Hero

by Julia Sykes

  “No, not really. That’s what you get for trying to boss me around.”

  “Watch your fingers, Dex,” he warned. “They’re dangerously close to those pearly whites. Despite all appearances, she’s surprisingly vicious.”

  I scoffed. “You make me sound like a wild animal.”

  He laughed. “The untamable submissive, in her natural habitat.”

  “You know I’m not really a sub,” I said as Dex’s hands left my face. I kept my attention on Jason to distract myself from the sudden sense of loss that tugged at my chest.

  “Right,” Jason said. “You’re just here for research.”

  “That’s right,” I agreed. “And what are you doing here? In New York, I mean.”

  “I had a job interview. Don’t think I’ll take it, though. I like Chicago. Dusk has the prettiest subs.” He tipped his head at me, his bright green eyes dancing.

  “Smooth,” I commented drily, not falling for his exaggerated charm.

  “Ouch,” he winced. “You know how to bruise a Dom’s ego. I can see you’ve already upset our poor friend Dex.”

  I looked to Dex to find him quickly smoothing away a frown. “Chloe didn’t upset me. We were having a serious conversation when you so rudely interrupted.”

  “Was I rude? I’m terribly sorry.” He kept smiling, obviously not sorry at all. “So, Chloe. What are you researching this time? What’s the new book about?”

  “It’s a ménage,” I said blithely. “So unless you’d like to put on a show for me, I doubt you’ll be much help.”

  “Kinky girl,” he said with approval. “That could be arranged. What do you say, Dex? It’ll be like old times.”

  My brows rose. “You two have done this before?” It had been clear from the beginning of the conversation that the two men knew one another, but the information that they’d had a threesome together was quite a revelation.

  Dex shrugged, his face oddly blank. “I told you I used to go to Dusk before I moved to New York.”

  “Dex and I shared once,” Jason supplied. “Haley, wasn’t it?”

  “Carmen,” Dex corrected.

  “That’s right. I knew it was a blonde.”

  “I’m glad it was so memorable for you,” I said pointedly. “It must have been quite a special experience.”

  Dex actually blushed. I stared at the rosy color on his cheeks, fascinated.

  “It’s been several years, and Dex and I aren’t exactly the monogamous types,” Jason said, distracting me.

  “How wonderful for you,” I commented.

  “Just because you write about people finding love through BDSM doesn’t mean all Doms are looking to find their One True Sub. Some of us like to play.” His green eyes glinted as they fixed on me. “Would you like to play, Chloe?”

  “Back off, Jason,” Dex warned. “She’s not interested.”

  A dark brow rose. “Isn’t she? I think that’s up to her to decide.” He looked at me expectantly. “We’ve played plenty of times. Why not tonight?”

  “I’m not feeling it,” I said, trying to ignore the erotic image that flashed across my mind: my body, trapped between Dex and Jason.

  Jason shrugged. “Okay. I won’t beg. I’m in town tomorrow night and then I’m going back to Chicago. Will I see you here again tomorrow? Maybe you’ll be feeling it then.” He winked.

  “I’ll be here,” I confirmed. I still had so much more research I wanted to get in, both with the FBI and at Decadence. “But right now I need to go talk to Sharon and Derek.” I spotted the couple at the bar and stood to join them. “I’ll see you in the morning, Dex,” I said absently, my mind already straying to the questions I’d stored up for Derek.

  “Yeah,” I heard him answer as I walked away.

  Placing Dex at the back of my mind, I moved on to my interview with Derek Carter.

  8

  Dex

  “She’s a slippery minx,” Jason remarked as he watched Chloe walk away. “And I don’t mean that in a she’s so wet kind of way.”

  I frowned at him. I didn’t like him talking about her like that. Couldn’t he see that Chloe was a sensitive woman beneath all her flippancy and fire?

  “Oh, come on.” Jason rolled his eyes. “Are you going to ruin my fun, too? No, thanks. I’m going to enjoy the rest of my time in New York.” His head canted to the side, some of his shaggy black hair falling across his eyes as he studied me. “I know you’ve always been reserved, but you’ve become downright miserable since you moved here. You used to know how to have fun.”

