by Avery Gale
He’d been briefed earlier that day on the scene Kent and Kyle had planned for Tobi. He and Jax had agreed they would keep Gracie away from the action until they knew more about her needs and interests. Letting her walk up on a scene would be tantamount to taking her into the club without interviewing her first, and that simply didn’t happen at Prairie Winds. All club members were personally screened by Micah and then interviewed by either Kent or Kyle, and usually both. The system they’d established before the club even opened was time consuming to be sure, but it had done wonders for ensuring the safety and confidentiality of their membership. The only exception had been Tobi.
Micah had purposely placed himself between Gracie and the action she’d been trying so hard to get a look at. And with Jax pressing against her back, Micah felt certain Gracie had all but forgotten her worry about what was happening behind him. “Tell us about your interest in the lifestyle, baby.” He purposely gave her a few seconds to wrap her mind around his question because he knew he’d surprised her. “Since we already know you’ve been reading about it, we’re wondering, do you see yourself in any of the stories you’ve read?”
He knew by her reaction that he’d nailed it, but he waited for her response. Her adorable expressive face played her emotions as clearly as if she was speaking them aloud. Hope you never play poker with anyone but us, sweet girl. Even though the men at Prairie Winds played cards for money, they’d always made the subs play strip poker. Their card shark group had all laughed at Regi and Tobi’s outrage when they’d been the only ones naked.
Gracie’s restlessness brought him back to the moment and he regretted having lost his focus. She needed and deserved his complete attention. He’d be willing to bet her mind was spinning at the speed of light. She was probably trying to figure out how he knew that she was seeing herself in the submissive characters featured in the novels she’d been reading for the past few weeks.
Over the years he’d talked to numerous subs who had confided that they’d started reading erotic romances when they’d realized something was missing in their relationships. Most of those had explained how utterly shocked they’d been to discover how much they had in common with the submissives in the stories. Most of men and women had sworn they would never have seen themselves as sexually submissive before reading the novels. Most had shaken their heads as if they could still barely understand how it had happened, but once they’d opened themselves up to the experience it was clear the D/s dynamic was exactly what they’d been missing.
Gracie had been averting his gaze as she fought an inner battle, he placed his hands on both sides of her head and sighed inwardly at the feel of her silken tresses sliding along his fingers. The image of those waves of black silk sliding over his bare thighs as she took his cock deep into her throat flashed through his mind and his entire body responded with an almost painful lurch of desire. When she brought her dark eyes to his, he softened his expression and was reassured when she relaxed into his touch. “Grace, there is no right or wrong answer. Don’t overthink your responses, baby. When a Dom asks you a question you only need to answer it immediately and honestly. Aside from that, you will not be judged or punished for your answers. Punishment comes from behavior, not honesty.”
The change in her was immediate and truly remarkable. Her eyes cleared and she met his gaze straight on. His words had clearly empowered her and he couldn’t have been more pleased—until he heard her words. “Yes, it’s true. But I can’t do it.”
He knew immediately what she meant, but he was going to force her to explain herself anyway. If things were going to progress like he and Jax hoped they would, then clear lines of communication needed to be established and kept open at every turn. “Explain what you mean, please.” When she seemed to stiffen, he added, “The key to any successful D/s relationship is communication, baby. And in a ménage it is even more critical.”
Jax leaned down and spoke against the delicate shell of her ear, “Cariña, my position behind you is both literal and figurative. Master Micah and I will always have your back, love.” Micah knew his friend had used the term Master intentionally just as he had when referring to Kent and Kyle with Tobi. They needed to ensure she remained as close to a submissive mind-set as they could get her so her answers would continue to be as unguarded as possible. Jax had told Micah earlier that he wanted Gracie to begin acknowledging them as her Masters and the shift in her eyes showed his efforts had not been in vain.
