by Shelly Bell
He quickly glanced down at his wedding ring, sadness etched in the thin lines around his mouth and eyes. “Yes. All but one room . . .” He shook his head as if shaking away the memories.
He brought them into a hallway. To their right, two wooden chairs were perched along the plain white wall. A large curtained window covered most of the left wall and just past it was a door with another digital combination lock.
“This is one of the fantasy rooms. You can tell it’s in use by the red light above the door,” Jax explained. “But the occupants didn’t want to be watched, and so they closed the drapes. There’s also audio . . .” He pushed a button that was on a metal box below the window. Nothing happened. “They left the sound off. Not everyone here is an exhibitionist.”
Was she? His gaze settled on her clamped breasts, answering the question for her.
But she’d done it for Jax. Not for the attention. How did that make her an exhibitionist?
“Let’s see what the next room has to offer,” he said, taking her hand. They strolled through the hallway and into the next viewing area as casually as if they were walking through the park.
This window wasn’t covered.
And the room was in use.
“Jackpot.” Jax pulled her in front of him, banded his arm under her breasts, and yanked her back into his solid body. His other hand curled around the front of her throat.
Her shallow breathing grew rapid as she witnessed the three naked lovers—two men and one woman—kneeling on a bed of red sheets.
The lovers weren’t hard-bodied or young. They looked like the average middle-aged person you’d see in the mall, or at the dentist, or in the house next door. A few wrinkles, cellulite on the thighs, and thinning hair.
On either side of the woman, the men kissed each other passionately while they stroked her small breasts. The woman’s head tipped back in utter abandon, and each man bent to take one nipple between his lips.
But it was Kate who experienced the pull of their mouths on her breasts. It was Kate who moaned at the sensation of two sets of glistening lips sucking . . . two wet tongues laving . . . two sets of teeth scraping her beaded nipples.
Jaxon tightened his grip on her, and his warm breath caressed the shell of her ear. “This arouses you.”
Kate’s heart galloped. Although he hadn’t phrased it as a question, she felt compelled to answer. “Yes.”
The threesome on display shifted positions. One man moved to recline on his back and palmed his large erection, beckoning the woman. Without even a bit of apprehension, the woman hovered over his penis and sank down, taking the entire length. The other man moved behind her, a small tube in his hand.
“Is he . . .?” She choked on the words, her throat dry.
Was it possible?
Jaxon quietly chuckled. “Watch. Let go of everything you thought you knew and allow yourself to feel.”
The man squeezed liquid from the tube into the palm of his hand and slicked it over his penis. The woman peered over her shoulder at him and then leaned all the way forward. He added more liquid to his fingers and pressed two of them inside the woman’s backside.
“He’s stretching her like I did to you earlier. He’s preparing her to take him.”
A rush of air was released from her lungs when the man’s cock replaced his fingers. “Does it hurt to take two men at once?”
He yanked on one of her clamps, awakening the nerves. “Not if it’s done right. The pleasure should outweigh the discomfort.”
She grew slick between her thighs. “Have you ever . . .?”
“I’ve had ménages with Alyssa and another woman as well as Alyssa and another man. But unlike the men we’re watching, there was no sexual contact between us.” He tugged the other clamp and bit her earlobe. “Have you ever had more than one man make love to you at the same time?”
Her pussy contracted at the thought. “No.”
“But you’re curious about it.”
“Yes,” she answered, before she could stop it.
“You’ll have to stay curious because I’ll never share you.”
She shuddered. “I thought it would be dirty. But those three . . . it’s beautiful. As if they really care for each other.”
“They do. They’ve been partners for ten years and have two children. They come here only because they’re also exhibitionists, and so they indulge in it every now and then at the club. After, they go home, pay their babysitter, and sleep together as a family.”
She continued to watch the trio, mesmerized by their frenzied thrusts. Jaxon reached in front of her and pushed the audio button, and the lovers’ cries filled the room.
Rocking her ass into Jax, she moaned, adding her own voice to the symphony of lovers. “Please. I need you.”
