by Marla Monroe
Chapter Two
Kelly stretched as she slowly opened her eyes. She’d had the dream again. The one with the two cowboys from the other day. They haunted her sleep with promises of hot nights between cool sheets. At least she wasn’t having the nightmares right now. She would take the sensual dreams over them any day. The fact that they left her body primed and ready was a small price to pay. She could always get herself off if she wanted to.
Why she was dreaming about the two sexy men she had no idea. They should have scared her since they were obviously Doms. Instead, she seemed to be fascinated by them for some reason. Something about them struck a nerve, keeping them in her thoughts almost all the time now. She hadn’t seen them since that day in the store, but images of them holding her, bending her to their will, danced in her mind at all hours of the day.
Disgusted with the direction of her thoughts once again, Kelly rolled out of bed and padded to the tiny kitchen to start the coffee. Steve was having a barbeque at his house today. He had invited her, but she wasn’t sure if she would attend or not. Though she had met a lot of people through working at his shop, she really didn’t know anyone on a friendly basis. The idea of spending any amount of time among strangers didn’t appeal to her.
Sipping her coffee, she contemplated what to do with herself if she didn’t go. Sundays were normally spent catching up on housework and reading one of her favorite books. Though it was too hot to do much outside this time of year, she occasionally took a walk in the evenings around town for the exercise. Steve had chastised her for going out at that time of night when he met up with her one night on his way home from the local BDSM club.
“It’s not safe for you to be out alone at night. It may be a small town, but we have our share of crime.”
She had shrugged and promised to be careful. Although she hadn’t gone walking again since then, Kelly wasn’t promising she wouldn’t in the future. She liked being outside at that time of the day when the sun was setting.
She finished her coffee and rinsed out her cup before pulling on shorts and a T-shirt to spend the next hour stretching and doing her exercises. She had a full figure and kept her weight down by watching what she ate and doing exercises to keep limber. She wasn’t a health nut and didn’t starve herself, but being able to do what she wanted without getting out of breath was important to her.
As soon as she finished with her routine, Kelly jumped into the shower. Being sweaty always made her think of the club back in Dallas where she had moved from. Avoiding reminders of that period in her life had become a challenge. She didn’t like to dwell on it and had worked hard to overcome her “weaknesses” as she called them.
She heard the ringing of her cell phone over the sound of her hairdryer but decided to ignore it. It would go over to voice mail. She didn’t know anyone well enough for it to be important anyway. More than likely it would be a sales pitch from some company thinking she had money to spend. She laughed to herself. After having enough to throw away for so long, she thought it funny that she was living hand to mouth now.
After dressing in a pair of loose Capri pants and a button up blouse that left a small amount of skin visible to show off her belly ring, Kelly picked up her phone and check for messages. Sure enough, there was a voice mail. However it wasn’t from some unknown caller, it was from Steve. No doubt he was checking to make sure she was going to show up for his party. What could she say to get out of it? Nothing.
Selecting his number, Kelly pushed send and waited. He answered on the third ring with laughter in his voice.
“Hey, Kelly. What time are you going to get here? I could use your help getting things ready.”
“Bullshit. You have your brother, Ben, there, I’m sure, and what happened to your sub, Stacey?”
“Ben is useless right now. I’m not sure Stacey is going to show.”
She heard an edge of unease in Steve’s voice with this bit of news. Something was going on between them evidently. She hated to hear that. They seemed great for each other.
“What time do you need me?” She sighed. Steve had given her a job without references. She owed him.
“Sweet! Just as soon as you can get here.” He didn’t wait for her to answer before ending the call.
“Why do I always end up doing something I really don’t want to do?” Because I’m a pushover.
It was one of the reasons Dell had been able to manipulate her into a 24/7 D/s relationship when she hadn’t really wanted one. She shook her head. Not going there. It was in the past, and she was doing fine now. All it had taken was a piece of her soul to move on. There was no way she would dwell on what used to be.
Thirty minutes later, Kelly climbed out of her beat-up truck and approached Steve and Ben’s front door. Just as she raised her hand to knock, the door swung open and Ben greeted her with a scowl.
“I’m glad you’re here. Steve and his fucking party are about to drive me crazy.”
Ben could be intimidating, but she knew he was all hot air from having been around him at the shop. He was a large-animal veterinarian and seemed to save all his patience for his four-legged patients.
“Hey, Ben. What’s he got you doing that you don’t want to do?” She walked inside and followed the big burly man through the entrance into the living room.
“Got me putting lanterns all around the back yard to ward off bugs. The damn things stink.”
She rolled her lips in to cover the smile that threatened to spill out. He did smell a little odd.
“There you are. Come help me make the hamburger patties. I have them mixed up but still need to pat them out. You can do that while I finish icing down the beer.” Steve pulled her out of the living room into the kitchen.
“I don’t think Ben likes having this party.”
“Naw, he loves it once everyone gets here. He just doesn’t like the prep for it. Thinks it’s too much trouble.”
Kelly just smiled and washed her hands before plunging into the massive bowl of hamburger meat. For the next thirty minutes she patted out burgers and placed them on wax paper to go in the fridge until time for the grill. Once she was finished, she washed up and helped Steve clean up the kitchen.
