by Jan Bowles
“Where’s your TV, Peaches?” He pointed to the empty space.
“The debt collectors took it away.”
His brows drew together. “How come? You girls make a decent amount of money at the club.”
Zoë folded her arms defensively across her chest. “My boyfriend.” She quickly corrected herself. “I mean my ex-boyfriend”—her words were spat out with undiluted venom—“owed a lot of money to some very undesirable people. He had a habit, a drug habit. When I kicked him out, he emptied my bank account. At one time I thought we were gonna get married, so I gave him my pin number. I trusted the bastard, and he took the lot. Thirty thousand dollars. It was money I’d saved from dancing at Les Belles. Goddamn, I’d been saving for years, too. We were gonna buy a house somewhere nice together. The hope of a better life was the only thing that made working at that Godforsaken club worthwhile.”
Hunter just stared at her, and she knew he was assessing the situation. Before he could say anything, she added bitterly, “I don’t need help from anyone. I can manage my own life.”
“Like hell, you can.” His voice was deep and uncompromising. “Some lowlife junkie piece of shit takes you for every cent you have, and you think you can look after yourself. Well I don’t think you can.” He looked around her crummy apartment. “A woman like you shouldn’t have to live like this.”
Zoë took a step backward, away from Hunter. She didn’t want to see the look of pity mixed with anger in his eyes. He made her feel like a gullible idiot. A poor, defenseless woman who needed his help to put her life in order.
Desperate to explain, she blurted out, “Look, it’s not what you think. When Mike and I first met, he was a really lovely guy. He had a job and paid his way. It was only after he became unemployed that he started drinking heavily. Shortly after that, he became dependent on cocaine and heroin, too.”
“So how much do you owe?”
“None of your business. I wish I hadn’t allowed you to bring me home.”
“Why?”
“Because…” Zoë shrugged. “Because you make me feel like I need protecting from myself.”
“You do.”
“Maybe.” Zoë looked around her apartment, perhaps seeing it properly for the first time. No warmth or well-being permeated its walls or furnishings. It felt exactly like St. Mark’s, her home for ten years as a child.
A deep sadness washed over her. “We didn’t have a proper childhood, did we, Hunter? I don’t know how a normal family functions. What is a proper home supposed to look like? Is it supposed to look like the pictures in a glossy magazine? I’ve no idea. Just like I’ve no idea how a real family celebrates Christmas. They didn’t teach us that at the care home, did they?”
“No, they just looked after the basics. There was no love or compassion. Just rules and regulations.” Hunter moved across to her. He held out his arms, and she melted into his embrace. He felt wonderful as his strong arms wrapped around her and held her close. He was so tall, and broad, too, she could barely wrap her arms around him. Her cheek nestled against his impressive chest, and she breathed in his wonderful masculine aroma—a combination of aftershave and Alpha male pheromones.
“I guess St. Mark’s didn’t prepare us for adulthood, Peaches. We were institutionalized from an early age. When I left, I was completely on my own, and totally lost in the real world. That’s why I joined the Marines.” He tenderly kissed her forehead. “Yet another institution for lost souls.”
He cupped her chin and angled her face to his. His blue eyes seemed to search her soul, checking it for vulnerability. Did he know how lost and lonely she felt? He smiled and focused on her lips before kissing her. A light caress full of promise, but equally full of reserve. She knew he wanted to deepen the kiss, by the long, slow breath he released. Instead, he pulled away and drifted his fingers through her short hair. “This hairstyle makes you look real cute.”
“Thanks, I thought it made me look younger, and I need all the help I can get at the club.”
“Yeah, I guess the work slows down as you get older.”
“Guys like young flesh. It’s been a fact of life since the dawn of time.”
“So what will you do, when the work finally dries up?”
“I don’t know.”
“Listen, Peaches, I’ve an idea. Why don’t you give up your job, and fly back to Boston with me?” When she opened her mouth to protest, he put a finger to her lips. “No, hear me out first will you? I’ve done pretty well financially. I have my own house, with several spare bedrooms. As an Air Marshal, I’m away from home much of the time. I’d like you to move in with me, and start a life away from all this. Away from Les Belles.”
