Shaking her head, Bunny patted Hughes’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Mr. Hughes. I’m stronger than I look, and I’ve done this kind of work before. This balcony is solid, right?”
“As a rock, ma’am.”
Bunny grinned at his formality and patted his shoulder. “You’re so sweet, Mr. Hughes. You can call me Bunny, if you want.”
“Perhaps, ma’am.”
Once his fears had been addressed, she got on with the work, tying off the rope to the balcony railing. The day had been another hot one, and once again, there were dark clouds far to the west, but the storm wasn’t due until that evening. She had plenty of time to get the job done.
Her imaginings from last nights’ reading material kept interfering with her concentration, and she startled when she heard one of the French doors on a nearby balcony open.
“Bunny Carrigan, you’re like a train wreck, do you know that?”
“Because you can’t take your eyes off of me, right?”
“No, because I’m fearing impending disaster.”
The soft breeze rocked her in the sling until she was facing his direction and saw him over the dormer, and she had to grin. He was so authoritarian, standing there in his dark gray suit, the coat unbuttoned and his hands on his hips.
Batting her eyelashes, she said, “Now, Sir. We had an agreement, didn’t we? I promised I would be careful up here, and I am. See?” She lifted her hands, staying in position perfectly balanced on the balls of her feet and pointed at her gear. “I’m harnessed into the sling, and I’m also wearing my climbing gear.”
His eyes bulged, and he took a step forward. “Bunny…” He sounded breathless. “God, you scare me every time you do that.”
“You gonna spank me?” she asked as she pulled her wrench out of her tool belt and went back to tightening the bolt on the dish.
“Not for doing your job. But I do have a question. When were you planning to tell me there was a drive-by shooting in your neighborhood last night?”
She shrugged and kept working without looking away, “Why? It was next door. That house is owned by one of Grinnie’s oldest friends. I think her grandsons are involved in some iffy stuff, and it blew back on the neighborhood last night. No one was hurt, thank goodness.”
In her peripheral vision, she saw his jaw drop and knew this was going to be a lengthy conversation. “It wasn’t just next door, Bunny.”
“Huh?”
Joseph said, “Hank was at the scene this afternoon. Not only was that house hit, there were bullet holes in your siding as well. Hank told me this sort of thing is becoming a regular occurrence in that part of town. All you can say is you’re on friendly terms with the people who were being shot at?”
A blush filled her cheeks with heat. “Until I can get us on better footing financially, that’s where we live. And the fact I’m friendly with the neighbors doesn’t mean I’m not worried. It just means I don’t worry quite as much about getting broken into.”
“What? Can you please explain that logic to me?”
The wind picked up a notch and her sling swung around so she was looking down at the ground thirty feet below before she pivoted so she could scowl up at him. “Really? You wanna have this conversation with me now? Louisa’s grandsons have gotten mixed up with a gang that has ties to the Mexican drug cartels. Am I complacent about it? No! I’m pretty much terrified, but it’s my reality right now. I can’t help it, except by working harder to get us out of that neighborhood. I don’t mean to be a brat—not really—but there’s a storm on the way and I have another dish to adjust, if you’ll—” As if on cue a cold rain drop hit her cheek. The scent of rain filled the air but she hadn’t heard any thunder yet. If she hurried, she might be able to at least check the dish before going inside to finish their conversation.
She was lowering herself to the roofline the bucket was located under when the rope connected to her rappelling gear by D-rings suddenly went slack. She hit her knees on the roof and froze, unsure of how much traction she had on the slate tiles.
“Shit!”
The wrench in her hand slid down the slate tiles until it dropped from sight.
“Bunny!” She’d dropped out of sight of Joseph, and she heard the fear in his voice.
Afraid to move or even breathe for fear of slipping, she said, “I’m here.”
“Bunny, are you okay?”
“Um, there’s something wrong with my rope,” she said as she watched the frayed end of it slide past her and off the roof edge behind her. “It broke.”
