by Becca Van
Emma stood staring at Gary with her mouth gaping open and fire in her eyes. She opened and closed it a few times before audibly snapping it shut. She looked so damn cute Tank wanted to go over there and kiss the fire and breath right out of her.
“How did you manage to get your license and cash into the bodice of your corset, when you were with Andrew Mitchell?” Tank finally asked.
“Don’t change the subject,” Emma said.
“Answer the question,” Gary commanded.
His dangerous tone of voice seemed to startle her into honesty. “I didn’t.” Emma licked her lips. “He did. I don’t know why he put money in the pocket, but I remember him saying that he needed to have my identification in case he was asked for proof of identity. If I had been more cognizant I would have tried to escape when we got to the club, but it was like my mind was filled with fog. I was in so much pain I could barely manage to draw breath, let alone be aware of my surroundings.”
Gary pulled Emma into his arms, being careful not to put any pressure on her back, and held her against his chest. Tank saw her shudder, and Gary moved his hands down her sides and placed them on her ass, which was one of the only places on her back side besides her legs and arms that wasn’t marred by the whip. “It’s over now, baby. He won’t get his hands on you again.”
Emma visibly relaxed and leaned against Gary, seeming to draw some of his strength, and finally moved back a step.
Emma stood up straight and gazed into each of their faces in turn. When she met Tank’s eyes, he saw how conflicted she was, and it was all he could do not to hug her, the way Gary had.
Instead he stood his ground and watched her. All of them had learned to read body language when they were in the military. Every little twitch and nuance was a tell to him and his friends. The skill served them well at the club, especially with someone like Emma, who wasn’t good at hiding her reactions. He found her very easy to read. From her body’s reaction earlier, he knew she was just as attracted to them as they were to her. She’d responded to their lusty stares, and right now she responded beautifully to their dominance.
“I’ll go,” Emma said. She lowered her gaze. “You saved me. And I don’t actually think you’re…like him.” Seeming to remember how mad she’d been, she straightened again and gave Gary what she no doubt thought was a mean look. “But you should have asked me first.”
As soon as Emma heals, Tank thought, all bets are off. Emma was the perfect submissive for all three of them and he couldn’t wait to tap into the passion she had buried deep down inside her.
Jack walked over to Emma and took her hand in his. He looked down into her brown eyes, giving her a gentle smile. “Let’s go, sweetie. The sooner we have you settled, the sooner you can rest.”
Tank moved up to her other side and took her free hand in his. Her skin was cool and her hand so small that his large palm and fingers engulfed her flesh. She was a delicate little thing, therefore he and his friends were going to have to be very careful with her, once they finally got her into their beds. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her any hurt.
Gary took the lead out of the room and headed for the internal club door. Tank, Gary, and Jack had chatted with Turner and Barry while Charlie had been helping Emma get dressed. Turner and Barry had both agreed with them that Emma would be safer staying in their secure house and would be leaving after breakfast was over. Then they had each arranged for some time off from their various jobs. Tank had no trouble since he was part owner of the club with Barry and Turner. It had taken some fast-talking for Jack to arrange for vacation time, and although Gary had finagled some leave, he was still going to be spending some hours at the precinct as he and his colleagues gathered more information on Mitchell and tried to hunt the fucker down.
Now all they had to do was convince Emma they were the men for her. After what she had just been through with that sadistic bastard, Mitchell, that was easier said than done.
* * * *
Emma couldn’t understand why she wasn’t kicking up a fuss as she let Jack and Tank lead her down the hall. For some reason she felt safe and cared for, and she wondered if she’d had a mental breakdown after being kidnapped and whipped by Andrew Mitchell. But she pushed that thought aside because she knew she was lying to herself. She was physically attracted to the three big men but vowed they would never know it, although she wasn’t sure if she had been as adept as she’d tried to be at hiding her arousal earlier.
Emma felt her eyes widen when they led her out the door and across a massive room. There were sitting areas screened off around the space, and a bald delivery guy in a brown uniform was unloading cases of bottled water behind the bar. Tank gave him a wave as they passed. But what snagged her attention the most was the weird-looking equipment she could see through the glass wall to her right, as well as the areas where the strange furniture and benches were out in the open. She glanced over the dance floor in the middle, and on the far side was a stage which had chains secured from hooks in the ceiling. They dangled down near the middle of the dais. She shuddered with fear because she knew how it felt to be chained up with no escape. When her eyes snagged on an X-shaped device and what looked like a padded saw bench, her shiver of fear turned to one of arousal. She could just imagine bending over that low bench with her ass in the air and masculine hands caressing her flesh.
Good God, girl. Are you crazy? You don’t want these three men spanking you.
Do I?
She tried to push her crazy thought aside but then she remembered the many books she had read.
Since Emma indulged in reading erotic romance and a few of those books had been about BDSM, she knew what some of the equipment was for even if she didn’t know the correct terminology for it. The only thing she knew the name for was a St. Andrew’s Cross, the X-shaped apparatus which stood in a room behind the glass wall. Other than that, the furniture just looked like benches. Maybe that’s what they are—spanking benches. A shiver worked its way up her spine, causing her to shudder and making goose bumps rise up on her skin. Her nipples pebbled into hard little points as if begging to be touched, and her breasts swelled and ached. She could just imagine being tied down to one of those things and having a hand connect with her ass. What would it feel like to give up complete control, to have a man—or men—dominate my body with the goal of giving me pleasure?