  “I still have plenty of fun,” I said coolly. “But I think I’ve had enough for tonight. I’m going home.”

  His brows rose with incredulity. “You’re leaving? The party’s barely getting started. Come on. I think Chloe has the right idea with this whole ménage thing. Let’s find a play partner. You look like you could use a pick-me-up.”

  “Thanks for your concern, but I’m not up for it tonight. I had a long day.”

  “All the more reason to fuck away your worries.”

  I’d done enough of that to last me a lifetime. It had long ago begun to feel hollow. If anything, empty, meaningless fucking only added to my depression.

  My eyes strayed to Chloe where she leaned on the bar, speaking animatedly with Derek and Sharon. My scene with her hadn’t been empty. Earning her submission had captured my full attention.

  And then left me sexually frustrated and tormented with thoughts of Katie.

  I tore my gaze from Chloe. It was time to go.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I told Jason.

  “So you’ll be back?”

  “I always am.”

  “Excellent. See you later, man.”

  I gave him a brusque nod and made my way toward the exit. I’d go home and lose myself in one of my games. I’d play with my friend Sam over team-speak. Talking to her about gaming always provided a great distraction. I found solace in losing myself in a fantasy world, and Sam was a pleasant companion in my online adventures.

  My mind made up, I resolutely kept my eyes from finding Chloe before I left. I’d see her at the field office in the morning.

  Still, I couldn’t keep my thoughts from straying back to her. After seeing how shaken she’d been following her conversation with Stewart, I was more certain than ever that she’d been abused. I’d do whatever she needed to make her feel safe and happy when she was with me. The last thing I wanted was for her dark eyes to fill with fear when she looked up at me.

  I’d prove that I was worthy of her trust. I’d protect her for as long as she was with me. That was all that mattered.

  The next day on the job was mercifully quiet. While I might have been bored with such an uneventful shift, I found that the hours passed quickly with Chloe. The dark mood that had plagued her the day before seemed to have lifted, and she practically glowed with excitement as she peppered me with questions about my job.

  I smiled to myself as I entered Decadence, reflecting on our day as I handed my leather jacket to the woman at the coat check. It was nice seeing Chloe happy. She was a passionate, intelligent woman. Her work obviously brought her a lot of joy and satisfaction.

  My eyes instantly caught on her when I stepped into the club. She sat on one of the red leather couches across from the bar. And Jason was sitting beside her, giving her his signature cocky smile. She returned it, her grin a touch teasing.

  I didn’t like how she flirted with him. They might have shared scenes in the past, but I was sure that he didn’t truly understand her needs. I’d be damned if I allowed him to talk her into a scene tonight. Not on my watch.

  “Dex,” Jason said my name jovially when he noticed my approach. “I was just talking to our lovely friend about ménage. She’s very curious.”

  Chloe glanced up at me, then quickly dropped her eyes. A lovely pink shade colored her cheeks.

  “So, what do you say, Chloe? Are you feeling it tonight?”

  Her features pinched with confusion. �
�Feeling what?”

  “A threesome,” he supplied, gesturing to me. “I’m sure our rather large mutual friend would be happy to help.”

  “Jason,” I said sharply, on the verge of telling him to back off. Then I saw Chloe’s red face, noticed the way she shot me another furtive look. She shifted on her seat, crossing and uncrossing her legs.

  She was demonstrating classic signs of arousal. I watched her, fascinated.

  “You see? You are feeling it,” Jason said with triumph. “I’ll teach you all about being with two Doms. It doesn’t have to be Dex. I’m sure someone else would be more than happy—”

  “If Chloe wants a ménage experience, I’m going to be involved,” I cut across him before I could really think about what I was saying. Her wide brown eyes fixed on me. Her full red lips were parted, and her pulse jumped at her throat.

  Definitely aroused.

  “Jason is optional,” I declared.

  “Wait a minute,” she gasped out. “I didn’t say I want to be part of a threesome scene.”