“I have to stay in control or I fear I’ll find myself locked back in that gilded prison. He’ll use my mother and brother as leverage. And even though it is going to break my heart, I’ll have to stay away from them from now on.” Micah watched the tears flow unchecked down her tan cheeks, but he didn’t move to wipe them away. The terrified woman hiding behind the bravado needed this opportunity to vent the emotions, and he wouldn’t stand in her way. He and Jax waited quietly as she took a couple of steadying breaths and then simply leaned against him.
Micah knew he was a hard man to surprise—years of missions in and around the worst this world had to offer had left him skeptical on his best days and often he was downright cynical. But with that simple gesture of trust, Gracie Santos had completely stunned him.
Wrapping his arms around her, he didn’t do anything but hold her for long seconds. When he felt her shoulders shaking as sobs racked her tiny body, he looked up at Jax and with a quick nod toward their cabin, he knew his friend would understand his unspoken instruction. Reluctantly he pulled back and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. “Baby, you feel perfect in my arms and I’m asking you to please put your worry aside for tonight. Now, I want you to go with Master Jax. I’ll join you in a bit. Everyone is heading for the exit and things here are winding down quickly so we’ll be able to finish this up in short order.” He was grateful the opening hadn’t been scheduled for a regular club night or he’d have been stuck working, and tonight she needed both he and Jax.
Micah watched as Jax scooped up the woman who had just knocked the world right out from under him and cuddled her into his massive chest. His friend’s long strides took them out of Micah’s view in mere seconds and he had to shake himself to clear his thoughts. Looking to the side, he noticed Dean West standing to his left smiling.
“It’s an incredible rush isn’t it?” Micah still felt like a deer in the headlights and knew it probably showed in his expression. A knowing smile played over Kent and Kyle’s dad’s lips. “When you find the right woman and accept that she is yours. There isn’t anything like it, son. But I’m warning you, don’t blink…because just as the song says, it goes by faster than you think and you don’t want to miss a minute of it.” Kyle and Kent’s parents had all but adopted each and every one of their sons’ fellow soldiers, and now they’d added the other members of club’s staff to their brood as well. When Micah smiled, Dean nodded and said, “Now, let’s get these stragglers headed toward the exit so we can both get back to our women. I don’t know who’s chasing that sweet, little gal, but we’ll take care of it—don’t you worry.” Micah didn’t question how the man knew, he just nodded and they both went to work.
Chapter Six
Kent carried his exhausted wife toward the back door that led to their private elevator. He couldn’t wait to get her inside their apartment. She had played into their hands so perfectly this evening it was almost as if the entire scene had been scripted in advance. It hadn’t. And he’d been jolted, once again, at the pure perfection of the woman he and his brother had been blessed with. Watching her beautiful ass push back for more swats had made him so hard he’d nearly embarrassed himself in front of everyone watching. They hadn’t really intended to draw such a crowd, but having an audience had so clearly fueled Tobi’s desire that it had been more than worth the extra effort it had taken to play it out as a full scene.
He and Kyle had both given her five swats even though it had only taken the first two warm ups to get her head right where they wanted her. Kent ha
d never seen a sub who could slide so easily into a submissive state of mind as their sweet wife. Tobi had worked herself to the bone since they’d returned from their honeymoon and tonight’s opening had been a smashing success as a result. They’d made sure her spanking was entirely erotic because it really had been meant as a reward despite what they’d told her.
Holding her in his arms as she pressed her soft face against his chest was one of the sweetest feelings in the world. “You are so perfect, sweetness. Every reaction, every response, every whimper, soft sigh and moan…each of those belongs to your Masters and you showed that in bursting color and surround sound tonight. You made us very proud, love. And you’re going to be rewarded for that.”
She snuggled higher in his hold so her lips were pressed against the side of his neck and when she inhaled against his skin, he felt his knees weaken. Christ, the woman completely undoes me. She holds my entire world in her delicate hands. He’d sent thousands of requests out to the Universe over the years asking that their woman be sent onto the small stage of their lives. He’d sent most of those requests heavenward during long nights under the stars in some godforsaken location and then he’d prayed they hadn’t missed her.
