by Cara Adams
“Mine didn’t either, but it’s much more important to understand her. Right now we don’t know much about her.”
“That’s not true. We both know we want her.”
Mason nodded. “All right. That’s fair enough. But we need to progress beyond our balls and our guts telling us something, to make it come to fruition. We’re Doms, not dickheads. We plan, we organize, we arrange stuff, and we do that so well because we do our research first and know what our client wants and needs. So what does Adelaide want?”
“That’s true. We don’t know, but we’ll ask her. First, though, when are we going to invite her out?”
Mason pulled out his cell phone and scrolled through his schedule. “Friday and Saturday we have a lot of clients booked. Sunday’s pretty light. Let me check what shift Adelaide is on during Sunday. Aha. She has nights. I guess we could do lunch.”
“Lunch might be better than at night time. There would be a lot less pressure on Adelaide. I mean, we could fuck her at any hour of the day or night, but lunch sounds a lot less threatening than at night. Lunch will be good,” said Wade.
“Okay. Tomorrow we’ll find a time when we’re free and can ask her out.” He scrolled through the schedule again and groaned.
“When is she on?”
“Nights. But we’re booked pretty solid from ten right through to nine at night. We’ve only got a couple of breaks. We’ll have to go looking for her on our break times.”
“That means getting changed out of our costume as well. But at least we can pick up a decent meal in the Stage Lounge if we’re not in costume.” Wade looked pleased at the idea of a hot meal.
“I guess. But let’s hope we can talk to her on our first break and not have to go through the process two or three times. I’m a Dom, not a mannequin in a store.”
“Hell yes.”
* * * *
All the party rooms were in use, the Stage Lounge was crowded, and The Dom’s Dungeon was busier than ever. Adelaide was glad because the more successful the club was, the happier the owners and staff were. More customers equaled better shifts, more tips, and hopefully, word of mouth would keep them growing. It also meant she was too busy to think about Wade and Mason. Her very first dungeon scene had been so simple, yet so fulfilling. She’d been ready to scream when they refused to fuck her, but actually looking at herself in a mirror was damn sexy. Not that a vibrator was as good as a cock. But fucking herself with a vibrator while two men watched was a whole new level of erotic.
However, she still wanted to sleep with them properly. It was just that she wasn’t ready to sign a contract to be their sub. She wanted to play another scene with them, but she wasn’t sure she could cope with not having them kiss and touch her a second time. It was a tricky decision because there were so many variables, and she was way too busy to give it the kind of concentrated thought it needed. Maybe tonight in bed she’d think about them. All that had happened last night in bed was that she’d gone to sleep wishing she could picture them naked and wondering what a kiss from either of them would taste like. She thought likely that would happen again.
Adelaide wondered if she was hallucinating when Mason and Wade approached the reception desk. Was she just imagining them because she’d been thinking about them every chance she got? Both were in street clothes, which was weird because the rosters indicated a long day in their dungeon today. They’d been on duty for hours before her shift began, and they weren’t due to finish for a couple of hours yet. Quickly she brought up the schedule on screen, and sure enough, she was correct. But then she noticed they were actually on a break right now. She was still surprised to see them in street clothing. Maybe they were coming to tell her they were leaving the building briefly?
Why would they do that, though? There was all the food and drink anyone could ever want right here. And it was way too late at night to do a little shopping or visit the bank. She shrugged. She’d find out soon enough. They were heading right toward her. She stood up and smiled and asked the standard professional question. “How may I help you?”
“We were hoping you’d come out to lunch with us on Sunday. Are you available then?” asked Wade.
The schedule was up on her screen, but Adelaide already knew she was still on nights on Sunday. She suspected they’d checked before picking the day and time.
“I’d like that, thank you.”
“Where would you like to go?” asked Mason.
“Haven’t you chosen somewhere?” She thought the person asking usually chose the venue.
“We hoped you’d tell us somewhere you’d especially like to go.”
Adelaide stared at Mason. She had no idea what to suggest. She hardly ever ate out. There was plenty of food right here and an excellent range of choices. More than she could ever get tired of. “The only place I can think of is the Cupcake Factory, but I don’t think men ever go there. Cupcakes are kind of girly I guess.”
“If you want to go there, we’re big enough and tough enough to do it,” said Wade.
She laughed. “I wouldn’t ask that of you. How about the Aardvark instead?” It was the only other place she could think of. It was a family restaurant, reasonably priced, and very popular.
“That’ll be great. Is noon okay? Can we pick you up?”
Pick her up? That meant telling them where she lived. Did she want to do that? After all they were Doms. Likely they could find out her address if they wanted to anyway. But no, she didn’t want her roommates talking about Wade and Mason. She didn’t even know if they were going to be friends yet. She didn’t want anyone asking her questions before she decided for herself what she really wanted.
“I’ll meet you there.”
Mason nodded. Wade said, “We’ll see you at noon on Sunday then, Adelaide.”
