by Abby Blake
Adrian shook his head and gave them an exaggerated horrified look. “You mean you actually want one of those? Look around you. Look at all the lovely subs just waiting for you to play with them. Why would you want to limit yourself to only one?” He shook his head sadly, his teasing grin ruining the effect. “Can you believe this guy?” he asked Malcolm.
Malcolm shook his head and smiled. “Sorry, Adrian, I’m with Alex on this one. Finding a wife as honest and as dedicated as Emma—even having to share her with another man—sounds pretty good to me.”
“Hell, that might sound like fun to you two old guys but I’m enjoying life way too much to get lumped with a ball and chain just yet.”
The three of them laughed quietly and turned their attention back to the scene where Jace and Logan were tormenting their sub with soft floggers, alternating between soft gliding caresses and sharp, stinging hits. Emma shook with arousal, a low moan escaping her as Jace flicked the leather strings over her open pussy lips again and again.
He stopped to caress her clit, encouraging the swollen red bud to peek out of the labia protecting it. Satisfied he moved away and resumed using the flogger. Emma’s hips moved instinctively, bucking against her restraints as the tiny stings moved closer and closer to her most sensitive flesh.
She gasped, her breath catching as the soft strings slapped over her clit again and again and again. It was obvious to every trained Dom in the place that she was desperately trying to hold back her orgasm, waiting for her Doms’ permission like a well-behaved sub should do. But it was equally obvious that Jace and Logan intended to push her past her endurance and then punish her for coming without permission.
They’d both been devious Doms separately. With them working in tandem, their sub didn’t stand a chance.
She screamed and shook violently, every muscle in her body seeming to quiver in different directions, her eyes nearly rolling into the back of her head as orgasm pounded through her and both of her Doms continued to torment her with sensation.
They forced her to come twice more, the satisfied smiles of the men proving that they knew their sub would enjoy every moment of the “punishment” to follow.
Even several feet away from the scene area, Malcolm could feel the love flowing between them. Clearly Jace and Logan both adored their wife and had found a lifestyle that suited all three of them. It might not be exactly what Malcolm had visualized for his future, but it was pretty damn close.
* * * *
Adrian watched the scene long enough for Emma to orgasm and then wandered away from his brother and the head of security for Viper’s Dungeon. He had some thinking to do, and despite the fact that the age difference between them no longer seemed so large, there were still times he felt like Alex’s kid brother.
Of course he’d been the one to bring age into the conversation so his mental state was his own fault, but it still didn’t erase the discomfort he felt.
Even as the words about settling down had come out of his mouth—an opinion he’d held for a long time—he’d realized they were no longer true. Somewhere in the past twelve months his attitude had changed. He probably wasn’t ready to get married and raise kids just yet, but at twenty-eight the mutual pleasure he found with an experienced sub no longer held appeal. He loved the Dom-sub style of play practiced at Viper’s Dungeon, but now he also wanted a connection, a chance to talk to the woman outside of their Dom-sub roles. Maybe even take her on an old-fashioned kind of date.
He glanced at his watch, surprised to realize it was almost two in the morning. He’d worked later than he’d intended, but with the club taking up more of his hours than his small accounting practice this time of year his body clock was seriously messed up.
His stomach rumbled loudly, almost as if his body was reminding him that his favorite baker was about to start making bread. He bypassed the area where the unattached subs gathered, waved to his brother on the way past, and headed out the front door.
Chapter Two
Sophie drove slowly down the small laneway, her headlights illuminating most areas where a thug might try to hide. It wasn’t that this was a dangerous area—well not anymore now that the local drug cartel had been shut down—but it was still prudent for a woman alone in the middle of the night to be careful.
She wasn’t really surprised to find Adrian Copeland waiting at the back entrance of her small bakery. He’d been there every morning for the past eight work nights. If he hadn’t been a regular customer and a friend of her cousin’s, she might have been a little worried, but it was rather nice to have someone to share a quiet coffee with as she set up the kitchen for the day’s baking.
She’d never really understood what an accountant was doing awake at two in the morning, but it had always seemed a little rude to ask.
“Good morning, Adrian,” she said as she climbed out of her car. There was no denying that she felt safer on the short trip from her car to the back door of the bakery with Adrian Copeland around. He was a big guy, and even covered in three-piece suits she could tell he worked out.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he said as he stood back to give her room to open the door. “Did you sleep well last night?”
“Always do,” she answered truthfully. Since setting up her small bakery a little over three years ago she’d fallen exhausted into bed almost every night. At first it had been a wonderful challenge, and a good distraction from her failed marriage and subsequent divorce—but lately she’d been wondering about the rest of life.
She’d married young with the intention of having children first and then following her dreams of opening a small bakery store. She’d done everything backward thanks to a very painful divorce but at twenty-seven she was starting to wonder when she would find the time to fit a man into her life now, let alone a couple of kids.
