Matched for Keeps

by Stevie MacFarlane

  "How is he now?" Johanna asked. "He seems so deeply in love with you."

  "He is a wonderful man and so loving and gentle to my precious Rosalie, but if I do not mind him he thinks nothing of taking me over his knee and spanking me like a child! I try to stay angry with him, but when he holds me after I melt into his arms. Why is this so?" she asked, lifting her sunglasses and peering at the other women.

  They all laughed except Erica, and Johanna answered.

  "If we knew the answer to that we'd all be sitting easier," she replied wryly. "I guess when you love someone, you have to love the whole man, discipline and all."

  "As the oldest here," Brandy added with a grimace, "and having been married to a man who believed in domestic discipline for many years, I will tell you it gets easier. You will learn what his hot buttons are and not to push them, unless of course you actually enjoy having your bottom roasted," she sighed, winking at Susan.

  "Why are you winking at me?" Susan demanded. "You don't think I like getting spanked, do you?"

  "Of course not," Brandy laughed, raising her eyebrow in disbelief.

  "Okay, I admit it. A little spanking can be sexy as hell. I just never know when I'm going too far and it will turn into something really unpleasant."

  "Don't worry, sweetie," Brandy replied. "You'll get the hang of it. Soon you'll know exactly when to stop to avoid the real thing. It just takes time."

  "Yeah, well, by the time I figure that out, I may be long gone. There are only a few months left on our contract and then I imagine we'll both move on."

  Brandy and Johanna both snapped to attention in their chairs.

  "You can't be serious?" Jo asked stunned.

  "Why not? There's no guarantee Marcus will want to renew the contract when the time is up."

  "Honey, you will never be able to run fast enough or far enough to get away from that man," Brandy told her. "He will never give you up. Trust me."

  A part of Susan's soul prayed Brandy and Jo were right even though she rolled her eyes and slumped back in her chair.

  Kelsey, who had been unnaturally quiet throughout the entire discussion, sighed and added, "I hope you're right," as she gathered up her beach bag and rose. "Ladies it has been an enlightening conversation," she quipped. "Hopefully I'll be able to remember all the important stuff when I need it, but for now I'm heading back to my room. I don't want to be a sunburned bride tomorrow."

  "I think that's a good idea," Susan added, feeling like she had reached her limit of rays despite the sunblock. "See you all at dinner."

  Chapter Thirteen

  Susan was ready by the time Marcus returned to their suite and he was forced to hurry along, leaving no time for any detailed discussions. As much as she was looking forward to a girl's night out, she decided it might be best to let the others do the convincing. Surely Marcus would go along with the rest of the men.

  She wore a short gold cocktail dress with a flared chiffon skirt and one of her favorite pairs of stilettoes. Her legs and butt looked marvelous, and had she asked Marcus, he would have agreed despite his conviction that the shoes were dangerous. With her hair up in a simple twist she looked elegant and refined, hardly the kind of woman a man would mistake as looking for a cheap thrill. In a group, it might be safe to allow her to have her fun, but he would wait and see.

  Dinner was wonderful and served with plenty of champagne for pre-nuptial toasts. Every man in attendance was proud of the beautiful woman on his arm and if they were a little possessive, who could blame them.

  The conversation was lively and entertaining and Marcus found himself relaxing and going with the flow. Apparently none of the other men had any concerns about the girls going solo for a few hours, but then none of them were as familiar with Susan as he was. Of course, Ty, the wimp would have agreed with anything Kelsey wanted to do, Marcus thought. Although Kelsey had never given Ty any reason to truly worry about her, Marcus was not the besotted fool his brother apparently had become. If he heard one more, "Yes, darling," out of him he was going to slap him upside the head.

  After dinner they headed to the Bellagio to see O by Cirque du Soleil where for the next two hours they were enthralled by the skill of the performers. A limo was waiting for them outside, and they soon arrived back at their hotel, splitting into groups.