The more Adelaide thought about the situation, the more she realized that a lunch date was a good idea. Her body craved punishment in the dungeon. She knew many people came to the dungeon for a regular appointment with a Dom. They were fulfilled by being punished by someone who understood their needs. But she suspected a lot of those people were perfectly happy in regular relationships outside the club. They had partners, families, jobs, which satisfied them apart from the need for punishment.
Whereas, her case was different. She wanted a Dom of her own. Someone who knew all about her and could complete her in every aspect of her life.
Besides which, Dom Wade and Dom Mason aroused her sexually. For a lot of the people who came to the dungeon on a casual basis it wasn’t about sex. It was about being punished by someone who understood them. Hers was a dual need—sex and punishment together. The Dom’s Dungeon rule about no sex unless the sub and Dom were committed to an ongoing relationship was logical. That was a good way to lessen the risk of emotional pain. But Adelaide couldn’t contemplate a relationship with a wolf. Or a possible wolf. Maybe if she got to know them better, she wouldn’t have this irrational fear about shape-shifters. She’d understand them as the humans they undoubtedly were, rather than worrying about their exact species.
Yes. A date. How cool was that? It’d been a while since she’d been in a relationship. Adelaide had dated Trey all through high school and college. She’d always assumed they’d get married one day, when they both had proper jobs. Trey had been her first real boyfriend, her first lover, and the only man she’d ever lived with. When he took a fly-in-fly-out job on an oilrig, he’d said it was short-term just to make enough money so that they could get married. She’d been prepared to accept that even though she missed him terribly the three weeks he was away. Seeing him for one week in four was quite a challenge. So often there were things she wanted to talk about with him, but saying them weeks later seemed weird.
Then he’d suggested they could save even more money if she moved out of their apartment and in with a group of other women. Trey packed up all his things and stored them at his family’s home. Obediently Adelaide moved in with three other friends who were looking for a fourth perso
n to help pay the bills.
Only now, when he came home, it was almost impossible for them to spend long periods of time together. Her apartment was filled with her roommates and their friends. His family wanted to spend time with him when he was at their house. When Adelaide had to scroll through her calendar to work out when Trey was due back home again, and then sit and think for hours to remember the last time they’d been really alone together, just Trey and her, she understood the relationship had ended.
At first she’d gone to bars and parties with her roommates, but that lifestyle didn’t interest her. She didn’t want a one-night stand. She wanted someone she knew inside-out and could talk to and share her life with. That’s when she found the BDSM club, made friends there, got the job as a receptionist, and saw Mason and Wade. Now she knew she wanted them. If only they weren’t fucking wolves!
Chapter Three
“This is hopeless. They really need a bigger parking lot. Make that a much bigger parking lot. Here, let me get out and I’ll go inside in case Adelaide’s already there.” Wade waited for Mason to stop the car, which had been crawling really slowly up and down the rows of the parking lot for the past five minutes while they tried to find a vacant space, and then jumped out.
“Save me a seat. Likely I’ll be there in a millennium or two,” Mason called after him.
Wade snorted. Yeah. It might have been easier to park at The Dom’s Dungeon and walk. It was only a couple of miles after all.
He jogged through the parking lot and into the Aardvark restaurant. He wasn’t surprised it was full. Hell, he and Mason had been looking for a parking space for long enough to work that out. But the noise level inside was deafening. That he hadn’t expected. He stood in the foyer and looked around. There were people everywhere. Grandparents tottering through the crowd holding onto their grandchildren’s arms for support or trying to get their walker frames through the narrow aisles. Children wiggling through crowds, diving under the tables, and screaming with delight on a slide that ended in a ball pit. And every age group in between. The tables were packed tightly together, and most of them were crowded with patrons.
He stood still, deliberately blocked out all the noise and movement around him, and concentrated his gaze on looking for Adelaide. He scanned the crowds inch by inch, twice, until he was absolutely certain she wasn’t there, and only then did he allow himself to relax and lean against the foyer wall waiting for her. Likely she and Mason would meet up in the parking lot going round and round trying to find a space.
The good news was they’d be able to talk quite freely. There was zero likelihood of anyone being able to overhear their conversation. Also they’d be sitting really close together. He could touch her thigh, her hands, and no one would comment in such a crowded venue. The bad news was that being together assumed she and Mason eventually found somewhere to leave their cars where they wouldn’t be towed away.
He wondered if she’d deliberately chosen the Aardvark so they couldn’t talk, but decided likely not. She really hadn’t seemed to have a favorite restaurant. Well, apart maybe from the Cupcake Factory. That was interesting. It hinted to him that she didn’t go out a lot. Unless her previous boyfriend had always taken her to the same place and she didn’t want to go there anymore. She didn’t seem to be mourning an ex-partner, though. And he’d never heard anyone talk about her boyfriend the way they did when people were in relationships. It was only natural to ask after partners they’d met when they were picking up staff coming off shift. He’d never seen anyone meet Adelaide even when she finished the late shift, which didn’t end until one in the morning.
Hmm. Maybe she’s been alone for a while. I wonder how I can get her to talk about that.