“How about a beer? Everyone will start arriving soon. Did you bring your swim suit?”
“I don’t have one. Never got around to going shopping. I’m fine just sitting with my feet in the water.” She accepted the beer Steve handed her and took a seat at the bar while he leaned back against the cabinet.
She watched him and noticed that he seemed a little nervous which wasn’t like Steve at all. She hadn’t seen Ben around since she had arrived either. Something was going on, and she figured it had to do with Stacey.
“So what’s going on with Stacey?”
Steve coughed and set his bottle on the countertop. “What do you mean?”
“You said she might not come to the party. That’s not like her.”
“We’re having some personal issues.”
“I’m sorry. I thought you were both really happy with your arrangement.”
“Yeah, well. It will work out. Every relationship has bumps along the way.”
“But if you’re not talking, you can’t work them out.”
Ben walked in and headed for the sink. He washed his hands after shooting a glare over at Steve. It didn’t look like one of his normal glares to her. Was he involved with what was going on between Steve and Stacey?
“Got company coming up the road. Better get the grill started if you plan on cooking anytime soon.” Ben wiped his hands on a towel and disappeared down the hall toward the back of the house.
“Better go greet the guests. Come on, Kelly. You already know most of these people from the shop.” He took her hand and dragged her toward the door.
After nearly an hour, most everyone that was supposed to show up had arrived including the stars of her nightly dreams, the Callahan brothers. She had been skirting them ever since they had walked through Steve and B
en’s door. At least Ben seemed to realize she was uncomfortable around them because he hadn’t left her alone since he’d returned from the back of the house thirty minutes ago.
“Are you avoiding us?” Kelly looked up to find Marx and Jackson staring down at her.
She realized that Ben was busy talking with someone and wasn’t there to protect her. Why did they keep trying to talk to her?
“No. I’m just busy helping Steve with the party.”
“Where is Stacey? She usually helps him.” Jackson looked around at the other attendees.
“I’m not sure. I haven’t seen Stacey for a few days. Maybe she’s out of town.” She had no intentions of letting on that there was trouble between Steve and Stacey. It wasn’t anyone’s business.
“That’s odd. She usually spends a lot of time with him.” Marx stared at her as if he thought it was her fault.
“Why are you staring at me?” She took a step back as she looked up into his intense eyes.
“Just wondering why all of a sudden she’s not around and you are.”
“Marx.” Jackson’s voice sounded like a warning.
“I can assure you that I have nothing to do with it.” She turned to walk off, but Jackson was too fast for her. His hand gripped her upper arm.
“Whoa there. Don’t pay any attention to my brother. He’s an ass.”
She frowned up at the other man. She agreed. Marx needed to learn manners, but she wasn’t the one to teach him. Looking down at her arm where Jackson had his hand on her, she looked back up at him with a pointed look.
He smiled but didn’t drop his hand. “Steve said you’ve been working for him for about six months. Where are you from?”
“Dallas.”
“Why did you move here?” Marx cocked his head. “Not much going on around here in the way of shopping and stuff.”
“I like the peace and quiet. Dallas is too busy.”
“How long had you lived there?” Jackson loosened his grip on her arm and dropped it to hold her hand in his.
“I was born there.”
“What happened to change your mind about living there?” Marx didn’t attempt to touch her. She was relieved but a little disappointed as well.
“Why do you think something changed my mind? I just grew tired of the rat race. I wanted something more relaxing, and Perkins City seemed like a nice place when I drove through.”
“So you didn’t have a fight with a boyfriend or a falling out with a best friend and decide to start over?”
She jerked back from Jackson’s hand. Marx had gotten a little too close to the truth for her peace of mind. She looked over to where Ben was still talking to the other man and edged closer to him.
“I don’t think why I moved is any of your business. I simply wanted a change of scenery. If you’ll excuse me, I need to check in with Steve.” She slipped from between them and stopped by to ask Ben if he needed anything else to drink.
He gave her an understanding look when he noticed Marx and Jackson watching her. “No thanks. I’m fine. Are you okay?”
She nodded and continued walking toward where Steve was flipping burgers on the grill. She could feel the Callahans’ eyes following her as she escaped across the deck. Where were their submissives? Were they the sort of Doms who didn’t allow them out in public? That thought angered her. She wanted to tell them that they were pricks if they were like that. She knew what that was like, being kept under lock and key all the time.
Kelly drew in a deep breath and let it out. She shook it off and forced herself to calm down. She had no idea if they were like that or not, but it didn’t matter. It wasn’t any of her business, and she wasn’t in the life anymore. She had more than enough to worry about without taking on the Callahan brothers.
“There you are.” Steve wrapped an arm around her shoulders and handed her a plate full of cooked hamburger patties. “Take those over to the table and let everyone know the first batch is ready to eat.”
She carried the platter over to the nearest table and set it down. Even though she had met most of the people sitting there, Kelly wasn’t comfortable interrupting the flow of conversation. She jerked when someone touched her waist behind her.