The hands holding hers seemed to tighten slightly, and she surreptitiously looked up to Tank and Jack from beneath lowered eyelashes to find them watching her. They both had grins on their faces, and Emma wondered if they had been watching the whole time they walked beside her.
Shit, you are going to have to learn to keep your thoughts and feelings better hidden, girl. She scolded herself for even feeling attracted to the idea. She would never allow herself to be in a helpless situation again.
Like you’re not helpless now. Oh sure, she’d agreed to go with them, but she’d seen the look on Gary’s face when she refused. Dominant men like these would have their way with her.
She shivered. Why did that turn her on so much?
Emma pushed those thoughts away as they neared the two large wooden doors. Gary opened and led the way out into the foyer of the club. Moments later she was outside standing in the parking lot and looking at three large trucks. Gary unlocked the black truck and opened the driver’s door. “I’ll take the lead. Jack, you take Emma with you and Tank can bring up the rear.”
“Are you expecting trouble?” Tank asked.
“No. I don’t think he’ll make a move when there are three of us. Just make sure you keep a lookout for a tail. See you at home.”
Jack guided Emma over to the navy truck and opened the passenger door for her, and Tank moved off to the red truck. She was about to try and climb up into the massive vehicle, but she didn’t get the chance. Jack’s hands gripped her waist and lifted her effortlessly, and then he climbed up onto the running board and buckled her in. His arm accidentally brushed against her breast,
sending pleasure zinging down to her clit from her nipple. She didn’t move until the door closed, and he walked around and got into the driver’s side.
“Are you okay, sweetie?” Jack asked as he followed Gary’s truck out the drive and onto the road.
“Yes.”
“You’re very quiet. Are you tired, Emma?”
Emma stifled a yawn and then realized that she was utterly exhausted. Why, she didn’t know, since she’d only been awake for a few hours.
“Yeah.”
“When we ask you a question, sweetie, we expect you to answer honestly.”
Emma turned from the window and looked at Jack. He glanced at her but then concentrated on driving.
“I did.”
“Yes, you did, but when I asked if you were okay, you didn’t tell me you were tired. When a Dom asks a sub a question, he expects a full answer, not a half one. So instead of replying yes, you should have said ‘yes, but I’m really tired.’”
Emma found herself speechless, and not for the first time today. Jack took in her expression with a glance, but he seemed to misunderstand the reason for her shock. “Are you familiar with the idea of Domination and submission?”
“Yes. I mean, no. I mean—I’ve read about it, but I’m not interested in it.” For good measure, she added, “I’m not a sub.”
“Oh you definitely are, Emma.”
“How can you tell?”
Jack spoke as if he were considering his words carefully. “Our experience with Domination isn’t from books. One thing I’ll tell you for sure. No true Dom would harm his submissive. Tank, Gary, and I believe that women are to be loved and cherished. When we share a sub, she screams in pleasure, not pain.”
Share. He said they share. She wondered if that was why they all lived in the same house. It had to be. Emma’s head was spinning. It was all too much to take in.
“If you wanted to find that out for yourself,” Jack continued, “you could.”
“What?”
“You can let go around us, honey. We would never hurt you.”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Emma snapped and looked out the side window again.
* * * *
Jack didn’t push Emma any more. He had planted the seed in her mind and he would leave it at that. What she needed the most now was rest and some TLC, and he and his friends were just the men to give it to her.
He knew they were going to have to be careful with Emma and not push her too hard or fast, but she already seemed comforted by their touch. That would help her heal.
Once she did, she’d be back to her normal, healthy, feisty self, and he couldn’t wait for the sparks to fly.
Twenty minutes after leaving the club, he parked his truck in the garage and, after waiting for Tank to park next to him, he got out of the truck. Jack didn’t bother to walk around to help Emma down because he knew Tank would beat him to it, since he was already at Emma’s door.
Gary had already opened the internal door to the house and switched the alarm to home. Jack joined him and whispered for Gary’s ears alone. “I’ve planted the sub seed.”
“How did she take it?” Gary asked in a low voice.
“About as we’d expect.”
Gary nodded that he understood and then headed toward the kitchen with Jack on his heels. Tank led Emma inside and then followed behind. Gary was already dealing with putting coffee on. Jack got mugs down but kept glancing over to Emma as she looked about. Once the coffee was made and they were all seated, Gary began to talk.
“That call I got back at the club was from one of my colleagues. It seems Mitchell is off the radar. He’s probably hired a car and is using an alias. He must have had cash stashed somewhere because there have been no alerts set off on his credit cards.”
“Damn,” Tank muttered and then turned to Emma. “What do you know about Mitchell, honey?”
“Um, not much. He didn’t talk about any family, just about some of his buddies.”