  “Don’t you?” Jason teased. “Your kinky little mind cooked up that particular fantasy for your book, didn’t it? You can’t tell me you’re not at least interested.”

  Her face shuttered. “I’m not at all interested in having sex.”

  “Back off, Jason,” I warned. He didn’t understand Chloe like I did. Even though I hadn’t known her very long, I’d glimpsed her secret pain. Jason was obviously clueless about her fears.

  “Stop being such a stick in the mud, Dex.” He rolled his eyes before returning his attention to Chloe. “We don’t have to fuck. You and I have had scenes before, and I didn’t fuck you, did I? This won’t be any different.”

  “So, what?” she asked blankly. “You’re both going to take turns flogging me?”

  “Give us some points for creativity, Chloe. We can come up with something much more interesting than that.”

  “She said no,” I told him, my voice hard.

  “I didn’t say no,” she insisted, her dark eyes regarding Jason with interest. “What would you do? I want to hear it.”

  His perpetual smile turned sly. “I don’t think so. You want me to give you the material you need for your book. Well, no spoilers, sweetheart. You can find out my perverted plan as an active participant, or not at all.”

  Her expression turned frosty. “I don’t care if most subs worship it, I’m not interested in your cock, Jason.”

  His smile stayed firmly in place. “Hands and toys it is, then. You heard the lady, Dex. No cocks allowed.”

  “She doesn’t want you to touch her,” I growled, remembering how skittish she’d been around me. She’d only allowed me to use my hands on her for the bare minimum requirements of setting up the scene we’d shared. Otherwise, I’d stimulated her with the crop.

  Finally, he frowned. “I’ve touched you before,” he addressed her. “You didn’t seem to mind.”

  Something white-hot knifed through my gut. She’d let him put his hands on her, but she hadn’t wanted me to?

  I looked to her and found her blushing even more deeply. She caught my eye and quickly glanced away.

  “I didn’t mind,” she murmured. “I don’t.”

  “And Dex was Topping you yesterday,” Jason added. “I saw him. He was touching your face, and it didn’t seem to bother you. You didn’t even try to bite him.”

  “This isn’t a joke,” I said hotly, still watching Chloe. I couldn’t puzzle out what was going on in her head. She seemed embarrassed. But why? Because Jason was talking so candidly about their intimate scenes? Or because she was uncomfortable with the prospect of my hands on her and didn’t want to say so out loud?

  “Well, it doesn’t have to be so damn serious,” Jason countered. “Honestly, Chloe, I just want to make you feel good. You set the rules, like always. Let’s have a little fun.”

  Like always. Well, that explained her bossiness when dictating the terms of our cropping scene. Apparently, she was accustomed to telling Doms what to do to her. Maybe the experience we’d shared truly was her first time fully submitting. Pride heated my chest at the thought. Jason had never mastered her, but I had.

  I reached out and wrapped my fingers around her small hand. Her chocolate eyes found mine, wide and uncertain.

  “Tell me what you want, princess.” I issued a gentle command. “If you want to try a scene with both of us, I’ll make it happen. We won’t touch you any more than you’re comfortable with. But if you want Jason to fuck off, I can make that happen, too.”

  “There’s no need for that, Dex. I’m a lover, not a fighter,” he declared flippantly.

  I didn’t bother to call him out on the lie. Jason was a damn good agent, and he could be deadly with his bare hands, if necessary.

  I kept Chloe locked in my gaze, waiting for her decision. Jason might be acting like this was just another kinky game, but I knew it was more than that for her. She’d be putting herself on the line, making herself vulnerable again.

  “You can trust me, remember?” I reminded her. She didn’t need to be frightened, not when I was with her.

  “I know I can,” she said softly.

  “If we do this, we will need to touch you. Both of us. But only with our hands. Are you comfortable with that?”

  “I…” She wet her lips with her tongue. I stared at her sensual mouth, transfixed.

  “I can do that,” she finally said, her voice still soft and breathy. “You can touch me.”

  “Your permission isn’t enough,” I told her. “Tell me you want it. Tell me you want me to touch you.”

