by Chloe Lang
“That’s not true, sweetheart.” He sighed. “God, how I’d like to really train you tonight, but that’s not what you need.”
Train me? He wants to train me. Since learning about Austin’s sex club, she’d done more than a little research on the various kinds of kink the place delivered up. She shivered imagining what kind of schooling Wade wanted to give her. Would he take her up to the stage for any who wanted to watch? Shivering from a mix of unease and excitement at the prospect, she looked down at her outfit. Most of the women wore miniskirts. Not her. She wore jeans and a green top that currently felt tighter than it had been when she’d put it on.
“I’m not going on that stage, cowboy. I just can’t.”
“Cut the ‘cowboy’ here, sweetheart. It’s not appropriate. Best to call me ‘Sir’ or ‘Teacher’ but not anything else. Got it?” Wade cupped her chin and kissed her cheek.
“If that’s what is expected, then sure.” What would it be like to be on display? The women around the room already stripped and on exhibit seemed to be in utter ecstasy. Every shape and size of female was laid bare for the crowd. No judgment. Only sighs and applause. What would that feel like?
“I expect it, so you’ll comply. Say ‘Yes, Sir.’”
“You sure I look okay for this club? I seem out of place compared to the other women here.”
His piercing stare silenced her. It seemed like a full minute went by. “Gorgeous.”
Heat spread through her body like trembling lava, making it all the way down to her pussy. She squeezed her legs together tight, trying to tamp down the growing desire there. She knew resistance would not be possible if he asked her to strip, right here, right now.
“The scene is about to start.” He touched her thigh. “Ready?”
She tried to chuckle, but it came out more like a choke.
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes,’ sweetheart.”
His use of the word “sweetheart” didn’t offend her, though they’d only kissed. It wasn’t like they were in any kind of relationship, but something about him, his strength, was seductive, as was his directness. He and his brother had made it very clear from the first day she’d arrived that they were bent on pursuing her. It was flattering, and it was also unnerving. Never had any man kept her so off-balance, and now there were two.
God, what’s wrong with me? I need to be looking for any clues I can use to find Trent.
Trying to rein in her wandering mind, she inhaled deeply and got a whiff of Wade’s scent of cool metal and the spray of the ocean, which only made her even more jittery and turned on.
Wade placed his hand on the back of her neck, giving her a little massage, though she wondered if it was more to control where she looked. His intensity of will only made her tingles spread.
A small crowd gathered around them, taking seats on the second and third rows. She and Wade were the sole people on the front row, which made her even more anxious.
“How long before the show starts?” she asked, noticing the tiny tremble in her voice.
“Soon, doll. What do you think of the place so far?”
Was that a trick question? Was he seeing how adventurous she might be? “Interesting,” she answered, but didn’t want that line of discussion to continue, unsure what she might reveal. “What’s the cage behind us for?” She’d noticed it in the middle of the large room. It was empty but looked quite formidable.
“It’s for rule breakers.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Of course you don’t.” His grin pleased her very much. “Members, in particular the Doms, agree to certain rules. It’s very important that we do. Respect is the name of the game. The cage is for those who break the rules, well, the lesser ones at least. It’s a reminder of what’s expected from all of us, especially for the Doms in training.”
“Who enforces the rules, Wade?”
His fingers tightened on the back of her neck for a moment. “What did you call me?”
“Sorry. I mean, Sir.”
Wade relaxed his fingers on her neck. “That’s perfect, sweetheart. Very good,” he whispered.
Pride swelled up in her chest.
“Angels,” he continued. “The guys in white. You’ve seen them, right?”
She nodded. They were giants in her eyes. They seemed to be everywhere. If she hadn’t been with Wade, it would’ve made her feel safe to have such men around. “You said lesser infractions will send a Dom to the cage. What happens with bigger ones?”
“Depends. Big ones will get you suspended from the club for a period of time.” Wade paused. His tone deepened. “The most heinous gets you thrown out for good.”
“That happens?”
“I know of only one since I’ve been coming. To become a member requires quite a bit of training. Not everyone makes the cut.”
She was about to ask him to give her examples of the kind of rules that got someone kicked out for good when the lights dimmed in the area, and the music—a tribal drumbeat with another instrument she didn’t recognize—came up slightly.
A man took the stage first. She’d seen him at the café before but never wearing what he wore now—a black cowboy hat, black leather vest, black pants, and black boots, though they looked more military than cowboy.
“I see some familiar faces and some new faces.” He glanced at her for a split second. “My brothers and I will be demonstrating Shibari for you tonight. How many of you are familiar with Shibari?”
A few hands went up.
“Excellent. Let me start with a warning. Please do not try this at home until you have proper training. Seriously, if you don’t know how to tie a half hitch to save your life, you won’t be able to safely bind your sub in the manner you are about to see demonstrated. That said…”
“There’s more to this stuff than I thought…Sir,” she whispered to Wade.
He smiled at the last word. “More than you can even imagine, sweetheart.”
The instructor motioned for his two brothers, who were dressed in the same attire as he, at the side of the stage. They moved behind a curtain that Mac hadn’t noticed before. When they came back into view, they weren’t alone. One of them carried a naked woman onto the stage. Her hair was short, very short, and blonde.