Knowing she’d needed them these past weeks and hadn’t felt secure or confident enough to tell them had humbled him. Clearly he and Kyle had a lot to learn about being effective Doms in a long-term relationship. But they needed her cooperation as well, so there was a “come to Jesus” meeting in her near future. But tonight wasn’t going to be about that. He felt her soft, warm lips move in a breathy whisper over his neck as she spoke, “You smell so good…like light and love…”
Kent hadn’t thought he could love her any more, but he’d been wrong. As he strode into their large bathroom and settled her on the cool marble he smiled down into her brilliant green eyes. He hoped like hell Kyle hurried up or his resolve to wait until they were all three together was going to crumble like sandstone. He moved her legs apart and stepped into the open space. Leaning down, he pressed his lips against hers in a kiss that went from sweet to scorching in the time it took him to slip his tongue through her sweet lips.
Angling her face and slipping his hand over her nape, he deepened the connection and let the reminder of how much they needed one another move over them both. Her lips were satin smooth, warm, and as sweet as honey. Tobi always seemed to plunge into a kiss as if she were trying to pour every bit of herself into the melding of mouths. He’d ask her about it once and she’d simply shrugged, “It’s my soul’s way of speaking directly to yours. And I want to make sure what’s being said is clear.” The simplicity of her words had rocked him to his very foundation and he’d instinctively known that she’d handed him a very important piece of information. He’d even written it down and put it in a small frame on his desk because it was a piece of the legend on the map to her heart.
Kissing Tobi was the sweetest thing in the world and Kent didn’t intend to waste a single moment of his time outside of his head so he refocused his attention on the dance their tongues we currently engaged in. Kent hadn’t planned for the kiss to morph from a sexy rumba into a tortured tango, but his control where Tobi was concerned was always tenuous at best. Feeling her dueling with him for control ignited something in him and his entire body responded. Pulling her hands from where they clenched his shirt, he pinned them behind her back and felt her arch into him, pressing her breasts into his chest as a moan rumbled in her throat.
Kent hadn’t even realized how lost they had both been in the moment until he heard a soft chuckle from the door. He reluctantly pulled back and gasped for air as he leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers before kissing the tip of her nose and then turning to his brother. “Well, I think it’s a good thing I took the dads up on their offer to finish up outside. I’m not sure how long you could have held out against our lovely woman’s charms, brother.” And isn’t that the God’s honest truth? She owns both of our souls.
Kent looked intently into her eyes and hoped the depth of his love showed through. “True enough. Let’s get her naked and nicely pliable before we fuck her into oblivion, shall we?” He felt more than saw the subtle shudder that moved through her. Perfect. Tobi was the most responsive woman he’d ever met. Not long after she’d agreed to explore the lifestyle, they’d done various scenes in their efforts to determine what worked best with her and they’d been thrilled to discover she responded equally to touch, visual, and verbal stimulation. The little minx also loved a good spanking, so they were constantly searching for something creative to use as punishment. Their only challenge had been her absolute fear of them being angry with her.
“Sounds perfect. I’ll just watch as you undress our lovely sub, because the view so far has been fucking hot.” Kyle might have been speaking to him, but his eyes had never left Tobi, and Kent watched her eyes dilate until only a small ring of green surrounded her enormous pupils. He could hear her respiration speed up and the pink blush over her heart was spreading rapidly. Reaching around her, he kept his movements slow and deliberate. Pulling down the zipper on the back of her dress so she could feel each tooth as it released, he vowed that her next dress would be a halter because he loved untying the knot and letting the softness of silk fall like waves of water, revealing the sweet treasure beneath.
“Kitten, you please us more than you know. Your submission and trust is the greatest gift we’ve ever been given.” Kyle wasn’t as close as Kent, but he couldn’t miss the unshed tears that filled her pretty eyes. Kent hated the fact Tobi was so unaccustomed to compliments. They’d noticed that about her early on and had been working to build her self-esteem, but they obviously still had a long way to go. The personal losses she’d suffered hadn’t broken her, but they’d shaped her to be sure. Kent had wished a thousand times that she could see herself through their eyes, if only for a moment. It would only take a glimpse for her to know how perfect she was.