“Did he mention any names, baby? Do you remember where the warehouse is or what type of car he was driving?” Gary took a sip of coffee.
“I don’t know,” Emma sighed and gripped her mug with both hands as if trying to absorb the warmth. “I can’t seem to think straight at the moment.”
“Don’t worry if you can’t remember right now, sweetie. Your mind just isn’t able to cope with the terror you experienced. You need to rest, Emma.” Jack reached over and cupped her cheek. “Finish your coffee and then I’ll show you to your room.”
Emma nodded and although she tried to hide by lowering her eyes, Jack had seen the moisture in them. He glanced at Gary and saw the concern in his eyes, too.
Jack knew it was going to take time before she got over what she had experienced with Mitchell. He realized she was probably going to be more emotional than she usually was for a while. There were dark smudges beneath her eyes, and he could tell by the tight lines around her face that her back was hurting her again. He just prayed that she didn’t end up with nightmares as a result.
Time would no doubt tell them how deeply she had been affected by her kidnapping and torture.
Chapter Five
Emma lowered her head and leaned back in the chair. When her back connected with the piece of furniture she pulled her lips tight, trying to hold in her gasp of pain. Bad enough that she felt useless after not being able to answer Gary’s questions. She didn’t need to mess up the bandages Jack had put on her back.
She couldn’t understand why she was feeling so emotional, but for some reason the kindness these three big, muscular Doms had shown her was getting to her. Emma had been independent for such a long time, and now that other human beings were offering her comfort and compassion after such a traumatic experience, she was barely holding it together.
Will I ever be able to laugh again? Will I be able to put this behind me?
Jack’s voice drew her from her pity party. “I’ll show you to your room, sweetie.”
She took a deep breath as she tried to regain control of her emotions and blinked rapidly to dispel the moisture which had gathered in her eyes before she looked up.
Emma took Jack’s hand and clung to it as if he was the only lifeline in a tumultuous storm. He must have felt her tension because he released her hand and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he guided her from the room. He didn’t say anything as he led her upstairs and down the hallway to the room at the end. If she hadn’t been hanging on by a thread, she would have looked around the room and taken in her surroundings. But all Emma wanted to do was curl up on the bed and bawl her eyes out.
“Emma, look at me,” Jack demanded in a firm voice which made her flinch. In all the time the three men had spent in her presence she hadn’t heard that tone of voice from him before, and she wondered if she had somehow pissed him off.
“Now, Emma.”
Emma raised her eyes and couldn’t contain the tears any longer. They streamed down her face but she stood frozen, too scared to move, knowing if she did that she wouldn’t be able to stop from shattering into a million pieces. And then she was in his arms. Jack bent down and swept her from her feet, cuddling her against his muscular, warm body. She turned her head and buried her face in between his pectorals and let go.
She cried for her loneliness and for her dead family and didn’t stop there. She kept right on crying, getting all the fear and pain she had endured over recent days out of her system. God knew how long her jag lasted, but by the time her tears finally slowed down to the occasional hiccup, Jack’s shirt was soaked where her head had rested.
And even though she knew she probably looked like something the cat had dragged in, she felt so much lighter, as if the weight of the world had lifted from her shoulders. At the same time, she was utterly exhausted. Her eyelids felt like they were swollen, and they burned from her binge.
Emma became aware of the silence in the room as she calmed. Jack hadn’t said a thing since she had started cr
ying. He hadn’t tried to placate or stop her crying with meaningless platitudes. He had just continued to hold and support her.
“Do you feel better, sweetie?”
“Yeah.” Emma drew in a ragged breath and finally sat up, wiping the moisture from her cheeks.
“Do you want to talk about it, Emma?”
“No.”
“Okay, but if you change your mind you come to one of us. Okay?”
“Okay. I’m sorry I got your shirt all wet.”
Jack cupped her face between his hands and then leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “I’m not. You needed to get all that turmoil out of your system. You can cry on me anytime, Emma. Now, how about a nice, hot, relaxing bath?”
Emma pushed to her feet and headed toward the bathroom. She had been yearning for a bath or shower ever since she had woken up that morning. Her skin felt grungy, and she didn’t think she would ever feel clean again.
“I’ll take that as a yes, then.” Jack followed her into the bathroom.
Emma was bent over the tub turning the faucets on when she felt Jack’s presence behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to find his eyes glued to her ass. When he finally lifted his gaze to meet hers, she felt nearly singed by the heat that was in his eyes. Her breasts swelled and her pussy clenched, causing cream to drip out onto her panties. Why did he follow me in here? Is he going to watch me bathe?
Jack must have seen the question in her eyes because he began talking.
“I’m going to make sure you don’t get those cuts wet, Emma.”
“I’ll be fine, Jack. You’ve already put the waterproof bandages on them.”
Jack leaned back against the vanity, crossing his legs at the ankles and his arms over his muscular chest. His biceps bulged beneath the sleeve of his T-shirt, and the muscles in his abs rippled as he moved. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart rate escalated until she felt like she had just run a mile. How did these three men get to her so quickly? She’d never responded to such blatant masculinity or to such alpha men before. Why did her body have to sit up and take notice now?