“Looks like the burgers are ready, everyone.” Jackson’s hand squeezed her before letting go.
“They smell wonderful. Kelly, have a seat here with us.” Anna Tyler, one of the women at the table, gestured to the spot open next to her.
“I was hoping to get her to sit with us at the other table.” Jackson smiled down at her.
“Oh, um, thank you but I’m going to sit over here.” She quickly slipped from his grasp and settled next to Anna.
When she looked up, disappointment flashed across his face before he covered it with a wide grin. He nodded at them and walked over toward the grill.
“Looks like you’ve attracted the Callahans’ attention, Kelly.” Dixie passed the hamburger buns down the table.
“Since I’m not interested, it doesn’t really matter.” She stared down at her plate and hoped they would move on to another subject.
“Why not? I hear they are awesome Doms. Is it because they share?” Anna had an amused expression on her face.
“I’m just not interested in that sort of lifestyle.”
“You work at Heavy Trinkets and you’re not interested in BDSM? That’s not allowed is it?” Dixie teased.
“Come on, Kelly. It’s obvious you’re a submissive. My brother even said something about it when you started working at the shop.” Anna just shook her head.
“Who’s your brother, Anna? Have I met him?” Kelly looked around trying to place him.
“You’ve met him, but he isn’t here today. He had to work. His name is Troy.”
“Oh, he’s a doctor at the hospital. I remember him.” He had flirted with her the last time he’d made an appearance at the store. Thinking back, she could see the resemblance between him and Anna.
“So why are you denying what you are, Kelly?” Dixie wasn’t letting go of the subject.
“Look. I was in a relationship for several years, and when it ended, I just didn’t want that sort of life again. I’m happy like I am.”
As if realizing there was more to the story, Anna just nodded her head and gave her a speculative look before changing the subject. Kelly hoped that would be the end of it for good, but somehow she didn’t think so.
After everyone had eaten and the leftover food and condiments were put away, everyone headed to the pool. Kelly slipped off her sandals and dipped her feet into the cool water. A shadow fell across her from above. When she looked up, Jackson’s intense stare caught her eyes.
“Not swimming?”
“I don’t have a suit.”
He surprised her by slipping off his boots and pulling off his clothes right there in front of her. For a second, she thought he was going to strip down to nothing, but he was wearing swim trunks beneath his jeans. He sat down next to her and dropped his feet into the water as well. His leg was so close that she could feel the hair on his thighs brush against her smoothly shaved ones.
Kelly kept her eyes forward watching the action in the pool. Several of the guests were already playing keep away from each other using a beach ball. She felt someone else walk up behind her and knew without turning to look that it would be Marx. Why she found herself to be so in tune with them, she didn’t know. It was unnerving how aware of them she was.
She couldn’t prevent a small shiver when the other man plopped down next to her, wearing identical trunks to his brother. Caught between the two of them, she had no way to calm her runaway heartbeat. It pounded in her chest to the point of affecting her breathing. She needed to get away from them, but how to do it without appearing rude? They were good customers of Steve’s place. Kelly didn’t want to cause a scene.
“Why are you so jumpy around us, kitten?” Jackson’s smooth voice added another round of shivers to her spine.
“I’m not jumpy. I just do
n’t know you very well. And don’t call me ‘kitten.’”
“We’d like to remedy that.” Marx spoke next in his deep voice, surprising her. He didn’t talk much.
“Are you afraid of us? I’m sure Steve or really anyone around here will vouch for us.”
She risked a quick glance at Jackson’s face. He looked completely serious. Was he talking about getting to know her as a Dom? She fought back the panic that he was serious. Why had she chosen a town so heavy into the scene?
Because I didn’t want to feel all alone somewhere and thought maybe one day I would want back in.
Now she was second-guessing her decision. Putting herself in the same room with a bunch of Doms was asking for trouble, and she knew it. How long before she could safely say her good-byes and escape?
“You look like you’re trying to figure out how soon you can bolt. Don’t leave because of us. We’re not going to hurt you. We just want to talk—get to know you.”
Kelly continued to watch the games going on in the pool while her mind circled in turmoil. She couldn’t ignore the draw that existed between them, but she had to keep it under control. Just because she had once lived so deeply in a D/s relationship didn’t mean she had to always be in one. She could function without someone to tell her what to do and when all the time. Jackson and Marx were strong men. She had no doubt they would expect a sub to fully submit to them in all things. She wasn’t going to live as a slave again no matter how good-looking the Dom and how much her body might crave the freeing experience of giving over control. Maybe if she found a Dom who wasn’t so much into all the protocols and need for total control she would consider giving it another try. For now, she was content to be vanilla.
Right. Pretend you aren’t already craving the feel of a hand on your ass, Kelly. Just being around all those floggers at work has had you on edge for the last few weeks. You need it like you need your next breath.
Chapter Three
Marx watched the barrage of expressions that whipped across Kelly’s face. She was fighting something, and he was pretty damn sure it had to do with them. The fact that she had to fight gave him hope that it was attraction to them she was struggling with. They could work with any other problems she might have as long as she had any type of interest in them.