“I almost ran you know…not because I was scared…but when I thought I’d embarrassed you again? I just wanted to hide.” Her whispered words surprised him and flicking a glance to his brother in the mirror, Kent knew Kyle was equally dumbfounded. Was she really so frightened of them that she’d actually considered running? Had they been too hard on her? Questions flooded Kent’s mind. She obviously noted their astonished expressions because she took a quick breath and went on. “I know I’m not a perfect sub,” when he’d started to protest she’d carefully pressed her warm fingers to his lips to still him. “No. Please let me finish.” She took a deep breath and then continued, “I’m not a perfect sub and I probably won’t ever be. But pleasing you and being able to see that you are proud of me…well, those are the things that drive me to keep trying.”
When she stopped speaking, they just waited while she tried to pull her control back into place. “I love pushing myself until I feel like I’ve mastered everything I attempt. I won’t argue that and I don’t want to discount that it is just a part of who I am. But seeing your pride in me, fills a part of my heart that I could never fill alone. Does that make sense?” She waited just a couple of beats before continuing, obviously her question had been rhetorical, even though Kent knew both he and Kyle would have loved to have answered her. “Besides, these shoes wouldn’t have let me run very fast and the idea of tripping over my own feet and sprawling out over the courtyard with my bare ass exposed didn’t seem like a very good plan at the time. But now that I think about it, that’s exactly how I ended up anyway, so perhaps I should have given it a go.” The cheeky grin that slowly crossed her face told him she’d deliberately changed directions and they’d allow it…for now.
Kent tried to hold back his laughter but failed miserably. “God, you are so fucking perfect.”
“Well, she would be if she was naked. Now hurry up or I’m going to take over.” Kyle’s voice sounded rough, but Kent saw the smile on his brother’s face and shook his head at the empty threat. They had the rest of the night to remind their
lovely wife of all the reasons—good and some not so good—she should never be tempted to run from them.
Chapter Seven
Raphael Balderamino studied the digital images he’d received earlier this evening. The ethereal beauty of her face was even more compelling now than it had been in her youth. There was a luminescence about her that he’d never seen in anyone before or since. She was the only woman he’d ever craved with a desperation that shredded every ounce of his control, and seeing her standing in the courtyard he’d been in only hours earlier set off a rolling wave of possessiveness in his stomach. Rose was sandwiched between two men whose expressions were easy to read and the white hot flames of jealousy in his heart were making his chest ache. Both men’s faces clearly showed their desire for what was his and that knowledge was burning like acid deep in Raphael’s gut. He’d never shared well. And he certainly didn’t plan to start now. Rose had escaped him once, but she wouldn’t again.
He’d been directed to The Prairie Winds Club by mutual friends when he’d mentioned an interest in starting a club of his own on the Osa Peninsula. Raphael loved living in Costa Rica, even though it seemed on occasion a bit too removed from most of his business interests, the atmosphere and the view made any inconveniences well worth the hardship. And he hadn’t ever really given up his hope of finding Rose. He had, however, incorrectly assumed she’d valued her Central American heritage enough to stay closer to home. Another lesson I’ll be teaching her soon enough. She will learn quickly I’m sure. I can see the light of intelligence still dances in her beautiful eyes.
His tour of the Wests’ club had been going well and he’d been particularly interested in the elaborate metalwork they’d had specially made. Even though their club’s western themes wouldn’t be suitable for what he was planning, Kyle and Kent West had assured him that EGA Fabrication would be able to create exactly what he had in mind. They’d planned to give him the contact information, but after Kyle answered a call everything had changed. Whatever the caller said had obviously troubled him and totally derailed the connection they’d been building. The tour had quickly ended and he’d been unceremoniously escorted to his vehicle.