Had Hunter asked her to live with him? It sounded too good to be true. “And what would you expect in return?”
“Nothing. My sexual preferences are probably not the same as yours.”
A sudden thought occurred to her. “Are you gay? Not that there’s anything wrong with being gay. That’s if you are.” She swallowed hard as her voice faded away entirely. Hunter gay? All those lovely muscles wasted on a man who wasn’t attracted to women. It didn’t bear thinking about.
It was a relief when Hunter roared with laughter. “Gay? Far from it. I just like my sex a little hotter than most.”
“How hot? Not that we’d be fuck buddies.”
“Very hot. I practice a D/s lifestyle back in Boston. As you’ve probably already noticed, I enjoy being in charge, and oh, yeah, what you’re thinking is right. I like my women to be submissive.”
The thought of a beautiful, sexy man like Hunter Black administering a little punishment to her bare ass turned her on. Although, she knew things could easily go wrong with that type of lifestyle. “Oh, I know all about BDSM. Mike was into that, and look what happened.” She showed him her wrists. With the bracelets removed, the unsightly bruises were clear to see.
He held her hands tenderly in his, and smoothed his thumbs over the damaged skin. She saw anger in his eyes. “This ex-boyfriend of yours is a complete jerk. I’d kick the crap out of him if he were here now. This shouldn’t happen if you know what you’re doing.”
“And I suppose you do?”
“Too right I do. The club I belong to wouldn’t allow that to happen. At Club Submission, behavior like that is not tolerated. It’s called abuse.”
“Club Submission?” It sounded intriguing. “So what goes on there?”
“Anything and everything, so long as it’s between consensual adults. It’s not a place for the fainthearted or the easily offended. I’m a good friend of the owners, Matthew and Ethan. I’m sure they’d find you a job, that’s if you wanted one.”
“Doing what?” Zoë had to admit she was sorely tempted. She was a single woman. There was nothing keeping her in Pittsburgh.
“I know they’re short staffed on the bar. It might not be glamorous, but it’s well paid.”
“Why do you want to help?”
“When we first met you were barely eight years old. You were just a vulnerable, frightened little girl. Now you’re a frightened, vulnerable woman. I can’t leave you here. We share a connection. We always have.”
“But you didn’t bother for fourteen years, Hunter. Why the sudden change of heart?”
“I always hoped you were happily married with a family of your own, Zoë. I wanted to believe that you were living the American Dream. I wanted to believe that you had it all—a loving husband, beautiful children. You know the sort of shit—the house with the white picket fence. That’s what I wanted to believe anyway.”
“Yeah, you and me both, Hunter. So what can I say? Sometimes life really sucks.”
Chapter Four
The next day
“My God, Hunter. Is that your home?” Openmouthed, Zoë pointed to the large brick built house, as his Cherokee swept up the drive. “Didn’t the St. Mark’s boy do well.”
Hunter smiled. “Zoë, don’t forget I spent ten years in the Marines. I managed to sav
e a fair bit. I guess I made a few shrewd investments along the way, too. Plus my job as an Air Marshal pays well.”
It had been hard to convince Zoë to return to Boston with him, but in the end she’d hesitantly agreed. As soon as he’d seen her seedy apartment in a rundown area of Pittsburgh, he’d felt obliged to help out. He’d practically seethed with rage at the way she’d been treated by her ex. If the guy had turned up while he was there, he’d have sent the prick into the next world.
Once Zoë had finally made the decision to leave with him, she’d become enthused and animated. Her natural high was infectious, and even Hunter, who rarely smiled, couldn’t stop grinning. From then on it had been a frantic scramble to pack everything. Luckily, he’d managed to arrange a moving company at short notice. In the space of just two hours, they’d packed nearly all her belongings, and were sending them on by freight.
