemy was upon them. A war was unfolding. They’d attacked from the back when no one had been watching. No one except the man they’d left behind. The man who would now have to stand and fight alone until they could reach him.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Who would’ve thought I would’ve been summoned to a little chapel in Dallas to witness my best friend’s wedding ceremony after just nursing him back to health only days ago.”
“Don’t start,” Manny muttered, standing perfectly still as Drew straightened his bowtie. “You knew about this and didn’t tell me.”
“I didn’t have much time to pack for the big event, but I gotta admit. It was worth the trip to keep silent. If I’d warned you, I wouldn’t have witnessed the woeful expression on your face.” Drew smacked his cheek. “Gotta live in the moment, kid.”
“Some fucking moment.” Manny pressed his lips together and watched Brock in his periphery. “This is going way beyond the call of duty, Donovan.”
“We told Tig we hired a couple to run the place and we had to make your relationship credible.”
“Believable in that you needed to place a married couple in a fetish club?” Manny snarled at his reflection. “Come on! That’s like placing a whore in a convent.” Decked out in a black tux and bowtie, Manny looked the part—well groomed, with an emphasis on groom. “This is absurd.”
“It’s time,” Riley announced, peering inside the closet-size dressing area. “Your bride is waiting.”
“Why couldn’t you just produce a wedding certificate?” Manny asked.
Drew said, “Because then you and Mrs. Manny Mancini wouldn’t try to make a real go out of this charade.”
“Charade.” Manny shook his finger at Drew. “And don’t you forget it. I will not marry that woman and promise to love and honor her when I don’t even fucking know her!”
“Look on the bright side, Manny,” Suzy intervened, apparently ready to roll forward as the voice of reason. “
At least you’ll have an interesting honeymoon.”
“I’m not going to bed with somebody who can kick my ass.”
“Did she say that?” Riley asked, clearly amused.
Manny snorted at that. “We haven’t even had a proper introduction.” He thought about that fact for a moment. He hadn’t even said hello to Melody. He had been so stunned when Brock had introduced her as his wife that he’d kept waiting for the punch line.
Surely this was a joke.
“For the record, she can probably beat the shit out of you in your current condition,” Riley said.
“If she’s an operative, she might hold her own.”
“I’d count on that one,” Brock stated proudly.
“I don’t know anything about her.” The obvious bothered him since he was about to endure a traditional wedding ceremony which would produce an authentic marriage license.
“You’re in luck,” Brock said. “Drew knows plenty. Fill him in, Remington.”
Manny saw his chance to muddy the waters. Shifting his shoulders, he studied his reflection once more. This time, he fiddled with his cufflinks and brushed away specks of lint. “Yeah, Drew. You ought to be able to shine a light on this one. Isn’t she the little spitfire you sported around the club right after The Underground opened in Las Vegas?”
“Sure is,” he replied without missing a beat.
Suzy pinched Manny’s cheek. “You little devil you. Did you think Drew didn’t tell me about Melody?” She laughed. “Nice try.”
“I was her TOA,” Drew said.
“And I specifically recall some of those public training scenes, too,” Manny said.
“What you saw was an act,” Drew promised him. “I trained her, man. Nothing more.”
“You expect me to believe you didn’t bed that?” He shot Suzy a sideways glance. “Sorry, but I’m pissed.”
“No need to apologize. I know the whole story.”
“Sure you do,” Manny grumbled.
“We don’t have secrets,” Drew said, smiling. “You’ll understand the sanctity of honesty in matrimony after you say I do.”
Cowboy Boots and Uncensored Behavior Page 21
