by Jane Jamison
Although they’d never flaunt their money, both brothers were well off, owning not only Pleasure Ranch and its private club but other holdings in Texas and around the country. Several sexy women kept eyeing them, trying to lure them from a distance. At any other time, he would’ve sent them a bottle of champagne and followed the usual course of events that would come once the young women made their way over to them. But tonight, no matter what he tried, he couldn’t shake the memory of the beautiful policewoman. The other women paled in comparison.
“So what’d you think about her?”
He slugged back the shot the bartender placed in front of him. “What’d I think about who?” As if he didn’t know.
“Cut the bullshit, bro. I’m talking about the lady cop.” Paul swiveled his barstool around to watch the people mingle around them. Although he had his drink in his hand, he didn’t slug it back like Destin had. Paul always drank less than he did, disliking the feeling of being out of control.
“She was a looker, all right.”
“She was more than that. Even that God-awful uniform of hers couldn’t hide her body. I kept trying to keep my mind on what she was saying, but all I could think of was how hot she’d looked cuffed and slung over a spanking bench.”
“Yeah. I’ve had a few thoughts like that, too. Hell, I’ve been thinking about her ever since we left her on the road. And trying to get her out of my head.” Destin slugged back his vodka, then motioned for another. “But now? With the image you just gave me, I’m never going to get any sleep. We might as well find some company for the night.”
“Or a club.”
Paul didn’t suggest it often, both of them preferring their own club and rules to visiting ones in other cities. It was an extreme answer to Destin’s problem, but not one that held any real appeal.
“Naw. I’d rather go it alone than fool with who knows what at another place.”
Their club at Pleasure Ranch was of their own making. Some of the rules differed from other clubs and dungeons, and some didn’t. Since it was on a working ranch, the patrons were usually either oilmen or cowhands who liked variety in their play, but not a lot of rules. Although many clubs stuck with a certain type of sexual exploration, the Club at Pleasure Ranch let each patron decide how they wanted things, going from vanilla sex and simple voyeurism to the extremes of sexual satisfaction.
Destin scooped up a bunch of nuts from the bowl. Officer Georgia Fox was the right kind of woman. Not only was she stunning to look at, with ocean-blue eyes, dark hair, and a body not even a cop’s uniform could hide, but he’d seen something else in her eyes. She was the type of woman who was strong and in control, but who often yearned for a man to take charge.
If only she lived in Texas.
“I bet she’s not as tough as she thinks she is.”
Destin chuckled, amused that Paul’s thinking was along the same lines as his. “I’d take that bet. She’s probably tougher. That’s why I’d like to know what her fantasies are. You know her type. Hard as a rock on the outside, but once they get a taste of someone else in control, she’ll lie down and purr.”
“You could be right. And if you are, I could see her being the one. Too bad we’ll never find out.”
Paul was right. Something about Georgia Fox had him thinking she could be the right woman they’d waited for. They’d talked about sharing one woman between them throughout the years but had never found anyone that had come close to fitting the bill. The woman who could handle both of them at once would be a special kind of lady, one who was strong enough to withstand everything they threw at her with all the ups and downs of their kind of life, but who was soft enough to know when not to resist. She’d be one who’d give them as much pleasure as they planned on giving her. One who would learn that being submissive wasn’t about being a slave or someone less than special in their eyes. Being their submissive would mean she’d hold not only their world, but their hearts in her hands. She’d be their lover and their best friend, all rolled into one.
Before meeting Officer Georgia Fox, he’d wondered if such a woman existed. Now he knew she did.
“Maybe we should stick around and find out.”
“I’d like to, but we’ve got to get back to the ranch.” Yet, although Destin knew they’d already stayed away too long, he couldn’t help but wish they could linger a few more days. They could try and track her down through the police force. Although explaining why they were looking for her would pose a problem, any complications that might come out of it would be worth it.
“Maybe we won’t have to. Check it out.”
Destin craned his neck around to see what his brother was fixed on, then almost choked on the drink he’d taken. Beautiful Georgia swayed into the bar from the hallway leading from the ladies’ room. “Where’d she come from?”
“Beats the hell out of me. Maybe we were concentrating too hard on already missing her that we didn’t even realize she was here.”
Her sway came from either the heels she wore—it was obvious she wasn’t used to wearing them—or perhaps too much drink. It didn’t matter. Either way, the movement was as intoxicating as hell. Her long hair flowed over her shoulders like a waterfall of black Texas oil. Even under the dim lights, her hair shone and the soft rose of color on her cheeks grabbed their attention. Her sweet oval face held an innocence that her job had no doubt swept away long ago. Destin put his drink down and studied her harder.
A frown formed in the middle of her forehead, and yet, on her, it didn’t have a harsh effect. Instead, he found himself wanting to rub his thumb over the creases and smooth them out. If she had a problem, a worry, any concern at all, he wanted to be the one to take it from her. The only question that remained was whether she’d allow him to.
Seeing her out of uniform, he had a difficult time believing she was a cop. She looked more like a model or an actress. With her kind of beauty, he would’ve bet she’d had a rough go of it while getting through the academy. The male recruits had probably either hit on her or had thought she was too soft to make the cut. Obviously, she’d proven them dead wrong on the last score.