Bending forward, she rested her forehead on the cool window. Jax’s hands left her body, and she heard the sound of a zipper followed by the ripping of a wrapper.
His hand returned to her throat and the other hiked up her skirt. He removed the clip on her clit as he thrust into her soaked channel. He fucked her fast and hard. Wild. Uncontrolled.
She hovered on the precipice of climax as a result of their foreplay. “I’m going to come, Jax.”
His hand slid down her throat. “Yes, Katerina. Come now.” He released a nipple clamp.
A surge of pain in her nipple had her howling, and a tsunami-sized orgasm crashed into her, dragging her into the stormy sea. On and on it went and so did Jax, pounding into her.
“I feel your cunt squeezing my dick. It’s so good, my Katerina. All for me. You’re all for me.” He groaned his release and, at the same time, pulled the other clamp from her nipple, inciting another wave of contractions deep inside her.
She slumped, her body finally sated after an hour of torture.
The lovers had also climaxed and were now tangled together on the bed, kissing and petting.
A feminine sigh sounded from the door she and Jax had entered.
And that’s when Kate realized . . .
They were not alone.
Chapter Eight
KATE WHIPPED HER head toward the door. A muscular, gray-haired man in black leather pants and a leather vest held the leash to a young, blond woman dressed as a cat in leopard-printed bra and panties. Black leather covered her human ears, transforming them into the triangle-shaped ears of a cat. A long tail protruded from her rear. The leash connected to a D-ring in the center of her collar.
Both strangers stared blatantly at her and Jax, lust in their eyes. Burgeoning arousal swirled low in Kate’s pelvis.
They’d watched.
She jerked back, bumping into Jax, and he steadied her with hands to her waist. He tugged down her skirt to cover her bikini area, but left her corset below her nipples. Her hands flew to her mask, and she breathed easier knowing it remained in place.
The strangers proceeded farther into the room. “Jaxon, I was so sorry to hear about Alyssa. She’ll be terribly missed by the community.”
“Thank you,” Jax said, dropping the used condom in the trash and zipping his pants. “I’m sorry. Do I know you?”
“Oh, that’s right. We’ve never formally met. Although from our e-mails, I feel as though I know you quite intimately. I’m Eric Graham and this is my kitten, Eve.”
Kitten?
Jax nodded at Eve and pulled Kate into his side, placing a reassuring hand on her back. “It’s nice to meet you both. This is my submissive-in-training, Katerina.”
Eric’s fingers trailed down Eve’s arm. “She’s very beautiful. Isn’t that right, Kitten?”
Eve purred. “Yes, Master Graham. Can I taste her?”
Kate froze. Jax said he wouldn’t share her. Did other women count?
With her blond hair and sparkling green eyes, there was no doubting Eve was a beautiful woman, but the idea of a woman, any woman, touching her sexually soured her stomach.
“Kitten, that’s up to her Master.” Master Graham spoke directly to Ja
x. “I don’t usually bring her to the club, but she earned a special treat for her excellent behavior this past month. We were on our way to the Freeway, but if you’d permit it, Kitten would like to lick your sub’s cream.”
Eve smiled at her. “I can smell it from here. Sweet.”
Jax tightened his grip on her. “I’m sorry. I don’t share Katerina.”
A pout replaced Eve’s smile. Master Graham patted her on her back. “Now, Kitten, every sub has her hard limits. Just because you got to play with Alyssa—”
Jax’s spine grew rigid. “Alyssa? She played with Alyssa? When?”
Master Graham’s face scrunched with confusion. “When Alyssa came to stay with us. The weekend you arranged for her.”
“You must be mistaken.” Jax’s hand dropped from her skin to touch his wedding ring. “I didn’t arrange anything for my wife.”
“You must have. The e-mails were signed with your name. Are you telling me you didn’t board Alyssa at my home six months ago?”
“That’s precisely what I’m saying,” Jax said, his hand slipping from the ring to clench into a fist.
If Jax hadn’t sent the e-mails, who had? Alyssa? Or had it been the elusive “Master” Mistress Casey had mentioned?