  The men opted for some poker and the women kissed them goodbye and headed to the clubs. Erica was almost dancing in the hall she was so excited and she never noticed the narrow-eyed look John gave her as she walked away.

  "Is the bloom fading from the rose?" Marcus asked him as they started toward the poker room.

  "Not at all," John replied smiling. "I'm actually quite glad I came along on this trip. It's amazing what you can learn about a person in just a few days."

  "And what have you learned about our little Miss Erica?" Sam asked, curious.

  "I've learned that the perfectly packaged image she presents to the world is as phony as a three-dollar bill."

  "Hey, wait a minute," Sam interjected. "Erica is the most professional woman we have on staff and I think very highly of her. We all do."

  "You misunderstand, Sam," John responded smoothly. "I'm impressed with her work ethic and her ability to anticipate problems before they become crises. She's remarkably talented and cool as a cucumber, but under that façade I believe she's a real firecracker."

  "Erica, our Erica?" Sam snorted. "I hate to burst your bubble but I think you're mistaken. I've never seen her lose her temper or her composure, even in the most difficult situations. If you're looking for excitement and a woman with fire, you've made a mistake."

  "You're obviously a gambling man, aren't you Sam?"

  "I've been known to make a wager or two, why? What do you have in mind?" Sam replied, intrigued.

  "I say we give the girls oh, about three hours, and then go check up on them. I'm willing to bet a grand you may see a side of them you never knew existed."

  "You're on, John," Sam replied. "And you could be right; I just hope Erica's the only one who surprises us."

  Marcus smiled. "Don't count on it, friend. I was against this from the beginning but was out-voted. There's not much Susan could do that would surprise me and I'm wise enough to realize it. The rest of you suckers are probably in for quite a night."

  It turned out Marcus wasn't quite as immune to surprises as he'd thought. When the allure of high-stakes poker faded away, the men decided it was time to recover their women. After checking out several hot spots, they finally located them in two different clubs. Brandy, Kelsey, Johanna and Elena had opted for an all-male dance review, and although the very large bouncer at the entrance wouldn't let them in, Ty could see Kelsey on stage. She was sitting on the shoulder of the nearly naked man as the crowd cheered on the bride-to-be.

  Elena was stuffing money, or trying to, into the G-string of a gyrating young man who in Jeff's opinion was dancing obscenely close to their table. She had one hand over her eyes as she felt her way down his body attempting to locate the proper area. Brandy and Johanna gave her verbal directions of left and right, up and down, laughing hysterically each time she missed her mark and ended up caressing the delighted young man with her silky fingers.

  A waitress came around with another tray of shooters and the men groaned as the girls all took one and tossed them back.

  "Look, buddy," Ty addressed the doorman, "I realize this is a women-only affair, but I really need to retrieve my future bride."

  "Sorry, no can do," the man replied.

  "What happened to the other women who were with them?" John asked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a roll of bills.

  "The little redhead and the cool brunette?" the man answered, eyeing the wad of money.

  "Yes, they were supposed to all stay together."

  "Those two left a while ago. I think they headed over to Desperado's. Go down that hall on the left and check out that club. I wouldn't waste any time if I were you; that club makes this place look like a daycare
."

  "Great," Marcus sighed.

  "Look, my name's Joe," the big man said. "This show lets out in about ten minutes and things always get worse from there. I'll let you in just before the final dance and you can retrieve your women, but don't waste any time. These women are drunk and crazy most nights. I wouldn't want you to end up getting your clothes ripped off."

  "Thanks," Sam said, shaking his head. Slipping a substantial tip into Joe's hand, Sam signaled to John to put his money away. "We'll be in and out before they know what hit them."

  "Okay," Joe laughed, pocketing the money, "but you better be. You have no idea how rough it can get."

  "Marcus, we better hang around until they get out of there in one piece," John suggested. "Then we'll go find Sue and Erica."

  "I think you may be right," Marcus agreed, checking his watch impatiently, "but I hope they hurry."