Not that she appeared weak. No, she had enough weight on her to keep her from looking frail. Her body curved in all the right places with plenty for a man to hold on to. That and her job as a policewoman meant she could handle rough situations. He had no doubt she could handle the kind of rough situations he’d like to put her in.
“I guess she decided she wanted that drink after all. Too bad she didn’t want it with us.” Paul put his drink on the bar next to Destin’s. “She doesn’t look very steady on her feet. Is she with anyone?”
“I don’t think so. Maybe she changed her mind. Why else would she come to the bar at our hotel? That’s got to mean something.”
“Hmm. You might be right.”
“Come on. Let’s grab her before someone else does.” Destin launched off his barstool and pushed through the crowd. Too many men gave her a hungry eye for his comfort, but he doubted she noticed them. Instead, she headed straight for an empty booth in the shadows of the bar.
“Shit. That’s not a good place for her to hang out by herself.” Paul moved past him. His brother was a couple of inches taller, with longer legs, but Destin always kept up.
A couple of men were already headed toward her. He picked up the pace, as did Paul, and cut them off at the pass, reaching her booth before they did.
Destin slid in next to her. “Hey, how’re you doing?” It was a lame line, but he didn’t think she’d care much.
She jerked away. “What the hell are you two doing here?”
“Saving your ass from getting raped from the looks of those guys over there.” Paul nodded at the two men they’d left in their dust, then at the four men who stood at the other end of the bar. Their hot gazes left nothing in doubt. If they could get her alone—or maybe that wouldn’t matter—they’d take her and turn her inside out. Once they were through with her, they’d leave her bruised and batt
ered, if not worse.
She didn’t bother checking things out. Instead, she picked up her beer and took a long drag. “I can take care of myself.”
Destin heard the slur in her words. “I’m sure you can, but tonight you want some help doing that.”
“Horse shit.”
“Now that’s an odd thing for a lady to say. Personally, I prefer bullshit to horse shit.”
She shrugged, then took another drink, draining the bottle. “Hey, bartender! Another one. Pronto.”
“Look, Officer—”
“Don’t call me that.” She sneered at him, her frown burrowing between her eyes. “I’m not on duty, so don’t call me that.”
“You don’t have to tell me again.” Destin waved off the bartender, signaling to him that she’d had enough. “Then what should we call you?”
She gave him a blurry-eyed stare. “You don’t remember? My name’s Georgia Fox.”
“I remember all right.” He nodded toward his brother. “Do you remember my brother, Paul? And how about me? Destin Casing. I remember you telling us your name when you pulled us over, but I want to know what your friends call you.”
She shook her head and took a swig of her empty bottle. “Hey, bartender! What’s the holdup?”
Once again, Destin waved off the bartender. “Never mind about your next drink. What do your friends call you?”
“I don’t have any friends.”
He hadn’t expected that. He had, in fact, assumed she’d have lots of friends. “You’re kidding. I would’ve thought you’d be Miss Popularity. Why is that, Georgia?”
She shook her head.
He was pleased when she didn’t argue the point. Although he wanted his woman to have spunk, he also wanted her to know when not to disagree. “Okay, let’s try that again. Why don’t you have any friends?”
She cast her gaze down to the table. “Because I’m smart. If you don’t have any friends, then you can’t get hurt.”
He and Paul exchanged a look. They hadn’t realized how hurt she was. Whatever had gone wrong had been bad. Very bad. It churned his stomach to think she was that vulnerable.
Paul tilted his head and sought her eyes, trying to get her to look at him. “That’s just plain sad. If you don’t have any friends, then you won’t have much fun.”
She snorted, an unbecoming sound from such a hot woman. “Fun’s overrated.”
Destin knew an opening when he heard it. “What about lovers, Georgia? Do you have a man in your life? Maybe more than one?”
She yanked her head up and shot him one of her confused scowls again. “More than one? Who has more than one man?” She shook her head, sending her hair dancing. “Nope. No way. I don’t even want one man to fool with. I have enough trouble in my life without having to deal with some man.”
“You don’t mean that.”
She snorted again, then wiped her nose. “Oh, yes, I do.”
She could try and lie to herself, but he’d be damned if he’d let her lie to him. “No, you don’t. And if you give me the chance, I’ll prove it to you.”
She laughed, full and throaty, once again drawing the attention of several men. Destin and Paul leveled hard looks at them, warning them to back off.
“Look, Georgia, I know you’re trying to play it macho right now, but you don’t have to try and fool us.”
“I’m not playing. And it’s not macho when you’re a girl.”
“Point taken. Still, you don’t have to act like you’re tough. Not with us.”
She leaned away from him, scrutinizing him. He’d struck a nerve, throwing her.
“Are you here alone, Georgia?”
Her scrutiny was gone as she whipped her head around, looking for the bartender or a waitress. “Yeah, I’m alone. So what? Can’t a woman get a drink by herself?”
“Sure. But getting drunk alone in a hotel bar? That’s not too smart.” Destin caught Paul’s warning look, telling him to take it down a notch. But he liked straddling the line between teasing and antagonism.