“Can you reach the chimney?”
“Umm…” She glanced over it and was afraid to move. The scent of rain thickened as fat rain drops began splatting on the hot slate tiles. The only thing keeping her on the roof was the traction with her boots and her hands. If she slid, she wasn’t sure she could overcome the momentum on the roof gutters.
“Bunny, listen. Where were you tied on? I’ll go there and pull you back up.”
“Your suite. I tied up to your balcony railings. I’m not sure if there’s enough rope there to—”
“Okay. Hold on. Can you get to the chimney?”
“Trying,” she said.
She inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to get her shoulder and leg muscles to unlock. She couldn’t let fear make her freeze. A door slammed somewhere close by and Joseph’s running footsteps echoed through his suite as she reached for the chimney and grabbed on with one hand. She was grateful for her gloves when the toes of her boots slipped out from under her on the dampening tiles. She slid a few inches before grappling on to the dish with the other hand, thanking God that she’d finished tightening the bolts and praying the brackets anchoring it to the chimney were as solid as she hoped. If not, she was screwed.
* * * *
Heart racing, Joseph threw open the French door. The remaining length of rope was tied off well, and it took him precious moments with shaking hands to get it loose and then throw the rope over the roof’s edge, praying it was long enough. “Got it?”
“Got it! Okay!”
“I’m going to spank her ass as soon as she’s safe on this balcony. I’m gonna spank it until it’s beet red.” His heart lurched with adrenaline as he hoisted her up.
“Uh, I can hear you! A little help here, and then we’ll fucking see if you can hold me down long enough to spank my ass!”
Despite the near calamity, he had to grin. If she could spout off, she knew she was safe.
“That language is unbecoming a lady,” he muttered before his heart nearly gave out a second time at the abrupt pull on the line. She must’ve slipped. It was lucky for him that he had her line securely anchored. “You can yell at me when I get you up here. For now, just focus on your footing.” Over the pounding of his heart, he registered a crash on the ground below. Only the fact that her precious, solid weight was still on the line kept him from panicking. “Bunny?”
“Uh-huh?” Her reply had a strained quality to it.
“What happened?”
“The dish…I was using it as a handhold while I was getting my footing. Umm…” He heard the way her voice was shaking. “When I get back up there, we need to talk about where else we can put that dish…after we replace it, because that one is toast.”
“Whatever you want, Bunny,” he murmured as her brilliant red hair came into sight. Thank you, God. He pictured the dish in pieces on the pavement below and shook his head. He needed to stay focused. “Just hold on.”
Her normally peachy complexion was white as a sheet as he pulled, and she grappled up and over the gutter and onto the roof ledge several feet below his balcony, but she rallied as they made eye contact. She scrabbled on the tiles and reached up a hand to the balcony.
Once over the balcony ledge, her knees gave way, and she collapsed. She trembled so hard it was almost alarming, and he carried her into the suite to the leather sofa in the living room.
Fighting to control the tremble in his own hands, he poured her a shot of whiskey.
Her hands trembled so badly he held the glass to her lips. Caring for her helped him to find his center. Now that she was safe, he could deal with the aftereffects.
As he contemplated putting her across his knee, he asked, “Your rope frayed on the sharp tiles and snapped.”
“I’ve never worked on a slate roof before. I chose the wrong rope.” Her paleness was alarming. “If you hadn’t been there…”
Putting the shot glass in her hand, he quickly said, “You would’ve taken the rope from your harness and tied off to the chimney.” He saw the self-doubt in her eyes, and her complexion was ashen. “You said yourself you’re a safe climber.”
She directed her gaze to his balcony and then nodded. “Maybe. Yeah, that’s what I’d do. Then wait for help.”
Joseph chuckled softly. “Or for the storm. Take another sip.”
She looked at it blankly and then shook her head. “Not while I’m on the clock. I need to go downstairs and find my wrench and clean up the remains of that dish.” A shudder rippled through her. Most likely she was imagining how easily it could’ve been her on the ground below, and she tried to stand.
