by Avery Gale
When Lawton, Brodie, Tristan, and Parker decided to start Templar Enterprises Group, they specifically set it up so each of them had a division allowing them to utilize their particular strength. But the real power had come from the synergy of their talents, the sum of the parts had quickly become something far more effective than any of them had ever dreamt possible. As they’d sat around one night brainstorming, Tristan had casually made the observation that, “Steel wins battles, but gold wins wars.” All three of them had stared at their friend, but Brodie was the one who had declared the motto was what they needed to use but not only for the business, he’d encouraged them all to live by it as well.
All four men made a concentrated effort to ensure their personal lives and business interests continually reflected the truth of Tristan’s statement…and even though the Knight’s Club had a Code of Chivalry, Templar’s motto had been incorporated there as well. The words were engraved in marble above the front door of the Templar Building. Seeing the words served as a reminder to those who crossed over the threshold each and every day that it takes both strength and money to win in the long run. For Lawton, strength was equated with tenacity, but without financial resources, even the most tenacious knight fell by the wayside.
She still hadn’t answered the question and there was no way they were going to be distracted, the information was too important to her safety. Cressida finally took a couple of deep breaths and started to speak, “I don’t know who he is. I met him in a chatroom. I swear I didn’t tell him anything personal, and I certainly didn’t tell him where I worked.”
When she dropped her gaze to the floor, Lawton placed his finger under her chin, lifting it as he shook his head, “No hiding, sweetness. We’re in this together, tell us everything.”
“Are you going to fire me?” Her words blindsided him, and from the look on Brodie’s face, he was just as stunned.
“Pet, why on earth did that thought even enter your mind? We’d never fire you because a stalker broke into T.E.G.—well, unless you were the stalker?” Lawton didn’t hear that note of bewilderment in Brodie’s tone often, so evidently Templar’s unflappable legal advisor could be surprised on occasion. Good to know he hadn’t been the only one shocked to his toes by Cressida’s question.
“Well, I’ve brought trouble to your door and most employers would just get rid of the problem.”
“So, let me get this straight—even after working for us for two years your opinion of us is so remarkably low that you think we’d walk away from a trusted employee, friend, and soon-to-be-lover just because someone else made the bad choice to illegally hack into our company’s computer system? Does that about cover it, pet?” Lawton wanted to laugh at the look on Cressida’s face—that’s right, sweetheart, you have painted yourself in a very tight corner.
The minute her chin started to quiver, Lawton was lost. He’d forgotten that she still wasn’t fully recovered and Brodie probably hadn’t considered the effect that was having on her thinking either. By the time he took the last two steps closing the gap between them, unshed tears filled her eyes but she quickly blinked them away. “I don’t know why he won’t give up. He’s emailed me at home a couple of times. I didn’t respond, I was sort of hoping he was an administrator in the chatroom who just wanted to know why I’d left the room. I’d heard some of them are paid based on how many participants they have, but that was probably just wishful thinking on my part.”
“Baby, I think that it’s a safe assumption he won’t stop contacting you on his own. Casual interest doesn’t break the code of a million dollar security system.” Lawton was pleased to see she seemed to have regained some of her equilibrium and Brodie also appeared to have cooled down as well. Lawton’s phone rang and after a brief conversation with Parker, it was decided he would come upstairs long enough to interview Cressida in person. Even though they hadn’t had time to outline the rules they’d expect, she was about to get a crash course. “Cressida, Parker is on his way up to ask you a few questions.” He saw the alarm in her eyes and hated knowing where her mind had gone. No doubt she’d assumed this would be something akin to the interrogations they done with employees suspected of selling them out—it hadn’t happened often, but what had gone down had been far from pleasant.