The huge crowd around the cash registers had thinned out somewhat, and he saw Adelaide walking toward the building. Wade straightened up from where he’d been slouched against the wall and moved closer to the entry to greet her as she arrived. Way back on the far side of the parking lot, he saw a figure he thought was probably Mason hurrying toward the building. Excellent. They’d likely just have gotten a table when he arrived.
He took her hand as she walked in the door, and they joined the line to be seated. “Did you get a parking space all right?”
She smiled at him. “It was easy. Someone was pulling out right by the driveway as I arrived. It was perfect. They pulled out, and I took their space.”
“Nice. Well done.”
“I didn’t realize it’d be this crowded. I mean, I know it’s popular. That’s probably why I thought of it. I remembered one of my roommates, Nerida, talking about it.”
“How many roommates do you have?”
“Three. The rent was raised, and they decided they needed an extra person to help pay the bills. Since I…um…was looking for a new apartment. I agreed to join them. My room is really small. I mean reeeeally small. But I don’t have a lot of possessions, so it’s mostly okay. I keep my out-of-season clothing in my suitcases, so it works out all right.” She shrugged and smiled.
“Table for two?” asked the girl at the podium.
“Three please. My friend is parking the car.”
The girl grinned at him and said, “Good luck with that. Sunday is our busiest day.”
“Yeah, I guessed.”
A server stood beside them and said “Follow me” before diving into the crowd. Wade indicated for Adelaide to go first and then followed them. The server moved nimbly between people and tables, dodging running children and other servers carrying trays of food. Adelaide seemed fine following her, but Wade was worried if he took his gaze off the floor he’d step on a child and if he didn’t watch the server he’d get hopelessly lost. It was a strange feeling for a werewolf Dom to experience. Usually he was completely in control of his environment, his experiences, and his life. Right now, it was all a bit of a crapshoot.
The server led them to a table with three chairs, against a partition wall and a potted plant, and handed Adelaide three menus. “Just catch the attention of the server for this area when you’re ready to order,” she said and disappeared.
Adelaide looked at him. “Catch their attention? I don’t think calling out will work.”
He shook his head. “Nothing short of dancing naked on the tabletop would work, and even then likely no one would notice.”
She giggled. “We’d better watch the door for Mason, or he’ll never find us.”
Yeah, Wade thought that, too. He’d been busy complimenting himself that there were two of them. One to park the car and one to care for Adelaide. But right now, buried in the middle of the restaurant as they were, poor Mason might never find them. At least they were against a partition wall. He stood up, turning his back to the wall. “I’d better stand up so I can look for him.”
She said something that even his acute werewolf hearing couldn’t decipher over the background noise, but he assumed it was just agreeing with him, as she seemed happy. She picked up one of the menus and began to read it. Mason should have just about arrived, he thought. The man was hurrying, and it’d taken a few minutes for them to reach the head of the line and be escorted to their table. He looked first in the foyer area and didn’t see him then tried to see through the big glass doors, but there were too many people blocking his view.
I hope he can see me. I’m batting zero trying to find him.
Crash! The sound, incredibly loud, was glassware hitting the tile floor. Instantly the entire restaurant was dead silent, and all movement stopped. For several seconds it was as if someone had pressed pause and mute on a TV screen, and then a baby began to howl, a dozen people began to complain, and several servers raced across to one of the tables. People were moved out of the area, someone came running with a mop, bucket, and broom, and gradually the noise returned to the previous level.
But in the gap, Wade caught sight of Mason standing in the foyer. He waved but wasn’t sure whether Mason had seen him, so he remained standing.
Once the people from t
he table where a tray of glasses had been dropped were moved, there was an open line of view, and he saw Mason coming toward him. He waved again, Mason waved back, and he touched Adelaide’s shoulder and pointed. She’d dropped the menu on the table and was watching the drama unfold.
“Thanks for the drum roll to welcome me in. After the effort it took to find a parking space, I really appreciated it,” Mason joked.
Adelaide laughed, and Wade shook his head.
“Just be glad all those glasses aren’t being added onto our bill,” he said.
“Plus a huge tip for the poor server cleaning up the broken glass and spilled drinks,” added Adelaide.
“Hell yes.”
Adelaide handed them each a menu, and Wade looked at it curiously. There wasn’t as wide a range of choices as at The Dom’s Dungeon, but he’d noticed the serving sizes were generous and the prices fair. Besides, steak and fries and salad suited him. He’d be happy to eat it pretty much anytime at all.
A server was at the next table, and Adelaide waved at her to attract her attention, so they ordered promptly and then were free to talk. They had to lean into each other to hear clearly, but it meant they could be talking national secrets and absolutely no one would ever know. That was excellent because he needed to learn what was holding Adelaide back from agreeing to be their sub. They’d only had a single session together, but he knew it was what all three of them wanted. Did she think it was too soon? But how could that be? She’d chosen them as her Doms from all the Doms at the dungeon. No, there had to be another reason, and he wanted to know what it was.
* * * *
Mason had been hugely relieved when a large family group exited the restaurant and headed through the parking lot. He’d followed a couple of adults to their car and waited until they left, claiming their parking space. One row over, he noticed another driver, who he’d passed several times as he’d trolled through the lot, doing the same thing.