“No, stay put. You’ve had a bad scare.”
“I’m not a delicate fucking flower, Joseph.” He lifted his eyebrow at her.
Scoffing, she rolled her eyes. “Okay, I’m not a delicate fucking flower, Sir!”
“And, there she is,” he said with a chuckle. “The brat is back. You’re lucky I’m not keeping a tally of swats for your language yet.”
“You keep count?”
He smirked. “Every time you curse, every time you”—he pointed a finger at her face—”roll your eyes just like that, I’ll start keeping track of it and take it out on your poor defenseless little ass.”
She rolled her eyes one more time for effect, and his palm twitched, but then she grinned at him as she sat up and then stood up, with a little help from him.
“I have to get back to work, Joseph.”
“I think you should lie down.” On my bed.
“I can’t. I have work to do.”
“Bullshit.”
She turned to him, and something about the emotions in her turquoise eyes gave him pause.
“I have to get back on the horse that threw me, Sir. If I cowered in the corner every time something rough or scary happened…I’d never accomplish anything. You don’t have to take care of me. I’m on the clock, and I need to keep going.”
He sighed. We’ll get to the bottom of it eventually, fiammetta.
“I’ll go see about the dish,” she said as she walked steadily, if a bit slower, to his front door. Trying to be strong so he wouldn’t worry.
“Bunny.”
She turned with eyebrows raised in question, as if she hadn’t just been in terrible danger. “Hmm?”
“No more heights today, okay? I don’t think my heart can take it.”
She smiled in commiseration. “I don’t think my wobbly knees can take it either, but I do have work inside to finish. I’ll check in with you before I leave.”
“Deal. And, Bunny, just so you know, I would’ve been devastated if anything had happened to you.” Truest words I’ve ever spoken.
She chuckled softly as she turned the doorknob. “Me, too.”
Chapter Six
Joseph stood with his best friend, Randall Butler, at his side, surveying the expansive club from the slightly elevated VIP seating section. Many members of Hazelle House, exclusive private BDSM club, were present and in full play mode.
Comprised of two floors in the west wing of the mansion, the main club area was split into two parts by the large circular bar: a dance floor and socializing space and, on the far side, play space for those who wanted to make use of it. The lower floor housed the dungeon. That night, the stations were all full, as were the seating areas and the dance floor. The bartender, Cecilia, another resident Domme, was operating at full speed, filling drink orders, chatting with Doms, and keeping an eye on the subs. She’d come highly recommended by Ethan Grant and was excellent at her job.
“Mona told me she thought the girl had an effect on you, but I didn’t realize how much until I saw for myself. You can hardly take your eyes off of her.”
“I’d keep an eye on any guest who was new to the scene,” Joseph said as he watched Bunny conversing with a couple of unattached subs in one of the seating areas. He’d explained basic club etiquette when she’d arrived, but her knack for getting into mischief remained uppermost in his mind. No one was giving her a spanking but him, especially not after he’d seen her reaction to being manhandled by Conrad.
She’d showed up on his doorstep thirty minutes early, and her first question had been whether she was dressed appropriately. But she didn’t “do” submission. He couldn’t help but grin as he recalled the way she’d twirled for him in her shimmering transparent black top, buttoned up over a black camisole, and the black jeans and ballet flats. She’d pulled her hair up into a messy, but lovely, knot at the back of her head. A beautiful mess described her perfectly, all the way down to the sparkle in her artfully made up eyes.
“She’s quite…vibrant,” Randall said as he accepted a drink from one of the waitresses.
“She is,” he replied, the trace of a smile quirking his lips. “Bit of a brat.”
“Judging by what I’ve heard, that’s an understatement. You hate brats, despise having them in the club. Your exact words, if I recall correctly, were ‘if they want to submit, the brattiness is just an act, and I have to have honesty in a relationship.’”