  At the bouncer's signal, Sam, Mike, Jeff and Ty all entered the club. Moving swiftly, Ty headed to the stage as the others swarmed the table their women were at. In a matter of minutes Elena, Jo and Brandy were being escorted toward the entrance, barely keeping up with the long strides and fast pace their men set. As Ty approached the stage, Kelsey spotted him and began bouncing up and down on her dancer's shoulders, waving and calling out to him, a huge grin on her face. The crowd began chanting, "Here comes the groom," and the band picked up the music, giving it a sultry beat as the women went wild.

  Stepping up on stage, Ty held out his arms and Kelsey leapt into them, throwing her arms around his neck as he held her close.

  "You are a very bad girl," he whispered into her hair as he held her far from the floor.

  "Kiss, kiss, kiss," the crowd chanted, pounding their glasses on their tables.

  With a groan, Ty set Kelsey on her feet and tipped her chin up with his finger before sweeping her into a bowed embrace and claiming her lips passionately to the delight of the audience. The whoops and whistles were deafening as the onlookers roared their approval. Many wished they could change places with the beautiful girl on the stage, but could not help noticing that the handsome groom clearly adored his bride-to-be.

  By the time Ty released her, Kelsey was standing on wobbly knees that had nothing to do with how much alcohol she'd consumed. Her hands were gripping his suit jacket tightly and he swept her off the floor and into his arms and carried her off the stage to thunderous applause.

  Hiding her face in his neck, she recalled his words when she flew into his arms. He'd called her "a very bad girl" and she couldn't suppress the shiver that raced through her tiny frame.

  "Ty," she said, lifting her head and speaking into his ear. "Am I a bad girl?"

  "You know you are," he replied, moving swiftly to the exit as stray hands caressed any part of him they could reach.

  "But sometimes bad can be good, right?" she smiled.

  Ty laughed and pinched her bottom. "Yes, sometimes bad can be very good, Sweet Pea," he replied, thinking about how sexy she would look in a little while with her bottom all hot and pink from his hand. Maybe tomorrow before the ceremony he would warm it up again so it would be nice and red as she stood before the minister and promised to love, honor and obey him for all eternity. Yes, that was a pleasant thought indeed.

  Marcus and John found Desperado's with no difficulty after refusing assistance from their friends. All four women were quite intoxicated and it would be best if they were not left unsupervised. Besides, the day he couldn't handle one little redheaded terror, he would burn all his spanking implements and join a monastery, he informed them with a laugh as he waved them off to their suites.

  "Pretty sure of yourself," John observed as they walked down the hall.

  "Susan and Kelsey are tight," Marcus replied. "They are closer than most sisters I've known. Kelsey's sweet as can be, but if I show any weakness, I've no doubt she'd be pointing out each and every soft spot to Susan."

  "And are there many soft spots?" John asked smiling. "I've always figured you for a man who's one step away from a Dom, as far as women are concerned. Has your little girl gotten under your skin?"

  "Worse than that," Marcus snorted as they handed the cover charge to the attendant and entered the dark atmosphere. "The brat has bored her way into my soul, where she is perfectly comfortable driving me insane while throwing the temporary nature of our contract in my face."

  Scanning the dimly lit area, both men searched for the girls and came up empty. The music was loud enough that talking was out of the question and there were many circular booths around the perimeter where the occupants were barely discernable.

  "Great," Marcus shouted as they moved closer to the dance floor where gyrating bodies were only illuminated for a brief moment by the flashing lights. "This is not going to be as easy as I thought. They could be anywhere in here, if they are here," he yelled.

  "We better split up," John suggested. "I'll work my way to the left, you go right. Meet me at the bar," he said pointing to the signs at the back of the room.

  Marcus slowly maneuvered his way along the edge of the dance floor, slipping between packed bodies as he worked his way toward the booths. Several young women hit on him, trying to engage him in conversation, but he just smiled and shook his head, cupping his ear to show he couldn't hear them. He made it to the row of booths and inspected the patrons in each one quickly, but no Susan. Every few steps he stopped and checked the area around him. In this crush he could literally walk right by her and not know it. The music had his head pounding, and if one more person grabbed his ass he was going to explode, not that anyone would notice.