“Stop. This is exactly what I just said it was. Parker needs your help, my guess is he had your computer picked up yesterday when your friend delivered food.” He saw the confusion in her eyes and between he and Brodie they’d brought her up to speed by the time Parker knocked at the door. He saw the flair of panic in her eyes when she looked down at the white cotton shirt she wore. The truth was they didn’t have anything for her to wear yet, Lawton had mixed feelings knowing Parker had asked Tabby to pick up some of Cressida’s personal items. The young woman had worked for T.E.G. for several month and everyone seemed to like her, but it still seemed like an invasion of Cressida’s privacy—and he was growing very fond of seeing her in nothing but his shirt.
The next hour passed quickly after their lovely sub reluctantly accepted the fact she was far more covered in front of Parker now than she would be at the club. They’d all laughed when the truth of Brodie’s declaration reflected in her eyes, the tension in her shoulders had slowly drained away and she’d settled down. She’d answered all of Parker’s questions and added what little information she could. She’d been careful in her interactions, but some people needed very little encouragement to become obsessed. Unfortunately, Cressida Walker had stumbled upon one of those few individuals who was apparently not only delusional but technologically skilled as well.
Lawton was certain Parker had more information than he’d revealed to Cressida, but he’d also known the man was probably holding back until he could speak to them alone. Parker was a Master, but he was also Cressida’s friend, which meant he was more protective than he would have been with another woman. The change in Parker’s demeanor when Cressida mentioned her sister hadn’t escaped Law’s notice either. Parker’s frustration with Carli Walker was clearly evident but Lawton had the distinct impression it was a case of “Methinks thou dost protest too much,” to quote Shakespeare.
Chapter Thirteen
Brodie looked up from the limit list Cressida had completed prior to her meeting with Tristan. He was guessing it was the example she’d found on The Knight’s Club website and he had wanted to laugh when he’d seen some of the things she’d drawn lines through. It was time for them to begin and the slight nod Lawton had given him when he returned from seeing Parker to the door was all the encouragement Brodie needed.
“Pet, we’re ready to begin.” She looked puzzled and he really couldn’t fault her for that, everything that had taken place over the past thirty-six hours would have been a lot to take in even if she’d been feeling at the top of her game. “Ordinarily we’d go over a list like this with you and the three of us would discuss anything you had concerns about. We have noted you have marked through several things we’d like very much to try with you.”
“These discussions also take place in advance of any real interpersonal interaction, so that is another difference.” Brodie slowly tore the list he was holding in half and then half again. He’d heard her soft gasp and judging by the way the muscles in her legs had tightened, Brodie guessed she’d just fought an epic battle to not take a step back. Every nuance of her body language told him something and right now Cressida was much more worried about giving too much away than she was about what he was saying. That sort of self-monitoring was going to get in her way a lot—and he, for one, was looking forward to teaching her how to let all those worries fall by the wayside.
Brodie had taken classes in college studying the subtle clues everyone exhibits when they are lying, fearful, and so on. Interviewing clients, witnesses, and potential jury members were just a few of the ways attorneys benefitted from learning to interpret the unconscious signals we all give to those around us every day. It hadn’t been until he and his friends had begun training to
become Masters that he’d really understood all the ways our bodies “talk” to others, and in this moment, Cressida’s lovely body was speaking volumes about everything from need to trust.
Being well versed in the intricate art of using anticipation to enhance a moment, Brodie also understood the very fine line between exhilarating anticipation and debilitating anxiety, and Cressida was well on her way to blowing right over that boundary. He had no intention of tipping the scales of that delicate balance—a balance all sexual Dominants continually strived to maintain, but many never truly learned the skill until they’ve become Masters. Brodie was both thrilled and nervous about beginning with Cressida, for the first time in years he wondered if he was really ready for the task ahead.
