by Avery Gale
“Hey, kid brother.” When Kip turned, Brandt grinned. “Thanks for the kick in the pants, and fuck no I’m not going to ignore it. Maybe I’ll head down to Billings this weekend and hit the club. A chat with Nathanial might be in order.” Kip grinned, giving him a mock salute. Yeah, a long conversation with his friend and mentor at Mountain Mastery would go a long way to help him sort this out.
Phoenix grabbed another beer and leaned against the bar. He watched his older brother dancing with Joelle wondering if she would finally tell him about her security concerns. Hell, Phoenix would be happy if the pretty redhead would tell Brandt who she really was. Admittedly the name she was using was real, even if it was misleading simply because it was incomplete. Not using your surname wasn’t exactly making your best effort to hide, but since he didn’t understand why she was laying low, he wasn’t going to judge.
When Joelle contacted him to design and install a state of the art security system in her small house at the edge of town, Phoenix had been stunned at the scale of protection she’d requested. He’d questioned her simply because it seemed like a significant level of overkill for Pine Creek. It had taken him hours of heartfelt promises to keep her confidence before he’d finally convinced her to confide in him. He hadn’t told her how easily he could have run her through his facial recognition software—it would have given him her real name within a matter of hours. Knowing she’d finally put her trust in him had been far more satisfying than snooping into her personal information—of course once he’d known her real name, he started wondering why she was living in Pine Creek. There was a lot of internet chatter and speculation, but nobody seemed to know for sure why she’d vanished.
Joelle Freemont Phillips was not only a billionaire heiress, but she was also a brilliant researcher and chemist. Her work within her father’s pharmaceutical division was well respected. None of the internet gossip he’d read mentioned what she’d been working on when she disappeared, but since her father hadn’t contacted authorities, everyone assumed he knew where she was.
The more he’d read, the stranger the entire situation seemed, and oddly enough—out of all the unknowns, the one thing that struck him as particularly odd was the lack of information about her social life. As the member of a wealthy family, Phoenix understood the need for discretion in his personal life, but even a casual search on-line for his brothers turned up speculation about their sexual predilection even if their interests in kink hadn’t been confirmed. But the complete lack of information about Joelle meant she was either a saint or incredibly discreet.
All the components for her upgraded security system were ready to install and he hoped to get things set up for her sooner rather than later, because anytime there was a lack of information on-line, the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He’d promised to keep their business arrangement private and Phoenix didn’t want to betray her confidence—at least not until he had no other choice.
Chapter Two
Brandt leaned casually against the wall near the club’s bar and tipped the bottle of water to his lips. He wasn’t planning to play tonight, but he doubted Phoenix would be in any condition to drive home since he was making his way up the spiral staircase heading to a private party with one of the club’s submissives. Phoenix wasn’t known for partying, but when he did let go, Brandt knew his younger brother could drink the rest of the Morgan brothers under the table. Phoenix wouldn’t drink until after their scene, but he’d certainly hit the bar later. The combination of fatigue and alcohol meant Brandt would be driving them home.
“Looks like Phoenix’s found himself a sub for the evening. Hope he ate his Wheaties; Kitty is a handful.” Mountain Mastery’s owner grinned. When Brandt looked at his friend in question, he shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong, Kitty is a sweet girl, but she pushes Doms to their limit. I’ve seen her send experienced Doms into orbit with her antics. The last time one of the Dungeon Monitors had to intercede I paddled her myself. I’m sure she didn’t sit comfortably for days. But I doubt it made a lasting impression.”
“Perhaps it did since she’s going to play in a private room tonight?” Brandt had to suppress his laughter when his friend groaned. “Don’t worry, Phoenix is remarkably insightful when it comes to women—she’ll play hell getting around him.”