  “I want you to touch me, Sir.”

  Jason let out a low whistle, ruining the intimate moment. “I’ve never seen subbie Chloe before,” he remarked. “This is going to be fun.”

  I shot him an annoyed glare. Chloe shook herself slightly and edged away from me, turning a falsely bright smile on Jason.

  “I’m sure it will be,” she said, all flippant sweetness and no submission. The confident, distant woman was back, hiding the softness at her core.

  I steeled myself for the challenge ahead. Jason was wrong; this wasn’t a game, it was a battle of wills. One that Chloe desperately needed to lose, if only she would let herself. She’d been so beautiful in her submission, so free. I’d make sure she reached that state again. She needed release. I wanted to give that to her, especially after I’d been the cause of her distress and emotional distance. I wouldn’t make the mistake of frightening her with my arousal again. This scene was about earning her trust as well as her submission.

  And the first step to achieve my goals was to keep her focused on me rather than Jason. He didn’t know how to handle her properly. He was arrogant, accustomed to women falling all over him because of his good looks and confident bearing. He was a good Dom, but he didn’t bother to see past the surface level of his play partners. It was all about fun for him. He hadn’t been lying when he told Chloe he wasn’t interested in finding a sub of his own.

  I don’t want that, either, a small, cruel part of my mind reminded me. Katie had been the one for me, and I’d lost her. There would never be anyone else.

  Go to work. Do some good. Go to Decadence. Fuck someone.

  My mantra was off, this time. I was at Decadence, but I had no intention of fucking anyone. I could, however, do some good. I was going to help Chloe. I’d find fulfillment in that.

  My mind made up, I decided not to waste any more time. I grasped Chloe’s corseted waist and stood, pulling her up into a fireman’s lift.

  “Hey!” she protested. “Put me down. I can walk.”

  I smacked her upper thigh where her black tutu skirt had ridden up, exposing the lower curve of her ass.

  “You don’t get to make demands, princess,” I informed her. “You’ve agreed to the scene. You have your safe word if you need it.”

  “Damn, Dex,” Jason said. “I didn’t know you could be such a hard-ass.”

  I tried not to glower at hi
m. I’d indulged in plenty of threesomes, but I always joined a couple. I was always the second Top, an extra cock. Usually, I didn’t mind. All I cared about was the physical pleasure of fucking and the high I got from dominating a willing sub.

  But not this time. Jason didn’t truly understand Chloe, and I’d be damned if I let him take charge. She needed me to Top her. He was just along for the ride.

  “There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” I told him coolly. We might have worked together for three years and frequented the same BDSM club, but we’d never been close friends. I’d been too concerned with keeping my sex life and my professional life separate, so I’d kept him at arm’s length.

  “I guess we’ll get to know each other a lot better tonight.” He was still grinning.

  I suppressed a sigh. I supposed it didn’t matter if Jason was just in this for a thrill. So long as he didn’t try to take control from me, I’d let him play with Chloe.

  “Let’s go see which private rooms are available,” I said, asserting dominance with the subtle command.

  “I think a spanking bench would be appropriate,” Jason remarked as he fell into step beside me. I nodded my agreement, content with the fact that he’d made it a suggestion rather than a demand.

  It only took a few minutes to get through the bar, around the dance floor, and back to the corridor that led to the private rooms. Luckily, one that contained a spanking bench was open. Suddenly, I couldn’t stop thinking about the scene in Chloe’s book, the one with the submissive bound to the spanking bench while her Dom tormented her with pleasure and pain. That fantasy had come from Chloe’s mind. I’d help make it a reality.

  I shifted her body, carefully setting her down on her strappy black high heels. Jason stepped behind her, crowding her between the two of us. Her breath caught, her eyes darkened.

  “Hold her,” I commanded.

  Jason’s grin turned savage as he caught her upper arms and pulled them back, making her arch toward me. Her cleavage strained against her corset. I brushed my fingertips along the upper swells of her breasts before pressing my palm against her heated skin, relishing the way her heart fluttered beneath my touch.