“I still don’t care for brats. Some brats,” he added, hating that it sounded as though he was equivocating, another behavior he didn’t appreciate. “She’s forced me to question a few of my beliefs.”
“Your rules, you mean?” Randall asked, the amusement filling his voice.
“I wouldn’t have told you if I’d thought you’d get this much enjoyment from seeing me out of sorts. I recall Mona knocked you for a loop in the beginning, too.”
Randall’s eyebrows arched. “It’s that serious, huh?”
“Could be. It depends on how she handles tonight.”
“I wondered after you released your last sub, what was her name?” Randall asked, his arms crossed over his chest and a smile hidden behind his fingertips.
Joseph scoffed. “Vanessa.”
“Ah yes. I remember now. She was the paralegal from Boston. I would’ve thought she’d fit all your requirements.”
“She did.” But that hadn’t been enough to keep her there, like the others. He didn’t enjoy saying goodbye any more than the next guy.
Vanessa had been the last in a string of subs he’d spent significant time with who hadn’t worked out. She’d left to return to her hometown on the East Coast. Joseph figured that if she missed her home more than she might potentially miss him then he should let her go without argument. He’d decided after Vanessa that he just wasn’t in a season of his life where he needed a fulltime sub. The club kept him sufficiently busy.
“How long ago was that?”
“Five years?”
“That’s a hell of a dry spell, my friend.”
Try living it. “I was busy.”
“Perfection is kind of a hard standard to live up to.”
“Your opinion is noted. You try saying goodbye to five sweet, biddable subs in a row and tell me you wouldn’t begin to wonder if the right sub for you is out there.”
“So it’s easier to maintain the status quo of ‘busyness’ and high personal standards than risk saying goodbye again?”
“You know how to kick a man when he’s down.”
“Well, if it’s any consolation, Mona always tells me how much the club submissives love knowing they’re being watched over by a protective, eagle-eyed Dom. And it sounds as though your dry spell might be at an end.”
“We’ll see.” He rubbed the center of his chest, hoping this wasn’t another mistake.
“Master, may I serve you?” Jad
e asked, startling him as he looked down and realized she was kneeling in front of him. It wasn’t good that he was so distracted he hadn’t been aware of Jade’s approach. Bunny kept him off center whether she was near him or not.
“Hello, Jade,” Randall said after glancing at Joseph. “How are you tonight?”
“Fine, Sir.”
Without bending, Joseph extended a hand to her, which she took and stood when he tugged her from her kneeling position. “What have I told you, Jade?”
Eyes averted, she looked at her wringing hands. “I shouldn’t call you Master. I’m sorry. But kneeling is protocol on club nights, isn’t it?” She glanced in Bunny’s direction.
“Yes, it is, for knowledgeable subs. And thank you for asking me a direct question. It may be that we find a Dom for you that is good at anticipating your needs, but until then, I appreciate you not expecting me to read your mind. Three of the Doms you communicated with are here tonight.”
“They are?” she asked, her eyes widening beneath the arc of her lashes.
“Yes. If you will go to Cecilia, she will introduce you to the first one. He is seated at the bar waiting for you.”
“And the others?”
“Observing, for now.”
“Observing the club?” she asked, casting her gaze furtively around her.
“No, observing you. I’m sure they will find your behavior is nothing but a credit to your training.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Thank you, Sir.”
Halting her with a hand on her arm, he said, “Remember, Jade. It is expected at this point for you to negotiate your needs. Observe the rules but don’t go to your knees unless Cecilia gives you a nod and you are sure. And even then, I’ll only allow you to serve for the evening.”
“That’s all?”
“I want to be sure, Jade. Your desire to serve is so strong, and I don’t want you to sell yourself short. Do you trust me and Cecilia?”
“Of course, Sir,” she said with a smile, using the proper form of address. “Cecilia cares about me, and I know you do, too.”
Bunny and the Beast [Divine Creek Ranch 22] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Page 6
