by Marlee Wray
He poured a third shot then capped the tequila bottle and returned it to the cabinet. He didn’t drink the shot, though. Instead, he slid two white boxes out from a small handle bag. He held them out. She took the boxes, licking her lips.
She set them on the counter near her and lifted one lid. There was a gold filigree choker collar. It glinted in the light like Christmas lights. The clasp was engraved. She lifted it and read the word. Owned.
“So beautiful,” she whispered, her whole body tingling.
“Subtle. For school or outside,” he said.
She lifted it to put it on.
“Not that one tonight.”
She set it back in the box, touching it again before she slid it away.
She raised the other lid. Her stomach clenched nervously. Inside, there was a silk-lined black leather collar with a heavy silver ring in front. For a leash, she realized. No need to put the word owned on this one.
“Bring it here,” he said.
She did. After she handed it to him, she lifted her hair. He fastened it around her neck.
She turned and faced him. “Thank you,” she whispered.
He fingered the ring. “You say that like I did it for you,” he said, holding her gaze locked in his.
“Should I say ‘you’re welcome’ instead?” she asked lightly.
He laughed. “Not if you want to sit down this month.”
“I kind of love you,” she whispered.
“I’ve come a long way since last night when you hated me.”
Her heart ached a little. She knew it was too soon to break out the L word, but she’d wanted him to say something romantic in return.
He sent her in the living room with her nachos. She felt a little buzzed, the liquor hitting her hard and fast, and that made her nervous about making a mess. She grabbed paper towels to make a placemat under her dish. As he’d requested, she laid on her stomach with the shirts bunched at her lower back. She probably should’ve felt strange or self-conscious, but she didn’t. She bent her knees, and her socks became askew as she moved her feet while she ate.
She wondered what was taking him so long. When she looked up and over her shoulder, she found him leaning against the doorway with his arms folded across his chest. He looked so gorgeous and imposing.
“Did you eat?” she asked. She’d barely gotten through half of hers.
“Finish that. I’m waiting.”
“Oh. Okay,” she said, turning her attention back to her plate. She ate for a few more minutes, then sat up, perching on her hip. “That was really good. I’ll just wash this and—”
“Leave it.” He walked in and held out a hand. She took it. He pulled her up, but didn’t stop there. A second later, she found herself hanging over his shoulder.
“What?” she whispered.
He walked to the bedroom and dropped her on the bed. There were already leather cuffs waiting and some sort of rod.
She blinked, startled by the sudden shift.
“You remember your safeword?”
“Yes. Do you?”
He grinned. “I don’t need a safeword.”
“I meant—”
“I know what you meant. Take off any clothes that aren’t yours.”
“That’s everything… oh. You think you’re clever.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Which—you are. Why do you get to tease me, and I almost never get to tease you?”
“Because I can bench press you.”
She laughed, flipping off the socks by shaking her feet. “That makes you a bully.”
“Are you drunk, Kate?”
“I don’t know,” she said, emerging from his shirt and sweatshirt all at once. She lay back, looking at the top of the wall where it met the ceiling. “You’d think gray would be a dreary color, but this shade is so nice. It’s got a little bit of green or something lighter or warmer in it. Did you choose this color? Or like hire a decorator?”
“Fuck.”
“Okay,” she said, holding her arms aloft. “Tie me up. Or down. Both, I guess.”
“Are you playing?”
She tilted her head. “I’m ready to,” she said, holding her wrists toward him.
He laughed, shaking his head. He climbed on the bed. “You’re gonna make me a liar, kitten.”
“How so, Sir?”
“I said I’d never go vanilla in this room.” He reached over his shoulders, grabbed his shirt and hauled it forward and over his head in one smooth gesture. His naked torso was mouth-wateringly amazing.
“Remember when you said to me, ‘You’re so goddamned beautiful’?”
“No, yesterday was too long ago.”
“I liked it when you said that.”
“Shocking.”
“That wasn’t my point. I was going to say that I think that about a hundred times an hour when I look at you. I just don’t tell you.”
“Good,” he said, shoving off his bike shorts. “Keep that shit a secret.”
She bit her lip. “You’re kind of heartless.” Her eyes blurred with tears.
“Do not do that,” he said seriously.
She flung an arm over her eyes, trying to get ahold of herself. “I’m fine. I just need a minute.”
She felt the bed spring up when he rose.
“I said I’m okay. I don’t want—”
“No, you’re drunk and tired. Go to sleep,” he said.
She spoke again, but she found she was only talking to herself.
Chapter Eleven
Rory woke on the couch in the media room with ESPN still playing. He tossed the blanket aside and stood, flicking the flat screen off as he left the room.
Dawn was fast approaching. He didn’t even know what time her first class was. The darkness in him rose up. If he didn’t take her back to Yale for Friday classes, he could have her all weekend.
Lights flashed through the living room windows. Someone was in the driveway.
He walked to the window, not caring that he was naked. It was their problem if they saw him.
A minivan. What the hell? No one he knew would be caught dead driving a minivan.