“Strip, pet.” Brodie had expected Cressida to balk at his blunt order, but he’d been enormously surprised when her shocked expression almost instantly morphed into the glassy-eyed look of arousal even the most neophyte Dom would recognize. As soon as the shirt Law had given her to wear hit the floor, Brodie smiled at her, “God you are so fucking beautiful.” Her sharp intake of breath let him know his crude assessment had surprised her, but the flush moving over her chest showed how pleased she was with his appreciation. Many women had trouble taking compliments, and he’d always been impressed that even though he’d often seen the doubt in her eyes, she’d always simply thanked anyone who’d complimented her. “I knew you would be—but I have to tell you, each time I see you I am more speechless than the time before.”
“If you ask me, it’s because we’ve been blessed for some unknown reason. And it’s taking everything I have not to spread her out on the nearest horizontal surface and seal this deal in the way my cock is begging for.” Brodie smiled as Lawton spoke, even though his friend had been speaking to him, Law’s gaze had been moving slowly over every inch of their naked sub. Lawton then turned his words to Cressida, “There is no way this first time is going to be enough. Oh no, not even close to enough. Both of your Masters intend to make certain this is a night you’ll cherish and remember fondly for the rest of your life.”
Looking at Cressida’s sweet curves as she shifted nervously from foot to foot, Brodie knew in that moment he’d never be able to let her go. No matter what happened, there would always be a part of Cressida Walker that belonged to him. For several long seconds Brodie was so absorbed in his own thoughts he completely forgot about their negotiations and the torn up limit list he still held clutched tightly in his fist. Shaking his head in an attempt to bring his thoughts back to the moment, “Neither Master Lawton nor I are big fans of kneeling, it’s something we’ll rarely require outside of the club or play party settings. But there are two positions you’ll need to know when we are in those more formal situations.”
As Brodie explained both positions, Lawton helped her, making sure her body was in the perfect position. They’d learned a long time ago that one of them physically helping a submissive learn the positions while the other man described them helped a submissive establish a baseline for the muscle memory that would guide them later. It was likely she would only require minor adjustments to refine the positions in the future. Brodie and Law had decided to show her the present position first before moving her into the classic kneeling position they’d leave her in while they talked. Having her displayed in front of them served two purposes, first she’d be distracted, which tended to make people more honest, because effective deception actually required quite a bit of concentration and focus. And secondly, her body would tell them whether or not she’d eliminated items from her limit list because of fear or if she genuinely found them repulsive. A submissive’s body was always the most accurate lie detector in the world.
While outlining the mechanics of the present position, Brodie explained how she would usually be allowed to choose what she leaned over, but they would expect her to be able to completely flatten her back so she could also easily push her ass high in the air. With her legs properly spaced apart, she was giving them their first real view of her rear hole and Brodie had gotten so hard he wondered if his cock was going to split apart. Fuck me, I don’t know if I’ve ever been this hard. How am I going to keep from shoving myself into the hilt?
Seeing the sweet pink lips of her labia darken and swell with arousal, Brodie groaned. Lawton was obviously struggling as well, his muttered curses as he adjusted his cock in the faded jeans he wore let Brodie know he wasn’t the only one struggling to maintain control. It also seemed their appreciation of the view was arousing their sub because the moisture coating her pussy lips glistened like dew on a rose, and droplets were beginning a sexy race down her thighs.
Brodie was pleased she’d been able to maintain her position even though he was relatively certain she was embarrassed knowing her body’s reaction to them was so evident. What she didn’t know and probably wasn’t yet ready to hear was the smell of her honey had let them know how the scene was affecting her long before they’d actually seen the syrupy lines rolling slowly down the satiny skin inside her thighs. Smoothing his hand up her spine from the dimples just above the cheeks of her ass to the base of her skull, Brodie used the touch to ground them both. “You are so lovely posed like this, pet. So many shades of pink and rose, like a summer garden—only much sweeter to eat.” Stepping back he let Law move in to bring her back up, keeping a hand wrapped around her upper arm until they knew she was steady on her feet.