Mac guessed her to be about the same age as she was. Once again, she thought of what it might be like to be so exposed, with all eyes looking at her. What would it feel like? Would she be excited? Calm? Fearful?
As the brother with the microphone continued to talk about Shibari, Mac watched his two brothers place the naked female on a metal chair in the center of the stage. They parted her legs, opening her most private parts up for the audience to see. A single blonde strip of hair adorned the woman’s pussy.
“Always have at least two EMT shears with you before beginning any type of bondage play. Always.”
As if on cue, his brothers held up the scissors for the audience to see. The seriousness and care with how these men were approaching this with the woman stunned and pleased Mac. Sex had always been bumbling at best in her experience. This was elegant and intentional.
“The choice of rope for this type of bondage is varied, but we prefer…”
Mesmerized by all of it and imagining what the sub on display was feeling, Mac’s insides began to quake.
“Let’s show them that knot one more time, please. My brothers are very skilled and fast, but they need to slow down a bit for you to get the full effect.”
The one closest to him nodded. There was no animosity, no anger. The three men wanted to share. So did the woman. The two men operating the ropes proceeded to tie their sub’s arms behind her back in slow motion while the guy on the microphone continued his instruction.
Time and space seemed to meld into something new here at The Masters’ Chambers, on this stage, in this chair.
The man’s words didn’t seep in as much as what the actual demonstration did. As his brothers continued tying the woman up in the long red ropes
, dizziness took hold of Mac. The sub’s breasts were wrapped in a way that made them jut out. Subtly, the men pinched their woman’s nipples every so often, followed by the blonde licking her lips. Clearly, this woman was on fire.
“This can place the submissive into subspace…”
Mac found herself licking her own lips in unison with the woman.
Wade squeezed her neck. “What do you think so far?” he asked in a hushed tone.
“Amazing,” she breathed. “I can’t imagine what she’s feeling being onstage.”
“Easy now. Don’t be too anxious to get up on the stage.”
Her jaw dropped. “I didn’t mean I wanted to get up there.”
“Not tonight, but maybe one day.” He moved his free hand to her thigh, claiming it with splayed fingers. “Definitely not ready for the stage, doll, but I’ve got a surprise for you later.”
Her pussy betrayed her, soaking her panties.
Someone sat in the chair next to her, but she didn’t turn to see, unable to peel her eyes away from the utter beauty on the stage.
“Enjoying yourself?” a familiar voice asked, causing her to whip her head around.
Austin Wilde sat next to her, reminding her of her mission—finding Trent.
Chapter Six
Wade held Mackenzie’s hand as he led her into his and Wyatt’s cabin. As agreed on earlier, his twin was absent. He kissed her on the cheek and opened the door. “Here we are, sweetheart.”
“It’s nice. Very nice.” Eyes anxious, she stared at him.
He needed to be cautious with her. One wrong move and she would be lost to him. That wasn’t going to happen. No way. “Would you like something to drink?”
“That would be nice.”
The scene at the club had worked just like he’d hoped, but she’d cooled off suddenly for no apparent reason. He’d driven straight to the cabin, all the while expecting her to demand they go to her place. No demand came. She seemed lost to her thoughts.
“We’ve got beer and whiskey. No wine. Sorry.”
“Whiskey sounds perfect,” she said, taking a seat on his leather sofa.
God, she looked good there. “Rocks or not?”
“Rocks, please. Wade, do you mind if I ask you some questions?”
“If you’re a cop, I mind. If not, ask away,” he joked, pouring their drinks.
“What do you know about Austin?”
He realized that was when she’d stiffened up at the club. Austin had sat down next to her. “He’s a tough one, hard to read.” He handed her the glass with the golden liquid, hoping it would relax her some. “You have a beef with him?” If she did, the bastard would pay dearly.
“No. Just curious.” She took a long sip on the whiskey.
“Slow down, doll. That’s pretty potent stuff you’re drinking.”
Mackenzie placed the glass on the coffee table, which would’ve been better dubbed the whiskey table in this cabin. She smiled. “I’m a big girl, cowboy. Whiskey is my second favorite drink.”
“And your favorite is?”
“Tequila.”
He sat down next to her, a silent dominance over her with his proximity. “Don’t have any, but I’ll make sure I have some for your next visit.”
She cocked her head to one side, adding to her already-intoxicating good looks. “Who said there’d be a ‘next visit’?”
“Oh, there will be, Mackenzie. Count on it. Tell me about yourself. Where are you from? Do you have any family?”
Once again, she tensed. What one of her nerves had he hit?
She gazed at him with those big gorgeous eyes of hers, taking another drink before answering. “I have family. Yes. A brother.”
Something about the way she said “brother” made him pause. The syllables were pain-filled in tone. “Are you estranged?”
“No.” She blinked and looked down at her drink.
He grabbed her hands. “Tell me about him. Is he ill?”
She shook her head.
It was clear she needed to talk about this but was having trouble voicing it. “Then what about him? Mackenzie, you can trust me. I promise.”