As for their relationship and what would develop, who knew? Some might say he was a fool bringing her home, and perhaps he was. If he were to bring a woman back to the house as he occasionally had in the past, she would seriously cramp his style. Nevertheless, he instinctively knew that Zoë was the missing piece of his jigsaw. Somehow, when he was with her, he felt whole again, and he hadn’t felt like that in a long, long time. She was part of his past, and maybe, just maybe, she could become part of his future. Whatever happened, he couldn’t beat himself up over it, because this time, he hadn’t left her to fend for herself. Now he had peace of mind, and that was priceless.
He squeezed her hand. “Jump out, and I’ll show you around.”
“I can’t wait. You’ve done so well for yourself, Hunter. I’m real proud of you.”
After sliding from the driver’s seat, he walked around the car and opened the passenger door for his new lady.
Hunter placed his arm protectively around her shoulder, and guided her to the door. “I’ll show you the downstairs first, and then your room. Most probably you’ll want to catch up on all that sleep you’ve missed.”
“Are you kidding? I’m so excited. I don’t think I’ll sleep for a week.”
Once inside, Hunter picked up a stray sock that he’d left discarded on the floor. As a single guy, he hoped there was nothing else embarrassing left lying around. “As you can see I don’t exactly keep the place tidy.”
“You’re a man, so what’s new.” She joked. Zoë gasped with delight as she looked at the ceiling. “Oh, a chandelier. It’s so beautiful.”
He switched it on, enjoying her sexy little intake of breath. The sparkling lead crystals cast a wonderful light over the staircase, pooling right up to the galleried landing above. Zoë looked like a kid in a candy store, all wide-eyed and happy.
Hunter took hold of her hand, and teased. “Typical woman, far too interested in soft furnishings and light fittings. At this rate you’ll never get to see the upstairs.” He pointed to three doors one after another in quick succession. “Living area, dining room, and this is the kitchen.” He pushed open the door at the end of the hall. “I spend a lot of my time in here. It’s got everything I need.” It was a large open space with an additional dining area. The huge floor-to-ceiling windows gave way to spectacular views across the countryside. “One day I might get a few horses in the paddock, but because I’m away so much of the time, it just wouldn’t be fair.”
“Is that land all yours?” She excitedly pointed to the tree-lined meadows that melted into the distance.
“Yeah, I like having that extra land around me. It just feels soothing, knowing it’s mine.” As a kid, and then a teenager, growing up, he had nothing apart from the shirt on his back. His lack of identity and personal possessions had dented his confidence. Owning his own piece of America made him feel like he’d achieved something in life. It gave him roots. Something he’d never had before.
“Wow.” Zoë skimmed her fingers over the black granite worktops. “Such luxury, Hunter. I’m jealous.” She laughed. “Only kidding, I’m real happy for you, but—”
“I want you to feel at ease here, Zoë.” He could sense she was becoming apprehensive. “Your happiness is very important to me. I want you to feel relaxed. This is your home from now on, Peaches.”
She nodded as she looked anxiously around. He guessed it was a lot to take in. “Come, I’ll show you to your room.” He took hold of her hand, and led her back to the stairs.
On the first floor, he pointed to several more doors. “Those are all bedrooms. You can choose whichever one you want, but I suggest you take this one.” He twisted the door handle. “It has a balcony leading to a small yard.” He stared into her beautiful green eyes, judging her response. “It’s totally private, and great for naked sunbathing.”
Zoë’s eyes widened as he pushed the door fully open, and beckoned her into the pale-blue room. All the colors in his home had been chosen to create a feeling of peace and tranquility, something in short supply during his time in the Marines. This was one of his favorite rooms.
“It’s beautiful, Hunter. I’m gonna take your advice, I pick this room.”
“Good, girl. I’ll help you get your things from the car.”
As they walked down the hallway, she asked, “So where’s your room, Hunter?”
“That’s mine down there.” The large oak-paneled door to his room stood like a barrier across the end of the hallway.
“Aren’t you gonna show me?”
“Curious aren’t you?”
“I’m a woman, of course I’m curious. I just want to see what your room’s like, that’s all.”
“Why?” he asked, a knowing grin spread across his face.
“I’m just being nosy, Hunter, nothing else. If you don’t want to show it to me, that’s just fine.”