They repeated the entire process for the kneeling position, making sure she was facing the two chairs they planned to sit in for the coming conversation. By the time she was settled in position, kneeling so she faced them, her knees widely spread apart, hands laying softly on her thighs, Brodie wasn’t sure they were going to be able to get through the negotiations. The pulse at the base of her throat was already pounding and her pussy lips were so swollen he wondered if she recognized the throbbing for what it was—rampant arousal.
“How many lovers have you had, pet?” Brodie didn’t see any reason to beat around the bush. Nor did he want to waste any time wading through a bunch of half-baked questions designed to help a Dominant get to know the submissive he planned to scene with. The three of them already knew each other in ways far more intimate than most longtime friends. Working with someone in the high stakes world of business and technology where billion dollar deals were the norm certainly required team members to know each other far better than your average office moles. There was an implied level of trust between the members of an efficient and productive team, and that existing level of trust was what he and Lawton planned to use as a starting point with Cressida’s training.
*****
Cressi’s entire body felt like it was thumping to the beat of a drum she couldn’t actually hear. Everything about the past few minutes had ramped up her desire and even now—the fact she was completely exposed to Brodie and Lawton wasn’t front and center in her mind. No, right now all she could think about was how much she wanted them to fuck her. Lawton’s touch had been gentle but firm as he’d moved her into the correct position when she hadn’t managed it from Brodie’s description alone.
They’d sat silently—watching her so intently her imagination had kicked into high gear and she could have sworn she could almost feel their gazes moving over her body softly caressing her with an almost reverent fascination. Suddenly the room was too hot and she had to remind herself to breathe. Just as she felt like an entirely new world of possibilities was opening up to her, Brodie’s question about sexual partners hit her like a bucket of ice water. Instinctively she broke the position they’d just taught her, pulling her knees together and raising her hands in a feeble attempt to cover herself from their view.
Cressi saw a flicker in Brodie’s eyes she recognized—he was a heartbeat away from pouncing so she made her move. Before they could reach her, she was on her feet and had pulled the shirt she’d worn earlier from the floor. She was trying desperately to get the shirt on when Lawton snatched it from her hands and tore it completely in half
. The sound of rending fabric startled her back from the panic she’d fallen in to, and she simply collapsed onto the soft leather sofa’s center cushion like a marionette whose strings had been cut.
The one topic she had hoped to avoid at all costs was the first thing they asked about, and Cressida wasn’t naïve enough to believe two men as experienced as Lawton Hill and Brodie Walsh were going to want anything to do with a twenty-five-year-old virgin. If she was honest, she’d known this was coming—even if she had managed to avoid it before they’d had sex, there wasn’t much chance they wouldn’t have known what she planned to conveniently forget to mention. She’d saved herself, waiting for the perfect moment with a man she cared for—one she could envision a future with—and at some point it had turned into a liability.
Carli had warned her more than once she was chasing a fantasy, that real men didn’t want the “gift” she thought she was saving because they think women assign too much significance to losing their virginity. “Men don’t want that responsibility, little sister. You need to let this one go because it’s a pipe dream. And besides, you’re missing all the fun.” She really needed to start listening to her sister, even if it would likely inflate her ego to an unmanageable state. The irony of Carli Walker was she wasn’t arrogant about being a super model…but she was a maniacal egomaniac when it came to assuming she was always right about anything and everything related to her younger sister.
Shaking off her thoughts about her sister, Cressi looked up into the angry eyes of her two bosses. She’d seen them livid many times during the past two years, but Cressi wasn’t sure she’d ever seen this particular look. Holy Hannah, there was a part of her that wanted to keep watching the two of them, because she was fairly certain their heads were going to spin clear around on their shoulders any second with fire shooting from their eyes for good measure. But the larger part of her wanted to curl up into a ball and cry until she didn’t have any tears left. She couldn’t remember a time she’d felt more defeated and the fact she still didn’t feel well wasn’t helping. “I’m sorry,” was the only thing she managed to squeak out past the lump in her throat.