“You okay?” Adrian asked suddenly.
She nodded, not really trusting her voice. Adrian was the closest relationship she had at the moment, yet it was clear that he considered them only friends. She only had to look into a mirror to know the reason why. Gorgeous, ripped, successful men did not date women with too many curves and not enough time.
As much as she might like to fantasize that a guy like Adrian Copeland might want her, she was realistic enough to know that it was more likely the coffee and cake that he dropped by to sample.
“Sophie, if I’m getting in the way please tell me. I realize that you’re really busy this time of morning.”
“No,” she said quickly, panicked that this might be the last time he joined her for coffee. “I’m glad for the company. I just…” She searched her brain for a plausible explanation that didn’t involve the embarrassing truth of her mooning over a man way out of her league. “I…um…just hope that you don’t think I’m rude when I continue working. I just”—she shrugged—“need to keep moving or the bread won’t bake on time.”
“Beautiful, you could never be rude. I doubt you have a mean bone in your body.” He used the endearment so casually that she assumed he used it on every woman he met. It suited his alpha-type personality perfectly.
She wasn’t quite certain how to respond to that, so she gave him what she hoped was a warm smile and reached for two coffee mugs. “The usual?” she asked, already knowing the answer but using the question to hopefully change the subject.
* * * *
Adrian watched Sophie as she nervously made coffee for both of them and wanted to kick himself. For eight of the past nine days—Sophie didn’t open the store on Tuesdays—he’d sat here and talked comfortably with a smart, intelligent, and delightful woman. Today she was obviously picking up on his change in attitude.
There was no doubt in his mind that the beautiful baker was the reason for his sudden realization that he no longer wanted to play the field. Simply put, he wanted the woman in front of him.
She finished making coffee for them both, handed one cup to him, and then moved toward the ovens, following her usual morning routine.
It seemed almost ludicrous that with all of his dominant tendencies and the easily accessible, submissive women falling at his feet at the club that he would somehow want this woman. But want her he did.
“You know, you don’t have to drop by this early. We can have coffee together any time of the day.” She blushed as she glanced at him. “I mean it’s nice to have someone here in the dead of night but I don’t need a big brother looking out for me.”
Big brother?
Was that how she saw him?
“I’m usually up this time of night,” he said, trying to ignore the tightening in his gut. Was it truly possible he was falling for a woman—a non-submissive woman—who saw him as nothing more than an overly protective, big brother type?
“Oh,” she said, blushing a shade darker as she glanced at him. “I um…okay. I was just worried that you were…” She let her words trail away as she headed back into the pantry. He was on the verge of following her in and demanding an explanation for what she really meant when she came back into the kitchen with several more items in her arms.
“This time of year,” he volunteered when it seemed she wasn’t going to say anymore, “is pretty slow taxation-wise, and most of my clients are small business owners who’d prefer to meet after hours, so I tend to do the bulk of my day’s work late evening.”
“I suppose that makes sense,” she said as she measured out ingredients. “Maybe I should transfer my account to you. My accountant insists on meeting during the day. It’s okay once the baking is done, but the sandwich counter can get pretty busy some days and it seems unfair to leave Nessie to cope alone.”
Adrian smiled at the mention of the woman who worked at the front of the store during the days. She was a sweet older lady with a slightly devious streak. She’d grilled him for details on his life nearly every day that he’d come into the store before one day calling for Sophie’s help—even though she hadn’t really needed it—and then introducing them to each other before insisting that Sophie take care of his order.
She’d done it a couple of times before apparently giving up on her matchmaking efforts. She probably didn’t realize that Adrian was dropping by in the mornings. Sophie seemed the private type when it came to the relationships in her life and he couldn’t imagine her sharing the details with anyone else.
Which just made his attraction to her even more confusing.
If she was his sub, he’d strip her naked, tie her to a St. Andrew’s cross, and display every delectable inch of her for all to see. And then, just like Logan and Jace had done for Emma, he’d kiss every part of her in reassurance, perhaps cover her soft skin with the marks of his flogger, and then bring her to orgasm over and over while every member of the club watched on in envy. He’d claim her so thoroughly that she’d know without a shadow of a doubt that he loved her.
That final thought nearly knocked him off his feet.
Love?
True he was attracted—very attracted—to her beautiful curves and soft smile. But love at this early stage? Why was he even thinking in that direction when a relationship deeper than mere friendship seemed unlikely?
* * * *
“I’ll be with you in a moment.”
“No hurry,” Alex said, raising his voice slightly to be heard as the front door closed behind him. There was usually a sweet older woman named Nessie working behind the deli counter, but he was fairly certain the voice hadn’t belonged to her.
It had become a habit over the past twelve months for him or his brother, Adrian, to drop by this deli and bakery store each morning to pick up some lunch. Neither of them were particularly good cooks so fresh deli sandwiches and baked goods had become their standard midday meal. Most nights they ordered takeout from one of the local restaurants.