He took a deep breath. “Very well, since you won’t rest until I do.” He led her down the hallway, and slowly opened the large oak door. Hovering on the threshold, Zoë just peered inside. “Go in if you dare, little girl,” he teased.
She shook her head. “No. I’m just fine right here, thank you.” She nodded appreciatively as she tentatively scanned the room from the doorway. “Very tasteful.”
“You like the colors?”
“Yeah, I like the way you have that restful green on the walls. It’s very soothing.”
She turned and smiled at him, and he realized the color was almost the same shade as her beautiful green eyes. Had he chosen it subliminally?
Zoë began walking back down the hallway. “Right then, I’d better start unpacking.” She paused at another door. One he hadn’t mentioned. “So what’s through here?”
“Nothing, that’s private.”
“Private, oh?” Her hand clasped around the door handle, and she flashed him a smile.
“Zoë, I’m warning you.” Before he could stop her, she’d pushed open the door and flicked the light switch.
He guessed she’d been disappointed that his bedroom was so ordinary, and figured as a Dom, he’d have something more exciting hidden away. He watched her come to a complete and sudden standstill.
“Hunter, it looks like a dungeon.”
“I prefer to call it my playroom.”
She glanced in his direction. “Is this where you practice your D/s lifestyle?”
“Sometimes.” He’d forgotten, Zoë always did have a way of finding out his most intimate secrets. As a teenager, and to his acute embarrassment, she’d always been able to prize them from him. But he wasn’t a kid anymore. He felt proud of who he was and what he’d achieved. Instead of running away, like most women who’d enjoyed an easy life would have, she moved further into the room.
The playroom was designed to his exacting standards. Painted in dark red and black, the walls featured ornate ironwork torches. They flickered eerily, casting their authentic-looking shadows over the walls. Their menacing glow created exactly the atmosphere he was looking for, when entertaining a sub.
“So much kinky stuff, Hunter.” Zoë’s fingers began skimming across the pieces of bondage fur
niture that filled the playroom. She grinned at him, and he knew she was teasing.
“So how does this one work?” Her fingers glanced across the sawhorse, as her eyes connected mischievously with his.
Hunter folded his arms across his chest, and leaned back against the wall. “I think you’re intelligent enough to come up with a few ideas of your own. After all you weren’t born yesterday, Zoë.”
“And this?” She touched the bondage table, with thick leather straps attached to each leg. A large naughty grin developed on her face as she smoothed a hand over the display of whips and crops that hung from the walls. “I see you like to choose your weapon of submission. You have an impressive collection, Hunter.”
He wagged a finger at her. “You are a naughty, naughty girl, Peaches. Keep pushing, and you’re gonna find yourself in a lot more hot water than you bargained for.”
“Mmm, promises.” She stood by the St. Andrew’s cross, and spread herself over the wooden structure, exactly mirroring the large X with her arms and legs. “Is this how it works?” she asked, already knowing the answer. Her beautiful elfin face looked a picture of innocence, but underneath, she was anything but. Maybe it was time to give the little tease a taste of her own medicine.
Hunter pushed away from the wall, and purposefully strode toward her. A surprised gasp left her lips as he suddenly anchored her wrists in place above her head. She was so small and fragile. Her cute little face stared knowingly up into his eyes.
“That’s much better. I like my women to be well and truly kept in their place.” He felt her body squirming beneath his, but it was a halfhearted attempt at escape.
Although keeping it friendly, he had to exert his authority. This was his domain, and there were rules that needed to be followed. “Now this is my playroom, Peaches, and as such it is strictly off-limits to you. If I find you in here again, I’ll take it you want to play for real. It’s a rule I will strictly enforce, without exception.”
Hunter leaned down and brushed his lips across hers. He noticed the pulse at the base of her throat beating frantically, and he liked the power it gave him. He was in no doubt that Zoë was turned on by his authoritative manner. Maybe a little demonstration of his power would get his message across. He decided to deepen the kiss. He’d been wanting to ever since he’d laid eyes on her again. Holding her arms helplessly above her head, he captured her mouth, forcing his tongue between her parted lips, possessing her, owning her.