She met his gaze, rebellion in her blue, alcohol-clouded eyes. “Do you need me to prove how tough I am?”
He’d seen pain before and he saw it even clearer now. Whatever had gone wrong, whatever she’d experienced, was eating her up inside.
“Never mind Destin. That didn’t come out right. He’s not challenging you.” Paul rested his forearms on the table. “Georgia, listen up and really give this some thought. Sometimes people who are in powerful positions, like for instance, a police officer, need to give that power up every so often. It’s like a release valve. You’ve got to unscrew it and let things out. Either that or you’ll break and blow sky-high.”
She tunneled her fingers through her hair. Although the lights were dim, Destin could see the blue-black streaks in the shiny, black mane. He could easily imagine the feel of its silkiness against his palm.
“I won’t break. No matter what.” She let out a sigh that had the weight of the world in it. “Why don’t you go away and leave me alone?”
“We can’t do that. Especially after you came here to see us.” Destin skimmed a finger along her arm and felt her tremble.
“That’s horse shit, too.”
“Nope. What’s the line from that old movie? Something about ‘out of all the gin joints in the world’? Yeah, you came into this hotel bar because you remembered Paul telling you where we were staying.”
She scowled, but he could see the truth written all over her face. “It’s a bar. I wanted a drink. Enough said. Now get the hell out and let me drink in peace.”
“Sorry, but we can’t do that. We can’t leave you in the state you’re in.” Paul eased back, giving her room. “Do you want to tell us about it?”
“Tell you about what?” She glared at him. Her staunch refusal darkened her mood even more. Then, all at once, fresh pain flashed across her face, yet it was still unable to mar her beauty. The pain was gone as quickly as it had come. “Fuck off. It’s none of your damn business.”
“You’re drinking to forget. And whatever’s making you do that has got to be bad. Real bad.” It was Destin’s turn to be on the receiving end of her glower. “Trust us, Georgia. We’re really good listeners.”
“Why do you care? I’m just a cop that gave you a ticket.” She pointed a finger at his face, close enough that she touched the end of his nose. “We aren’t friends and we’re not going to be friends. So fuck off before I have you arrested.”
“Actually, you only gave us a warning to get our brake light fixed.” Destin grinned and gave her a quick salute like a soldier following orders. He ignored her remarks about not being friends. “Which we told the rental company about, by the way.”
“Good.” She slumped in her seat. “At least I know you can follow orders.”
Destin gave her a loaded look, one she couldn’t miss, even in her present condition. “Yeah, we can follow orders.” He rested his hand on her lap. “But we’re better at giving them. Orders you’d love to obey.”
He’d confused her, but that was all right. Confusion would help break down the hard wall she’d built up.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You can’t give me any orders.”
“Destin. It’s too soon, man.”
“My brother’s worried that I’m talking out of turn.”
She puffed out a quick breath. “And I still don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t worry about it. For now anyway.”
“How about we take you home?” Paul held up his hands as she scowled at him yet again. “I mean your home. Not our hotel rooms. You’re in no condition to drive. As an officer of the law, you can’t risk getting pulled over while under the influence.”
She bit her bottom lip and Destin had to hold back from crushing his mouth against hers. Damn, but she was beautiful. The simple T-shirt and jeans she wore under her opened coat weren’t revealing, but they were a major improvement over the police uniform. Her full brea
sts pushed at the material, giving him a good idea of how those melons would look once they were released from the bra’s confines. Her stomach was flat and her arms boasted the right amount of muscle. All that sexiness was topped off with a splay of freckles across her nose.
“Come on, Georgia. You know we’re right.”
She opened her mouth, most likely to argue, then shut it. Emotions flickered across her face until at last she came to a decision. “Maybe. If you promise not to try and come inside.”
“Well, I am only a man, you know.” Destin hadn’t dared to hope she’d let them inside, but now that she’d mentioned it, he couldn’t help but think about doing exactly that. “But I won’t come in if you don’t want me to.”
“Can I trust you?” She eyed him suspiciously.
“More than anyone you’ve ever known.”
“That’s weird.”
“What’s weird?”
“I believe you.” She pointed a finger at him, touching the tip of his nose. Narrowing her eyes, she studied her finger, then his nose as though they were signs of alien possession. “Why do I feel funny when I touch you?”
He ignored Paul’s chuckle. “Funny? Like maybe horny?”
Her eyes grew wide. “Is that it? I’m not sure. It’s been too long. Yeah, maybe.” She laughed again, but the sound was lighter than before. “God help me, I think I’m horny. Either that, or I’m really drunk.”
She was indeed tipsy, but she’d intoxicated him, not only with her beauty, but with her wit. “Why don’t you find out for sure?”
“What do you mean? How?”
He leaned in, pressing against her. She inhaled, but didn’t move away. Her breasts pushed against his chest as she placed a palm there, but didn’t push him off her. Putting his mouth close to her ear, he whispered, “Give yourself to us. Give up the control. Let us take charge. You know you want to. I’ll bet you’ve fantasized about letting a man, letting men, tell you what to do.”