“How can I help you?”
The voice was deep and husky, sexy as hell, but it was the woman it belonged to that had his cock sitting up and taking notice. Embarrassed—he hadn’t had such a physical reaction to a woman since he’d been a horny teenager—he cleared his throat and tried to remember why he was here.
“I just…um…” He didn’t have a clue what he’d planned to order. Everything remotely resembling coherent thought had vanished from his head.
She gave him a friendly smile and stepped up to the sandwich counter. “You must be Alex.” He nodded warily, uncertain how she’d come to that conclusion. The town wasn’t that small. She glanced at what seemed to be a handwritten list and then reached over and grabbed wholemeal bread rolls. “The Friday usual? Nessie would be very upset if I got your order wrong.”
“Um…yeah. That’d be great.”
He hadn’t realized he had a “usual,” but judging by the woman’s swift movements, she knew exactly what he liked, how he liked it. He nearly groaned when the only thought to cross his fried brain was to wonder if she’d know what he liked, when he liked it when she was on her knees and he was feeding her his cock.
She was beautifully curved, her clothes and baker’s apron hugging the type of luscious beauty his most intimate fantasies were made of. He cleared his throat again, and sent a silent thank-you to the weather for being cold enough to need a jacket long enough to cover the erection that wouldn’t quit.
Fuck.
He was an experienced Dom and owner of a fetish club. He saw naked women all the time. He shouldn’t be reacting like this to a woman who was not only fully clothed and wearing a hairnet, but also had a streak of flour across one cheek. But, oh, how he wanted to lean over and wipe it away as an excuse just to touch her.
She finished making his sandwiches, bagged up a couple of glazed fruit pastries, and gave him another friendly smile. “Anything else today?”
He almost ordered—he seemed incapable of social niceties with all of his blood having flowed south—her to have dinner with him, but at the last moment noticed the plain gold band that she wore on her left hand.
Alex managed to swallow the words, his disappointment that she belonged to another as confusing as every other reaction he’d had since he’d walked in the door. Yes, she was the type of natural beauty he definitely liked, but they didn’t even know each other. How could he be mourning a relationship that had never even begun?
It took another half second of staring at her blankly for the words she’d spoken nearly five seconds ago to finally coalesce in his head.
“Uh, no thanks. That’s it for today.”
She rang up his purchases and took his money, her smile seeming a little forced as they came to the end of one very strange encounter. He almost heard a sigh of relief as he headed for the door, and had his fingers on the handle before it even occurred to him to enquire about Nessie’s absence.
The woman, flour still smeared high on her cheekbone, gave him another friendly smile.
“She’ll be back in half hour or so,” she said with what he interpreted as relief. “It’s grandparents’ day at the local elementary school. The timing sucks, of course.” She rolled her eyes heavenward. “Any other week and I would have been able to cover the counter this time of day anyway, but I’m catering a big wedding tomorrow so I’m up to my eyeballs in preparation.” She looked ready to tell him more, but then blushed a pretty shade of pink, took a deep breath, and then nodded. “I hope you have a good day.”
“Will do,” he said automatically, glad at least that something was normal with him. “You, too.”
He fumbled with the door handle and almost growled at his lack of coordination. Hell, if the subs at Viper’s Dungeon could see him right now, he’d never earn back their respect. By the time he made it to the footpath, he was practically aching with need, his cock so hard that he considered skipping his lunch appointment with his br
other for a little alone time.
That last thought finally broke through the strange reaction and made him laugh out loud. Since when did he fall all over himself over a pretty girl? The world was full of pretty women, and the last thing he needed to be doing was fantasizing over someone else’s wife.
“Hello, Alex,” a woman said, her voice reminding him that he was on a public street and wasn’t alone.
“Nessie,” he said, again grateful for the cold weather and long jacket. “How was grandparents’ day?”
“Wonderful,” she said with a happy lilt in her voice. “Did I ever tell you I have the most beautiful, intelligent, kindest grandchildren ever born?”
Alex laughed, his strange conversation inside the deli taking on a surreal quality now that he was outside and dealing with reality. “I’m fairly certain you’ve told me that at least once a week for the past year.”
“Only once a week?” she asked in feigned horror. “I shall have to be more vigilant. A woman with the most amazing grandchildren in the world needs to spread the word.” She winked at him and laughed heartily. “I see Sophie took care of you.”
He almost mumbled “I wish” before polite manners and good sense kicked in. He nodded instead.
“She’s single, you know.”
“She wears a wedding ring,” he blurted before he could really consider how significant it was that he’d noticed.
“Only to scare the men away,” Nessie said in a conspiratorial whisper. “She’s been divorced for nearly five years.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said with a wink of his own. “You have a good day, Nessie.”
He grinned when she nodded.
Thanks to her conversation his day was certainly looking up. Now if he could just find a way to act like a grown man and not a horny teenager next time he spoke to the woman.