“Glad to hear it. To be honest, she is one of two subs I’ve been wondering what to do with. I’ve been worried we aren’t meeting either of the women’s needs.” Brandt could hear the concern in Big’s voice and wondered what the issue was with the second woman. He saw the other man’s eyes move to a nearby scene, whatever the club’s owner saw didn’t set well because he frowned and pushed away from the wall. “Come on. I’d be interested to hear your opinion on this one.”
Making their way through the small audience gathered around the St. Andrews cross, Big leaned close, “JoJo has come in a couple times a month for the last six or seven months. She never scenes with the same Dom twice and she never lets them fuck her.” Brandt finally stepped around the man who’d been blocking his view and sucked in a breath. No fucking way. It couldn’t be her. He heard himself growl and Big turned in his direction. “Do you know her?”
Brandt’s jaw was going to shatter he was clenching his teeth so hard. He’d been trying to catch up with Joelle all week, but she’d stonewalled him at every turn. When he’d finally cornered her in the drug store yesterday, she’d told him she already had plans this evening. No fucking shit, she had plans. Plans to let another man touch what—somewhere in the back of his mind, Brandt already considered his. Plans to let another man get her off—give her the sexual release Brandt longed to provide. Fucking hell.
Big shook his head, “Christ, she’s the one you were talking about isn’t she?” They’d had a long discussion upstairs in Big’s office before the club opened. As Brandt’s mentor and a former member of the teams, Big was in a unique position to understand what Brandt had been going through since returning home. The club owner understood Brandt’s concern the darkness in him could overtake his control. But Big insisted—in most cases the trauma they’d experienced actually amplified previously existing personality traits. Since Brandt’s ability to control his emotions had been almost legendary among Special Forces members, Big assured him there was little chance his personality had done a complete one-eighty. When Brandt nodded in response to Big’s inquiry, he heard a string of creative cursing the former SEAL was well known for. Not helping, Big. Not helping at all.
“Listen, I don’t know her story, but I’ve suspected from the beginning her application is missing a lot of very important details. Our investigation didn’t turn up any lies, but her background is squeaky clean.” Yeah and we all know anything too good to be true usually is too good to be true.
“Phoenix and I have made that same observation. And she’s much more educated than she wants anyone to know—not something easily concealed over any length of time.”
“Agreed. I think it’s probably easier to hide ignorance if you want to know the truth. Hell, we’ve both seen military leaders who made their way up the ranks because they were masters of baffling with bull shit.” They continued watching what Brant was certain was the worst scene between a Dom and a sub he’d ever watched.
“Now, let’s get back to the fact I don’t think this little sub is getting what she needs.” As they stood shoulder to shoulder watching for the next few minutes, Brandt agreed, the damned scene was almost painful to watch and it certainly wasn’t going anywhere. “You up for a challenge, brother? Because I’m getting the vibe you aren’t overly thrilled with the fact Master Raef has his hands on your woman.” His woman? Was he ready to acknowledge how possessive he felt about Joelle? Shaking his head, Brandt only knew one thing for certain—fate had taken away his ability to pussyfoot around making a decision. She’d put him squarely on Front Street—it was time to put up or shut up.
“Yes. But tell me, how often does she fake her responses?”
Big looked at
him and grinned. “Didn’t figure you would miss that, even though her top tonight seems oblivious.”
“Going to send him back through training again?” Brandt knew his friend would probably counsel the young man first because sending him back through the Dom classes would be damned humiliating for the man who from what Brandt could see wasn’t actually doing that bad. It was the submissive tied in front of him who was derailing the scene. But Jo-Jo was about to get a taste of what it was like to deal with a Dom who understood the game she was playing.
“No, he’s just nervous. This is his first scene in the main lounge area, and I’d say she’s had a lot of practice faking it. I’d bet there aren’t ten men in the room who’ve noticed.” Brandt shook his head finding it difficult to believe her act would fool anyone who was actually paying attention. “Since she’s already blindfolded, I’m going to leave her that way, but let me get him redirected first.”
