by Jenna Jacob
The recoil of a whip sent a shiver up my spine. Glancing toward the sound, I instantly wished that I hadn’t. The powerfully built Dom had his back to me, but it made no difference. I knew by the decadent muscles and colorful tattoos it was Tony. He stood behind a sub secured to a spanking bench, gripping a black and red plaited whip in his wide fist. Shirtless, his black leather pants hugged his tight ass and sturdy legs. His defined shoulders bunched and flexed beneath his bronzed flesh and his colorful tattoos rippled. I clenched my hands, itching to feel his tempting hard flesh again. I licked my lips and remembered the taste of his kiss.
As if sensing my presence, Tony turned. As his gaze locked with mine, I could almost feel him caress my skin. Feel the same stirring heat his fingers evoked as they plucked and pinched my nipples. The buds drew tight against my tee and tingled with the memory.
His mouth fluttered with a slight smile as my cheeks grew hot. Severing the connection, he turned his attention back to the sub bent over the spanking bench. Tony smoothed one broad hand over her pale skin. Jealousy pricked my heart. Glancing at the long blonde tresses shrouding the subs face, I knew Destiny—the lucky little bitch—had finally arranged her session with Tony. As he stepped back, I couldn’t take my eyes off him… couldn’t force myself to look away even as envy coursed angrily through my veins.
I stared in fascination as his whip found its mark, time and again. Commanding and confident, Tony worked the sub. His shoulders widened; his chest expanded. I watched him drink in her cries of pain as if they were welcome nourishment. Red angry welts crisscrossed Destiny’s backside. Still, Tony didn’t stop. He landed the single tail’s popper with succinct and measured lashes. I cringed and searched deep for a sliver of any untapped longings within that called to his type of extreme play. No matter how hard I searched my fantasies, I couldn’t find a hint of desire close to the level he required. And still I stood mesmerized, watching.
The sensual sway of his body, the honed roll of his shoulder, and the quick flick of his wrist was an art form all its own. His focus, keen on the sub, never wavered. It was clear to see. His whip was an extension of his heart... his soul. The sadist’s pleasure was a sharp, wicked blade, and Tony walked the narrow edge with relentless precision. The intensity of his desire was a formidable mountain. Each lash commanded the girl to climb higher as he guided her through angry welts and imposing pain—persuading her ascent to the peak, absorbing her tears and screams, he fed his dominance.
Tony was poetry in motion, his command powerful and unyielding. Compared to Destiny, my submission was useless…weak. My heart grew heavy realizing that if given a chance to submit to Tony, I had nothing substantial to offer. I would simply slide through his sturdy fingers like sand.
Tony set the whip down, squatted next to Destiny, and gently brushed the hair from her face. Tears streamed from beneath her closed eyelids. Tony leaned in and sipped the moisture from her cheeks between his lips with tender reverence. The comfort he now showed Destiny wasn’t at all different from what he’d granted me. The realization I was just another sub in need of Tony’s compassion sucked the air from my lungs. I was nothing more than a Dominant obligation to him. And while I shouldn’t have allowed it to hurt…it did.
Hot tears slid down my face, yet I couldn’t stop watching his every move. Tony released the sub from the bench, wrapped her in a blanket, and lifted her into his arms. Lowering his mouth to her ear, he whispered, probably in the same whiskey smooth voice that made my pussy weep.
Betrayal stabbed deep. A voice screamed inside my head that my behavior with Tony had come full circle, and this was my comeuppance. Karma was indeed a hateful bitch.
Tony pressed a kiss to the sub’s forehead, awarding the same affection he’d given me. The tender act set my stomach swirling and my body quaking. Somehow I’d twisted myself into believing I was someone special in his eyes. How could I have been so damn naïve?
With Destiny’s limp body clutched to his chest, Tony turned toward me. Spying my tears, his brows furrowed as a puzzled look lined his features. And when he began walking toward me, I realized he would have to pass by me to take Destiny to his private room. He’d lay her in his bed and climb in next to her and drown the woman in sublime aftercare…maybe even make love to her. Tony would willingly give her all the things I’d stupidly let swim in my head and touch my heart.