A phone alert sounded, and he spun around. Kate was dressed in the alligator dress and her suede ankle boots.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Coming to find you. Good morning,” she said, giving him a quick kiss.
He caught her arm and pinned it behind her back, pressing her against him.
“Who’s in my driveway?”
“An Uber driver. To take me back to campus.”
“No fucking way.”
“I—what do you mean? Rory, I didn’t want to wake you. I—”
“Not another word, Kate,” he said, sweeping her feet out from under her and making her gasp. He dropped her on the couch. “Stay right there.”
He stalked into the kitchen to get his wallet. He had no idea what these guys charged for such a long drive. Would a hundred bucks cover it? He grabbed two hundred just in case.
He grabbed a pair of shorts from the closet next to the weight room and yanked them on. He went out the front door, leaving it wide open.
The driver was a middle-aged woman with a spiky haircut.
“Morning. Kate doesn’t need a ride. Sorry to call you out unnecessarily. For your trouble,” he said, handing her the hundreds.
“That’s—thank you!” she chirped.
He raised a hand in acknowledgement, striding back into the house. He flung the door closed behind him. She was standing in the middle of the living room facing the windows as the car in the drive pulled away.
“Did you pay her for not driving me?” she asked, sounding bewildered.
“For as long as we’re together, you better never get in a car with someone you don’t know. Or with a fucking college kid who can’t drink a couple of shots without getting wasted, for that matter.”
She scowled. “I’m not used to drinking. And I didn’t plan to drive anywhere. I
’m sorry if I messed up your plans for the night, but you’re being—”
He folded his arms across his chest, narrowing his eyes.
She took a step back and sat on the coffee table.
“I’m being what?” he demanded, his temper downshifting from a hundred to seventy.
“I didn’t know you considered Uber dangerous. I’m sorry you woke up to one in your driveway and me dressed and ready to leave without even asking you if it was okay.” She tucked her sleek hair behind her ear. “I have an early class. I thought I was helping.”
He didn’t want her to be reasonable. He wanted to fight. But his teenage girlfriend was on to him.
She’s not your girlfriend. She’s your pet, asshole. And if she out-maneuvered you, it’s your own fault since you taught her what to do.
“Master Rory?” she asked softly.
“Where’s your collar?”
“They’re both in my purse. I would’ve put the gold one on with my dress, but I didn’t want a stranger to see it and be tempted to take it instead of a fare. I guess I don’t completely trust strangers either.”
He took a deep breath and exhaled. “What time is your class?”
“Eight.”
He glanced at the clock. Still plenty of time to get her back before it started. Unfortunately.
He nodded. “Ten minutes,” he said, walking out of the living room.
A few minutes later, when he had jeans and a shirt on, she appeared in the doorway of the bathroom while he brushed his teeth.
“Do you want me to stay?” she asked.
He spit toothpaste in the sink. “Of course.”
“Then I’ll stay.”
He shook his head. “Half the fun is making you stay. If you volunteer I don’t get to prove I’m the Big Bad Wolf.” He rinsed the toothbrush and dropped it in the holder.
“I didn’t know you’d want me to stay another day. I thought you might have had enough of me after I got out of control and emotional last night.”
He kissed her and then slid her out of his way and went to the dresser to grab a pair of socks. He sat on the bed to pull them on. “That crack about college kids who can’t handle their liquor was a cheap shot. I’m glad you can get drunk off two tequila shots. You’re cute as hell when you’re drunk. I was serious though that I don’t want you in a car with a classmate who’s had a few.”
“Okay. And if you’re not tired of my being here, I can stay. I want to.”
He got up and went to her. He took her face in his hands and kissed her again, slow and deep. “I want you here, but I don’t want you to fall behind in school. You’ll go to class. I’ll go to work. I’ll come get you tonight or tomorrow.”
She nodded. “If I would’ve kept fighting with you earlier, would you have taken me back to school this morning?”
“No.”
She wrinkled her nose.
“Gonna keep fighting next time?”
“That or just come downstairs naked and lie down on the couch with you and see what happens. I bet you’ll let me skip class then.”
“Without a doubt.”
Chapter Twelve
Rory stopped at the desk to talk to Nikki. “Hey, beautiful, thank you for checking on Kate when you weren’t sure if she was okay.”
She smiled. “I’m really glad she’s okay. How did you know, Master Rory? Did you talk to her?”
So D hadn’t told her where Kate was. That was interesting.
“Yeah, I talked to her.”
“I hope she’ll be back to the club soon. She shouldn’t be out there on her own.”
“Agreed. Later,” he said, walking past the curtain and around the corner. He followed the curving aisle to D’s office.
D was at his desk. Shay and J were in the office, too.
“Hey, Rory,” Shay said, getting up to shake his hand. “Where you been?”
“I’ll catch up with you later. You mind if I interrupt?”
“No,” Shay said. He’d been about to return to his seat, but turned instead.
J, the prick, didn’t get up. Shay waited for a beat for J, then when J didn’t move, Shay walked out without him.
“This gonna be a group conference?” Rory demanded. “If so, I’ll call Shay back. Might as well get this shit out in the open.”