Tears flowed down her cheek. She lifted her glass and drained the contents in a single gulp. “May I have another?”
“Sure.” What burden did she carry? It was a very heavy one for sure. He took her glass and filled it up once again. Handing it to her, he ventured more guesses. “Is he in trouble with the law?”
“I just can’t tell you.”
“He’s the reason you’re in Wilde, right?”
“There’s something about you, Mr. Masters, that makes it so hard to hold back anything.” She closed her eyes and let out a long, shaky sigh. “So much for my talent of keeping things secret.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.” He cupped her chin and turned her face to his. “Open your eyes.”
She obeyed.
“Trust me.”
“You know me as Mackenzie Hill.” She blinked several times. “My real name is Kristen Mackenzie Green. My brother is in trouble, and I’m here to save him.”
Mackenzie was here to save someone? If her brother was really in trouble, she might be in danger. His need to care for an innocent exploded, beginning in the center of his chest and expanding throughout his entire body. Every muscle tightened. This was more than helping just any woman in need, which he and his brother would do without hesitating. His crushing longing to protect was about her—Mackenzie.
She was in Wilde under pretense looking for her family member. In his gut he knew she was way too close to some pretty dangerous shit. He wasn’t exactly sure what, but he was certain he would find out.
He took her delicate hands and squeezed gently. “Tell me about your brother.”
* * * *
Mac felt overwhelmed and lost. Her alleged super investigative reporter skills hadn’t gotten her a fraction of an inch closer to finding Trent. She’d like to blame her guard being down to the whiskey, but it wasn’t true. She was scared, even more than she’d been when she’d first visited his apartment.
Could she really trust Wade? She wanted to. God, she needed an advocate in the worst way. Someone local to side with, to bounce theories off of, to get the real scoop on Austin Wilde. Even though Jessie was a friend, she was also Austin’s wife. Charly couldn’t be an advocate since Jessie was her cousin. Mac was beginning to think Austin might not be involved at all. But if not him, then who? Her investigative skills were failing her when she needed them most.
“Tell me, sweetheart.” Wade brushed the hair out of her eyes. “You’re carrying quite a load.”
She took another drink of the whiskey, hoping to quiet her nerves.
“No one has seen or heard from him in quite a while. Three months. God, has it really been that long?” Her shoulders sagged. Other than her grandfather, who she hadn’t seen in several weeks, she’d told no one. Telling Wade felt good in a way, if only slightly.
“People do choose to drop off the grid, Mackenzie. Maybe like they say in Australia, he’s on a walkabout?”
“He wouldn’t have left without talking to me, Wade. One of his longtime employees got ahold of me and told me he hadn’t been at the office in several days, so I went to his apartment.”
“What did you find?”
She closed her eyes and pictured Trent’s place. “My brother’s OCD would shock most, but he learned how to tamp it down everywhere but in his home. When I saw the empty glass in the sink, I knew something was wrong. Trent would’ve never left a dirty dish out.”
“Maybe his condition improved.” Wade’s tone was kind and yet probing.
“Don’t try to make me feel better. I know my brother.”
“Have you gone to the police?”
“Of course. No help there either. They found drugs, a lot of drugs, in his office. Drugs? Like Trent’s some kind of junkie. He’s a businessman. He has one of the premier landscaping firms in Denver.”
“He’s not an addi
ct? Are you sure? People do keep secrets, doll. Even brothers sometimes.”
She glared at him. “Not me and Trent. He was a health fanatic, Wade.” She brought her hand up to her mouth. Oh my God! Had she really said “was” when she’d mentioned her brother? She blinked back the tears.
“Mackenzie, I know this must be hard to talk about.”
“Talk about. Think about. Dream about. Yes, it’s hard. It’s a nightmare.”
“Anything else you found in his apartment that tipped you off about his disappearance?”
She nodded. “In the pocket of his favorite jacket I discovered a napkin. Like I said before, his OCD wouldn’t have tolerated such a thing, so I knew it had to be a clue.”
“How?”
“It had Austin Wilde’s name and phone number written on one side. On the other side were some numbers and a letter I haven’t been able to decipher yet.”
Wade rubbed his chin. “So that was what brought you to Wilde.”
“It was. Austin is involved in a lot of shady things, Wade.”
“So you think he has something to do with Trent’s disappearance?”
“Maybe.” She shook her head.
“Your brother and Austin might’ve known each other.”
“There’s no record of them ever meeting that I can find, but I did find calls on Trent’s cell bill that were made to the offices of the Wilde Silver Mine here in town.”
“Maybe they were planning to meet with each other.”
She nodded. “That’s what I thought.”
“I wonder if they did meet after any of those calls.”
“I was the last person on record to have talked to him. The next day, he was gone. I haven’t been able to prove it yet, but I think Austin is the silent partner my brother took on last year.”
“Was your brother having money troubles?”
“He never told me he was, but the recession was tough on his business. It has to be the reason he sold interest in his company. Someone powerful and smart created a maze of paperwork and several holding companies to camouflage what they’re really up to and to keep their identity secret. The asshole doesn’t know how relentless I can be. I won’t stop until I uncover who loaned Trent the money if I have to research a million online records.”