I didn’t want to pass him and head to the bar, so I turned away as he approached, swiping off my tears, before casting my gaze to the floor. I didn’t want Tony to see the sophomoric hurt I’d inflicted upon myself. When I felt his presence behind me, it was like a fucking disturbance in the force. I closed my eyes for a half second, calling myself a zillion kinds of fool as Tony stopped alongside me.
“What’s wrong, angel?”
What’s wrong? You. Her. My whole fucking life!
“Nothing,” I mumbled.
I felt his stare bore into the side of my face, like a damn laser beam. I kept my gaze pinned to the floor and slid my trembling hands behind my back.
“Why are you standing in the hall crying, sweetheart?”
Sweetheart? I’m not your sweetheart... I’m the brat! Remember?
“I accidently locked myself out. I was on my way to get a key from Sammie.”
“Mistress Sammie, you mean.”
“Yes, Sir.” And, dammit, why was I allowing him to correct me? He wasn’t my Dom. He wasn’t my Mentor. He meant nothing to me, and I damn well didn’t matter to him. A fact I needed to start hammering into my head then and there. “Have a good night, Sir.” I replied in a curt and icy tone. Turning on my heel, I marched to the bar.
I didn’t know what was worse, mooning over a playboy sadist like a love-sick puppy or the expressions of sympathy of the members seated at the bar.
“Hey, baby.” Sammie’s loving smile was like a balm. “I heard you were here. I was going to pop in and check on you when I got a lull, but so far, it’s been crazy busy.”
“It’s okay. I’m fine,” I lied.
Sammie studied my face before her lips turned down in a sad smile. “No, you’re not. Not yet, but you will be. You’re a strong woman, and you’ll get past this.”
I answered with a quick nod. “I need to ask a favor.”
“Anything.”
“Can I have the key to George’s room? I accidently locked myself out.”
“Sure.” Sammie grinned as she reached up for the key.
A couple of the members seated at the bar issued hushed sympathies. Thanking them, I reassured them that I was fine while trying not to climb out of my skin. Sammie laid the key upon the polished mahogany surface and I snatched it up, quickly.
“Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, thank you, Mistress. I’m going to go to my room and go to bed.”
“If you need anything else, you just let me know, okay?”
Bristling, I wanted to scream. I’d been offered help for the umpteenth time. I was sick to death of everyone treating me like I was a damn invalid.
“Yes, Ma’am. Thank you.” I forced a smile before scurrying back toward the hallway.
Rounding the corner, I saw Tony standing next to his room, digging into his pocket. Destiny was upright and slumped against his imposing body. He turned his head and stared at me before sliding his key into the lock.
A cold sweat broke out over my forehead, and the walls seemed to breathe as I tried to align the key with my own lock. The doorknob began to blur. Behind my eyes silvery lights flashed within a smoky black haze. My ears filled with a droning hum, muffling the noise coming from the dungeon. My knees began to buckle as darkness swallowed me up.
A deep, masculine voice kept calling my name. There was something cold and wet across my forehead. I opened my eyes and found I was in bed, back in my room. Mika was seated on the edge of the bed next to me. Worry lined his face.
“That a girl.” Mika smiled tightly.
“What are you doing here?” I swallowed, sp
ying a crowd of faces peering in through the open door behind his left shoulder.
“You passed out, pet. Have you eaten today? You promised me this morning you’d eat after the funeral.”
Shit. Busted. “I…Um.” My stutter drew Mika’s infamous Dom glare. And he leveled that damn intimidating thing at me with maximum effect. “After everything that happened today, I never got around to it.”
“I see,” he replied with a disgruntled sigh.
“Dammit, Leagh,” Tony hissed.
Snapping my head to the left, I saw that Mr. Whip-That-Ass himself was standing on the opposite side of the bed, near the nightstand. Tony’s arms were crossed over his beefy chest. His dark eyes blazed in a mixture of anger and concern. And strangely his face looked ashen and unusually pale.
“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to forget. Okay?”
Their displeasure was a double shot of guilt that burned like cheap whiskey.
“Don’t start with the attitude, angel. I’ll make sure you get a red ass, and this time you won’t like it.”