  "Jesus, you'd think in those damn heels and with that red hair I would be able to spot her," he growled.

  "Hey baby, you talking to yourself?" the pretty blonde asked as he noticed the music has paused for a blessed second.

  "I guess I am," Marcus admitted ruefully. "Listen, I'm looking for a girl…"

  "You found her. Just call me Blondie; everyone does," the blonde smiled, rubbing against him.

  "No, sorry," Marcus replied. "I'm looking for a particular girl."

  "What, I'm not good enough?" Blondie pouted.

  "I'm sure you're very nice," Marcus offered patiently. "This girl is about this high," he continued holding his hand in the middle of his chest. "She has red hair and is wearing a short gold dress. Have you seen her?"

  Blondie started laughing, her drink dribbling onto Marcus's shoe. "Sure I have," she replied. "Are you talking about Susan?"

  "Yes, Susan, that's her name," Marcus said, sighing in relief. "You've seen her?"

  "Buddy, everybody's seen her," she giggled. "She was the main attraction until about twenty minutes ago."

  Marcus ran his hand over his face and forced a smile. "No kidding," he replied. "What was she doing that was so interesting?"

  "Well, they were playing this bar game and…"

  "Who's they?" he asked interrupting her.

  "It started out with a few of the regulars," Blondie answered. "Just Billy and the rest of the gang, but before long there was a line that snaked halfway around the club. It was just too funny," she continued laughing.

  "What kind of game was this?" Marcus asked, trying to relax his jaw.

  "Well, Sue would put a shot of whiskey between her breasts and the boys would try to take the glass out with their teeth, drink it, and then put it back, all without using their hands. I was laughing so hard I almost wet my pants," she snorted. "If they lost and touched her, it cost them fifty and let me tell you, she had a wad of money."

  "Where is she now?" he asked softly, pasting a bland look on his face.

  Blondie began laughing even harder as she struggled to relay the events. "Everything was going well for her; I mean really, the whole place was cheering her on and then it was Trey's turn. Trey's a good guy, but not real smart. He's real tall, you see, and when he bent down to get the shot glass, he knocked Sue over. She caught her shoe on a bar stool and snapped the heel right off. They were beautiful shoes, too,"
Blondie continued with a sigh. "All gold and glitter and so high, I bet they cost a fortune."

  "Yes, I can assure you, they did," Marcus replied, trying not to break a tooth. "What happened then?"

  "Well, Sue went ass over teakettle, as my grandma used to say. When she came up off the floor she was so mad, I thought she was going to make Trey eat that shoe. Her hair was all over the place, and… she sure does have pretty hair, doesn't she? Do you think I would look good as a redhead?" Blondie asked, fingering her fine gold tresses.

  "I'm sure you'd look lovely. Now where did you say Sue was now?" he asked, his patience wearing thin as the music started again.

  "She said she was going upstairs to get another pair of shoes, but I guess she's not back yet. You really should hang around, I bet the line is even longer this time," Blondie encouraged, smiling sweetly.

  "I'm sure there is a very long line of men waiting to get their hands on her," Marcus drawled darkly. "Unfortunately for her, I'm first."

  "Oh," Blondie gasped, backing up a step as her hand came to her chest. "I thought you were a friend of Sue's?"

  "Sue and I are very… intimate friends," Marcus replied. "In fact I adore her, but this is just unbelievable."

  "It was all in good fun, Mister."

  "I thought you said nothing would surprise you," John said, tapping Marcus on the shoulder and yelling in his ear.

  "I was mistaken. I see you found her," Marcus smiled as he turned and saw John with an intoxicated Erica over his shoulder.

  "I did, but we need to get out of here if it's at all possible. Where's Susan?"

  "She should be making an appearance soon," Marcus replied. "Thank you, Blondie, you've been a big help," he said, turning to the girl.

  "You're welcome, I think," she said uncertainly. "You're not going to hurt Susan are you?"