Master Graham removed the leash from Eve’s collar. “Kitten, dear, why don’t you head to the Freeway? I’ll come get you in a little bit.”
The blond bounced on her toes. “Yes, Master.” She skipped across the room, her tail wagging behind her.
Now Kate could see that the tail wasn’t attached to her panties, as Kate had assumed, but to the thick, black butt plug in her ass.
Ouch.
When the door closed, Jax and Master Graham sat on the chairs. Jax pointed to the floor. She kneeled beside him, her hands clasped behind her back. A thousand questions raced in her mind. Would he give her permission to speak?
Jax palmed the back of her neck. The subtle touch was all she needed to reassure her. “Eric, I promise, I never sent a single e-mail to you. You said someone pretending to be me set up a weekend at your home?”
“Yes. The e-mails said you were going out of town and wished to board her with me for a weekend. She spent most of the time in her cage with Eve, cuddling and playing,” he said in a reminiscent tone.
Jax scowled. “Did you fuck my wife?”
Master Graham placed a hand on his chest. “Of course not. I don’t have sex with my kittens.”
Before she could stop herself, she asked, “Then why do you keep them?” Her submissive and lawyer parts warred with one another. She wasn’t supposed to speak without Jax’s permission, but she couldn’t keep her mouth shut either. In a compromise, she kept her gaze on the floor.
From the corner of her eye, she caught Master Graham looking at Jax for permission to answer her question and Jax nodding. “I give them a home. Safety. Food. They wish to live their lives as pets, and I provide them the means to do so. My wife and I enjoy watching our kittens frolic. It brings us pleasure.”
“Do you still have the e-mails?” she asked.
“I’m sure I can find them,” he said.
“Could you please forward them to me? I’ll leave my e-mail at the front desk.”
“Of course,” Eric replied. “I should tell you, Alyssa did spend a considerable amount of time here with a sadist by the name of Anthony Rinaldi.”
“The mobster?” Jax asked. “I wasn’t aware he was a member.”
“He and I don’t run in the same circles, but I’ve heard rumblings that he has a difficult time honoring his masochists’ limits. The few times he’s gotten caught going too far, he’s claimed not to have heard the safe word, and, unfortunately, his masochists back him up. None of this occurred at Benediction, but Master Cole agreed to allow Rinaldi membership only on the condition that he’d be monitored at all times.”
What kind of bastard would ignore a safe word? Someone who’d find pleasure in killing?
“I’ll have my legal team look into it,” Jax said grimly.
Master Graham stood. “I should check that Kitten made it safely to the Freeway.”
“What is the Freeway?” she asked, her curiosity too great to remain quiet. What did it matter at this point? She’d already broken one of Jax’s rules.
“The Freeway is a room where anything goes,” Master Eric said dreamily. “The space remains dark. Each participant wears a glow-in-the-dark mask. There’s also a lit basket on a table with condoms and lubes. You don’t know who is touching you. Man, woman . . . you open yourself up to a world of possibilities. The Freeway erases mental roadblocks, allowing you to experience arousal without societal constraints.”
Kate shivered. Despite her head telling her an orgy was wrong, her body disagreed, her nipples pebbling and hot arousal dripping down her slit.
Had Jax and Alyssa ever participated? She couldn’t imagine a possessive Jax enjoying anyone touching what he considered to be his. Is that the room he’d alluded to earlier?
When Master Eric left to find his kitten, Jax pulled her onto his lap. “You broke protocol again. You know what that means?”
She shook her head. Would he fire her as his submissive?
“Punishment,” he said. “Tell me what you did wrong.”
“I spoke without permission. I’m sorry, Jax—”
He pressed his fingertips to her lips. “When we’re at Benediction or in a scene, I expect you to remain quiet. You should have asked me for permission before questioning Eric. Good thing I introduced you as my sub-in-training or you would’ve completely blown your cover. Now pull up your skirt and bend forward, placing your hands on the wall in front of you for support.”