“What are you doing here anyway?” I snapped. “Don’t you have a sub to take care of? I’m fine. You can leave.”
Tony’s jaw clenched as his eyes narrowed. “You don’t listen worth a shit, you know that?”
“Yeah, yeah. I know. Proper submissives don’t…”
“Leagh,” Mika growled in warning.
I exhaled a heavy sigh then turned my attention back to Mika. “I’m sorry, Sir. I had every intention of eating today. I swear.”
“Well, you’re going to now, little one,” Master Stephen announced as he stepped up to the foot of my bed, wearing the requisite Dom scowl.
What was it with Doms? Did they have to pass Intimidation 101 before they could pick up a flogger? And just how many pissed off Doms were in here for crying out loud? I glanced around. Three. Three against one. The odds were definitely not in my favor. Drake shouldered his way through the throng gathered at the mouth of my door, his expression tense. Four. Great. Now I was up to four angry Doms. It was a banner night for me.
Sitting up, I glanced at the furious but concerned faces and tossed my hands in the air.
“Fine. I’ll eat! But somebody’s going to have to give me a ride to a burger joint, because my car’s down the street with an empty gas tank. Who’s got a pair of tennis shoes in a size five, because my favorite Jimmy Choos are ruined from the fucking rain? Oh! And I’ll need to bum a few bucks because Hayden and Sloane have taken every goddamn cent I own.” My voice cracked as fat tears spilled from my eyes. “And while you’re at it, can somebody please bring my Master back, because I can’t do this anymore? I just can’t.”
Disgusted and utterly pathetic, I drew the blanket over my face and sobbed.
Mika leaned in and pulled me to his chest as I silently cursed myself for not being stronger.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Stephen announced. “I’m going to run out and get the girl some food. If Carnation finishes comforting Destiny before I get back, please let her know that I’ll return shortly.”
“Will do,” Tony replied. “Thank you for allowing your girl to stay with Destiny.”
“I’m happy to help,” Stephen replied. “When I get back, I’ll help you get Leagh’s car, too.”
Sobbing against Mika, I listened as Tony and Stephen arranged their plans. A small part of me wanted to pull back and demand they stay out of my life, but a bigger, more grateful part of me felt nothing but relief. The bed dipped behind me as Tony’s rugged body covered me from behind. His hot breath danced over the shell of my ear and I trembled at the tangled rush of emotions crashing through me.
“Shhh. It’s going to be alright, Leagh,” he whispered. “We’ll get you through this.”
“Tony’s right, pet,” Mika soothed, brushing a hand over my hair. “You’ve had one hell of a bad day. But it’s behind you now. We’re going to get you back on your feet. No matter how long it takes.”
Long minutes passed before I was able to pull myself together and stop the tears. Mika and Tony continued to hold and reassure me while I felt like a hundred different ways of humiliated over my meltdown.
Only when Stephen returned with a fast food sack and a thick chocolate shake did Tony and Mika ease back. Immediately missing Tony, I sucked down my disappointment and sat up in bed, still unsure I could gag the burger down. But with Tony, Mika, Drake, and Stephen watching me like a damn science experiment, I managed to eat half of it, and thankfully, it was enough to appease them.
The crowd outside the door had moved on, and one by one the intimidating Doms left my room…all except Tony.
“Don’t do this to yourself again, young lady, or else,” Tony lectured as he sat in the spot Mika had vacated.
I pursed my lips in a frown. “It’s not like I planned to pass out. It’s been a bad day; that’s all.”
“Bad day or not, you’ll start taking care of yourself, or I’ll cuff you to this bed and do it for you. Are we clear?”
“Yes, boss,” I huffed.
Tony bristled. “I have no idea how you’ve managed to go through life without a blistered ass twenty-four, seven.”
I shrugged. “I guess nobody wanted to waste their energy.”
“Until now,” he quipped with a mischievous smirk as he stood. “Get some rest. I’ll be back to check on you in a little bit. Stephen and I are going to go rescue your car.”
Before he could step away, I reached out and clutched his hand. “I know I’ve said this already, but thank you. I really do appreciate what you’ve done for me.”