Brandt nodded and moved to stand in front of Joelle while Big pulled the young Dom to the side. He couldn’t hear what the club’s owner said to him, but the man’s expression had gone from apprehensive because he’d been called out of his scene to relieved. Brandt laughed to himself, evidently Nate’s people skills had improved since he’d left the Special Forces. The young Dom returned to gather his equipment, stuffing everything in his bag, before nodding to Brandt and then leaning in to whisper something in Joelle’s ear. Brandt felt his entire body tense in response—something deep inside him was screaming “Mine” and for several seconds, the sound of his blood pounding in his ears drowned out everything around him.
As the other man stood back, Joelle started to tremble, shaking her head back and forth. Even with her eyes covered, Brandt sensed her sudden fear. Her entire body was beginning to shudder and he worried she was within seconds of using her safe word. It was time to head things in a different direction because that certainly wasn’t how he wanted this to play out.
Stepping in front of her, he made sure he was close enough she would sense his presence. He watched her entire body tense when she became aware of the fact someone was standing close. Drawing his finger along the bottom curve of her jaw, he leaned close. “Shhh. You are fine.” Brandt wanted to calm her but hadn’t wanted to say enough she’d recognize his voice. Nate needed a chance to speak with her first. She’d broken one of the club’s cardinal rules by faking her responses during a scene, and it was up to Big to explain the consequences of her decision before Brandt took over.
Brandt stepped aside as Big approached. “JoJo, you have gotten yourself in quite a predicament this time.” She obviously recognized Master Nate’s voice because the trembling returned, but this time, Brandt sensed her fear was entirely different. “Here are your choices, pet. I can release you so you can leave the club, which means you’ll forfeit your membership. Or you can agree to a public scene which I’ll advertise in advance. You’ll spend an hour in the stocks while any Dom in attendance will be given the opportunity to administer five strokes with the implement of his choice.”
Joelle’s panic was now obvious, she was shaking so hard Brandt worried she was going to have bruises where her wrists and ankles were moving violently against the restraints. The movement hadn’t escaped Big’s attention because he wrapped his large hands around her forearms stilling her movements. “Your third option is to allow me to choose a Dom who will continue tonight’s scene. You’ll submit to him because you trust me to put you in the care of a man I have known for many years—a man I trust to provide you with exactly what you need.” Big remained silent for several long seconds giving Joelle time to consider the options he’d given her.
Brandt was relieved when she responded quickly. “I’ll continue the scene…if you’re sure I’ll be safe.”
“I would never leave you in the care of a man I didn’t trust implicitly. We both know you haven’t been getting what you need here, pet. Until further notice, this man will be the only one you play with at Mountain Mastery, do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.” Her voice trembled, but her response had been clear enough. Brandt hated seeing the single tear slide beneath the blindfold. He didn’t mind tears under the right circumstances, but fear wasn’t on that short list.
Big stepped back and directed his attention to Brandt. “I’m counting on you to take good care of her. Make sure she understands the difference between genuine arousal and what she thinks will appease her Dom.”
Brandt nodded in agreement as he stepped forward. The other Dom’s first mistake had been letting Joelle keep her corset and skirt on. The skirt was short enough it was easy to see she wasn’t wearing panties, but she still had the illusion of being covered—and that false sense of security was going to end in short order.
Brandt wondered if she’d ever fully submitted to a Dom—he doubted it, but that too was about to change. Reaching forward, he began unlacing the ties of her corset. When she started shaking her head no, he stopped, giving her time to rethink her objection. She took several deep breaths and he could practically hear her mind running back through the options Nate had given.
“I’m…I’m sorry. I just don’t like being naked in front of strangers.” He didn’t respond, but he did wait until she settled to continue. “Sir?” When he didn’t respond, she tensed. Brandt knew what was coming and he welcomed the challenge. He would make the most of her defiance—hell, maybe it would keep him focused long enough to finish the scene without embarrassing himself like an inexperienced teenager. “Sir? Did you hear me?” He stepped back letting her feel the disconnection. Moving to the side, he gave her ass two solid swats. She gasped in surprise but didn’t comment. Smart girl.