“J?” D said.
“Call him back if you want. Let’s see where Shay comes down on this. Might not be where you expect. Me, I’m staying to hear what you have to say for yourself.”
“J,” D said in that reasonable tone he always had when no one wanted to be reasonable. The corners of Rory’s mouth curved up, thinking that D would’ve been proud of Kate for sitting down mid-fight and taking the steam right out of his head earlier.
J folded his arms across his chest. That sobered Rory. J wasn’t his damn keeper. Or Kate’s really. She’d only been a member of the club a couple of damn days.
Rory glanced at the door. He could just walk out, and he wanted to. But he owed D more respect than that.
Man up.
“D, I owe you an apology. You’re a straight up honorable guy, and I pulled some shady shit to get around the club’s rules. I know you were trying to look out for her, the way you do for all of them.”
“Are you saying I wasn’t?” J asked.
“Maybe you thought you were. Maybe not,” Rory said.
“Why did you need her out of the club? So you can do whatever you want with no one watching? With that punk brutality you think works for you?”
“Come at me. Let’s see what works and what doesn’t.” Rory squared off, zero to sixty in seconds. “C’mon. Bring it. I’ll drop your motherfucking ass.”
“Whoa, what’s going on?” Shay asked from the doorway.
Rory pivoted a couple of inches to keep Shay in his peripheral vision. Shay would never jump him from behind, but he would try to stop him if he went for J and that could cost Rory if J made a move.
Rory really wanted J to make that move. He was never going to forget the mistake he’d made by leaving Kate with J and what she’d felt being in that office alone.
“The picture of control,” J said to D. “Still think she might be okay with him?”
“Step back, Shay,” Rory said when Shay entered the office.
“What’s up, J?” Shay asked. “He wouldn’t call you out for nothing.”
Rory didn’t smile, but he wanted to. Yeah, J, let’s see where Shay comes down on this, he thought.
“I baited him by calling him a punk, and here we are.”
“I doubt that,” Shay said. “What do you say, Rory?”
“Come on,” Rory spat. “Am I a little bitch who’s gonna pop off in D’s office ‘cause someone called me names?”
“So what’s it about then?” Shay asked.
J wasn’t gonna step up for a fight. Fucking pussy.
“What it’s about is I took D’s word for it that she’d be all right with this asshole. But she wasn’t.”
“What are you talking about?” J asked.
“Fuck off, man. I’m not D. This ain’t group counseling.” Rory turned his attention back to D, who hadn’t so much as slid his chair back an inch since fighting threatened to break out. Rory had to hand it to the guy. D was so cool, ice wouldn’t melt in his mouth. “D, am I out of the club or what?”
“No.”
“Appreciate it. So you know, D, I collared her.” Everyone in the room knew what that meant. Anyone from the club who wanted to get in touch with Kate for anything had to go through Rory.
“Understood,” D said.
Rory moved toward the door, extending a hand to Shay. Shay shook it, and Rory moved in.
“You ever need someone to have your back, say the word. I’m on your six,” Rory said, then dropped Shay’s hand. He didn’t wait for Shay to respond. For once, Rory just wanted to get the hell out of the club.
Chapter Thirteen
Rory had been home from the gym for a couple of hours when Shay texted,
asking if he could come by for a drink. Rory, who was on his second Scotch, welcomed him to come over.
When he got there, Shay’s brows rose when he saw the scuff marks on Rory’s skin.
“What happened?”
“No, nothing. There’s a gym I go to to spar. Those guys are legit.”
Shay smirked. “I guess that’s one way to blow off steam.”
Rory nodded, tossing some ice in a glass and pouring Lagavulin over it for Shay.
“D and J got a little taste of the mean streets of Baltimore today.”
Rory grinned. “Yeah, Princeton would’ve been proud.”
Shay, who’d seen both sides of Rory before, just shrugged his brows and sat down.
They drank and talked about foreign politics and its effect on the financial markets. Then they took shots at each other’s favorite basketball teams until they’d laughed themselves out.
“So Kate’s all right?”
“She’s fine.”
“About J’s office, what did she say happened?”
“Aw, man, come on.”
“Don’t act like you’re surprised,” Shay said. “You knew I’d ask. If a dom goes rogue, that has to be—”
“It was nothing like that. Do you think I’d have waited for an excuse like him calling me names if things had gone seriously sideways in that office? Get real. I’d have come to the club as soon as I found out, and you’d still be mopping up the blood.”
“So then?”
“J and I got into a pissing contest, and Kate got caught in the middle. It was no big thing.”
“Seemed like it was in the office.”
Rory finished what was left in his glass. “Let’s put it this way. She felt like she was mine and was looking for me to come get her. I was standing around with my dick in my hand, giving the system the benefit of the doubt.”
“The system usually works.”
“It does.”
“I didn’t think you knew her before.”
“I didn’t. Met her when you did.”
“So why would she think—?”
“Because people feel what they feel, especially nineteen-year-old girls who feel everything. And in her defense, she wasn’t wrong. She does belong to me, and I did come for her.”