Tony’s expression softened as he leaned in low and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek. “I’ve only just begun, sweetheart. Get some sleep.”
CHAPTER FIVE
A loud knock on my door, accompanied by the sound of giggles, woke me from my dreams. The clock on the nightstand displayed one, but my sleep fogged brain wasn’t sure if it was morning or afternoon.
“Come on, sleepy head, open up. Pregnant woman needs to take a load off out here.”
Julianna. With a small grin, I flipped on the bedside lamp, jumped out of bed, and raced to the door. When I pulled it open, not only was I met with her big, round baby belly but Savannah and Trevor’s smiling faces as well. My brows furrowed in confusion as I glanced at their arms brimmed with shopping bags.
“What is all this?” I asked as Julianna pushed past me, dropped her packages on the floor, and climbed onto my bed. Stacking the pillows against the headboard, she leaned back on them and stretched out her legs.
“We went shoppinnggg,” Trevor sang out with a laugh.
“For what?” I asked, motioning both him and Savannah in before closing the door behind them.
“For you.” Savannah grinned. “After you crashed out last night, Tony snatched your clothes and shoes, and gave Mika the sizes who then called Julianna—”.
“Who called Savannah and me this morning, and voilà, you now have clothes!” Trevor added gleefully.
“Tony came to my room last night?” I gasped.
“Yeah. You didn’t see him?” Trevor asked.
“Um, no.”
Glancing over at Julianna, I watched Savannah’s smile fade as she stared at the pregnant woman. “Hey, are you alright? Do I need to get Mika or something?”
“No!” Julianna barked, gripping the other woman’s wrist in desperation. “It’s only Braxton-Hicks contractions. If you tell him they’ve started up again, he’ll come down here and carry my ass back home. I needed this. He’s been on me like a mother hen. By god, he gave me a day pass out of prison. I’m not going let the Warden drag me back until I’m good and ready to go…which might be never. Spending the day shopping with you guys was the first productive thing I’ve done in weeks.”
Savannah and Trevor unloaded the packages along with the ones Julianna had left on the floor before climbing onto the bed. We all sat watching Julianna who’d tossed her head back, closed her eyes, and was gently strumming h
er belly. She exhaled long, slow breaths in a steady rhythmic pattern.
“Stop that! I don’t know nothin’ about birthin’ no babies, Miss Julianna,” Trevor screeched, imitating Prissy from “Gone with the Wind.” We all laughed as a goofy grin curled on his lips.
“How long have you been having the contractions?” I asked.
“A couple of weeks. Mika’s about to have a heart attack…if I don’t kill him first. You have no idea how hard I had to beg before he’d let me out of the house, even with Savannah and Trevor vowing to watch over me.”
“Okay but if you need Mika and you’re not telling, I’ll be the one who ends up with a red ass,” Savannah warned. “I learned my lesson about helping you keep secrets from your Master, Julianna. The last time I tried to help you hide the fact that you were preg—”
“You ended up finding your submission and your happily ever after, so don’t go there, Vanna,” Julianna countered with a grin. “I just need to rest for a bit. If they don’t go away, one of you can race up to his office and get the prison ward, okay?”
The buzzing sound of the hidden camera snagged my attention. “Um, sis?” I gulped and pointed toward bookcase. “I think you’re already busted.”
Julianna’s eyes grew wide as she squinted at the shelves. “For Pete’s sake, I’m fine, Master!” she called out toward the device in exasperation.
“Ten, nine, eight,”
“Trevor, what are you doing?” Savannah asked, wrinkling her brow at the grinning blonde man.
“Seven, six,” he continued as he started to laugh.
“Five, four,” I chimed in with a giggle, helping Trevor count down the seconds until Mika stormed the room.
“Awww, shit,” Julianna groaned as she struggled to sit up. Her gaze locked on the door and worry creased her forehead. “Leagh, while I still have a chance to tell you, I hope the clothes fit. If they don’t, Savannah and Trevor can help you exchange them since I probably won’t see the light of day until this baby is born. There’s a new cell phone in one of the bags. I added it to Mika’s account. Don’t worry about the bill or any—”