The submissive part of Joelle’s personality wasn’t easy to detect outside of the club, but here they both knew the rules. There had been a spark of rebellion in her tone that made Brandt half crazed with desire. He’d never been attracted to women who were so totally submissive they lost themselves in their Dom. Where was the fun in having a woman gift you with her trust if she was nothing but a robot? Mindless submission didn’t appeal to him at all. “I’m sorry, sir.” The words were airy, and despite the fact they’d been filled with apprehension he knew things were turning around because he could smell her arousal.
Leaning close, Brandt used the very tips of his fingers to move her hair over her shoulder, baring the side of her neck to his touch. Pressing his lips against her pounding pulse, he nipped the lobe of her ear. “You’ve gotten yourself in a hell of a fix, minx.” He’d known using his pet name for her would give away his identity, and he was right. What he hadn’t been sure of was how she would react. Would she be embarrassed because he’d not only found out she was attending a kink club, but he’d also been put in charge of her after a disastrous scene? Or would she rebel? After all, she had been going to great lengths to avoid him all week.
He made no effort to hold back his chuckle when she sucked in a breath. Her cheeks beneath the silk scarf covering her pretty gray eyes flamed bright red and he barely heard her whispered, “Oh shit.” Probably going with embarrassed and well aware that all the rules governing their common interest had just changed. Because it didn’t matter what pretty little lie she was telling herself—their mutual attraction was undeniable.
Running the tip of his tongue along the outer edge of her ear, he spoke so only she could hear, “Oh shit, indeed. Minx, what were you thinking? Even a novice sub knows better than to fake a response during a scene. And I’m nobody’s fool, princess. I know you are not a novice, and that’s another item on the long list of things we need to discuss.” He didn’t really have a right to be upset she’d declined his dinner invitation to be here, but it didn’t mean he was happy about it either.
“Now, since I’m a big believer in making the punishment fit the crime, I’m going to do things a bit differently tonight. I’m going to step away from you for a few seconds. You don’t need to see what I’m setting up just yet so I’m leaving the scarf in place for now. I don’t want
you to think I’ve walked away from you while you are bound, so I’m going to keep one hand on you at all times. I’ll also be using the headphones to keep you from hearing the instructions I’m giving the Dungeon Monitors.” He slid his hand from the side of her neck down until her breast was cradled in the palm of his hand and used the pad of his thumb to lightly abrade her pretty pink nipple. The nub pebbled even tighter and Brandt smiled at her responsiveness. “Do you understand, minx?”
There was only the briefest hesitation before she answered, letting him know she did indeed understand what he’d said. He signaled a nearby attendant, requesting headphones he’d connect to his phone rather than the club’s sound system. Brandt was going to use a very specific playlist for Joelle. He planned to spin her up pretty high, so he wanted her as relaxed as possible before they started. He’d checked the volume before sliding the headphones over her ears and ran a soothing hand over her shoulder when he felt surprise move through her. He wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but obviously, Brian Crain’s soothing piano music had been a surprise.
Within minutes, the attendants and dungeon monitors had the equipment moved into place. Joelle was going to face one of her fears tonight or she’d be forced to forfeit her membership—which one would she choose?
Joelle’s entire body was alight with such anticipation she was struggling to maintain even a hint of control. The soothing music playing in her ears was helping, but Brandt’s touch was leaving a trail of fire sizzling over every inch he touched.
She’d been terrified when Master Nate interrupted the scene. Damn, she’d known she should have told the Dom topping her the scene wasn’t working, but he’d seemed so eager she hadn’t wanted to hurt his feelings. And now, he was probably pissed she’d humiliated him. She also managed to get herself in trouble with the club’s owner—so not what she’d planned for this trip. And the kicker was the very man she’d been hoping to exorcise from her mind was the one Master Nathaniel put in charge of her punishment. Karma really could be a cruel bitch at times.