He couldn’t be serious. He was going to spank her as her punishment? If he spanked her each time she did something wrong, she’d break the rules every chance she got.
She moved into position and waited for the heat of his hands on her ass.
“I’m going to give you five.”
The sound of his hand smacking her ass resounded in the small room. Unlike the earlier spanking, he didn’t warm her up. Didn’t rub the area. Didn’t attempt to arouse her. Just hit her five times in succession, leaving both her butt and her pride sore.
When it was over, he tugged down her skirt and turned her. “I’m proud of you. Proud you took your punishment without complaint. And proud the woman inside of you cared enough to risk punishment in order to ask the questions that needed asking.”
The scent of pine enveloped her as he cupped her face in his palms and kissed her, his lips soft and warm. The kiss was slow. Indulgent. Controlled. But no less passionate than their earlier frantic coupling. His kiss and careful touch reassured her that she hadn’t disappointed him in breaking protocol. If she had to break the rules again, she would.
For Jax.
Anything for Jax.
And that scared her more than any punishment ever would.
Chapter Nine
Ten Days to Elections . . .
SITTING AT HER cubicle, Kate sipped her store-bought cappuccino, grateful for once that she didn’t have to drink the firm’s sludge. Except for a few junior associates trying to impress the partners by working on a Saturday, the office was empty.
Nick had brought her to work, and they’d met with Jaxon over fresh coffee and crullers. They relayed what they’d learned last night from Mistress Casey and Eric Graham about Alyssa’s mysterious “Master.” Following their strongest lead yet, Jaxon had left a message for Master Cole to have Anthony Rinaldi call Kate to set up a session with him. Apparently, the man was into electricity. Hopefully, she’d be able to ask her questions before he did whatever sadistic electrical play entailed.
After, they watched a recording of Nick on the news debating the legal definition of consent. He’d vigorously advocated for Jaxon and championed the rights of people who lived alternative sexual lifestyles against a religious leader, a social worker representing a local domestic violence shelter, District Attorney Ronald Savag
e, and his opposition for DA, Mason Ford. Despite his best efforts, in one fashion or another, all the other guests agreed a woman could never consent to a “harmful touching” and charges should be brought against Jaxon for battery. Of course they sidestepped the issue raised by Nick as to whether a man could consent.
Kate was in awe of Nick’s gift of the spoken word and the passion he exuded. In the last few days, her attraction to him hadn’t waivered, even as her feelings for Jax took root.
It wasn’t easy to pretend that she didn’t want to strip Jaxon naked and screw on top of the conference room table. The way his gaze burned into her as she spoke about Benediction had her squirming in her chair. So far, Nick hadn’t noticed the sexual tension between her and Jax, but how long until he did? What would he do?
Too wound up from Benediction, she hadn’t slept more than two hours before the alarm woke her. Her dreams were filled with erotic images of her and Jax making love in a room packed with voyeurs.
Even now, her body remained primed and ready for him. Every time she sat on her bruised backside or the silky fabric of her bra brushed against her tender nipples, she was reminded of yesterday. Her pussy had flooded the moment she’d seen him waiting for her and Nick in the firm’s lobby.
Not exactly conducive for staying in a professional state of mind and terribly inappropriate since in an hour she’d accompany him to Alyssa’s funeral.
Thank goodness Nick had given her the assignment of checking the popular fetish website to see if Alyssa had listed a profile. If the Anthony Rinaldi lead didn’t pan out, they’d have to consider the possibility that Alyssa’s murderer didn’t have any connection to Benediction. But after thirty minutes, she hadn’t found any profile matching both Alyssa’s physical description and pain requirements.
She checked her work e-mail and read over the messages forwarded by Eric Graham. Sure enough, they were signed with Jaxon’s name. None of the e-mails provided much information, but she printed them out to show to Jaxon and Nick. Maybe they’d pick up something she missed.
With a few minutes of free time, she finished her coffee and clicked open her personal e-mail account. Her friend Caden had sent her a message asking for her date of graduation so he could make arrangements to come down for a visit. It instantly put a smile on her face.
