by Avery Gale
Rissa couldn’t help herself, she started giggling so hard tears started trailing down her face, and soon the entire room was laughing with her. “Oh my God, you all are the best friends any girl could ever have. I am so lucky. Thank you for being here and just being you! I swear if you all had come in here all weepy and sappy, I couldn’t have handled it.” Grinning from ear to ear, she wiped the tears from her cheeks as Doc urged everyone but Mitch and Bryant from the room.
“Now, young lady, why don’t you tell me how you are feeling? I’d run these two out, but they’d just bust back in here, and quite frankly, I’ve gotten tired of replacing doors in this place. Damned men in this town are hell-bent and determined to know every little thing about their women.” Rissa’s eyes widened at the elderly doctor’s words. Did he just say their women? Oh boy…
Chapter Two
Rissa glanced nervously at both Mitch and Bryant, ducking her chin to her chest, then sighing, she answered, “I’m okay. I’m tired, and my shoulder is starting to throb, but my headache is better. When can I get out of here and go home? I have fish and a cat, well damn, unless Barney got so hungry he ate Wilma and Betty.” Big tears slid down her cheeks when she thought about her pets being left to fend for themselves for so long.
“Sweetness, we have been taking care of your pets, please don’t cry.” Bryant’s melodic voice calmed her instantly. Mitch was standing back watching and listening. Mitch Grayson’s empathetic listening skills often allowed him to hear the thoughts of those around him. How interesting that Rissa calms so quickly just at the sound of Bry’s voice…And who did she “see” before she woke up that she wants to talk to Doc about but is holding back? “Doc, we’ll be taking Rissa to Pomola while she recuperates. She’ll have round-the-clock care. Any idea when you might spring her?” Bryant purposely ignored her widened stare when he’d mentioned taking her to their cabin, and since it wasn’t up for discussion, he didn’t see any point in acknowledging her confused look.
“Well now, that does make a difference. If she was going home alone, I’d be more inclined to keep her a bit longer, but since I know you two knuckleheads aren’t gonna be lettin’ her outta your sight, I’ll get started on her paperwork, and you should be ready to leave here within the hour.” Turning back to Rissa, he added, “Clarissa Jean, you had a close call. Please listen to what these two tell you. They may be bossy bastards, but they’ll have your best interests at heart, I’m sure about that.”
Rissa smiled sweetly, then reached for his wrinkled hand. “I saw her…She sent you a message…” She knew she didn’t have to tell him who she was talking about, her Granny and Doc Woods had been best friends and the closest of confidants for as long as Rissa could remember. She’d always felt like their relationship was more than it appeared to be, but she’d never known for sure. She saw his eyes mist over before she continued. “She said to tell you not to hurry, she’d wait for you.” Rissa squeezed his hand, and the crusty old man just leaned forward and hugged her. When he finally straightened they could see he was trying to mask the emotion of the moment, but his soft smile betrayed him.
“I’ll be holding you to that, sweetheart. I’ll surely be counting on that, yes indeed.” He turned and quickly shuffled out the door, leaving Mitch and Bryant staring after him.
“What the fuck was that about?” Mitch was the first to speak. “I’ve never seen Doc look even remotely soft. Hell, that was kind of scary to tell you the truth.” He smiled at Rissa then raised an eyebrow in question.
Taking a deep breath before meeting his gaze, she simply said, “It was a message from my Granny.” Then, turning to Bryant, she asked, “Were you serious about taking me to your cabin? What about Barney and Wilma and Betty?” She didn’t have any intention of leaving her pets any longer than she already had. A part of her was hoping that he’d just told Doc that to help her get out faster, but another part of her was drawn to both of these men, and her Granny’s words kept echoing in her head…Stop hiding…Ask for help…Live out loud…Well, maybe it’s time to think about that…We’ll see…Right now I’m just so tired…
Mitch smiled as he watched Rissa’s eyelids slide down. She was completely exhausted, hell, she hadn’t even stayed away long enough for Bry to answer her question about her pets. “Damn, talk about wearing yourself out. What did you make of her conversation with Doc?” Bryant’s question brought Mitch back to the present.
“While she was unconscious, she saw her deceased grandmother. Her Granny practically raised her, and they had been very close. When she died a few years ago, Rissa went in to a tailspin…I’ll fill you in on what little I know about it later. Right now I’m interested in the messages from her Granny that were rolling around in her head just before she nodded off.” Nodding toward the door, he said, “Let’s step outside, we need to make some calls, and I’ll catch you up.”
Mitch quickly filled Bryant in on what he’d heard, and together they wondered what it might mean and how she might be planning to follow that advice. They made several phone calls getting everything set up for the trip to the cabin, and they’d already sent her cat and fish out to ShadowDance. There were plenty of people there to spoil the cat, and the fish were now enjoying the Kio ponds in the lushly landscaped area behind the Lamont’s mansion and ShadowDance Club known as “The Gardens.” Nobody thought the fish were going to miss that tiny fish bowl, likely they’d outgrow that oversized water glass before Rissa could retrieve them.
True to his word, Doc had Rissa dismissed within the hour. They’d gotten in touch with Jenna Lamont, Alex and Zach’s younger sister and their friend Colt Matthews’s fiancée, and she’d brought Rissa some clothes. The next-to-nothing dress she’d been wearing when she’d left The Club had been cut off her when she’d arrived in the emergency room, and even though neither Mitch or Bryant would have cared about taking her home stark naked, they were certain Nurse Ratchet, who was wheeling Rissa to the exit, wouldn’t have allowed it. Fuck, that woman was meaner than a junkyard dog that hadn’t been fed in a week. Since they’d heard tales about this same nurse single-handedly taking on Alex and Zach Lamont, they’d decided to be accommodating and just try to get Rissa to themselves as quickly as possible.
Bryant had moved his luxury SUV under the canopy so Rissa could avoid the light drizzle that had started about twenty minutes ago. They needed to be getting on the road quickly before the roads started to ice over, because as expected, the temperature was dropping quickly. They certainly didn’t want to be on the steep-sloping road leading to their retreat when the rain started turning to ice and then snow. “Are we going to stop at my house and get some more clothes? And I need some things from my medicine cabinet, too.” Rissa could tell her face had turned bright red by the sudden heat that flooded her, damned redheaded complexion. Sighing she just resigned herself to the knowledge that she would probably never overcome that particular curse.
Mitch leaned over and whispered in her ear, “It’s not a curse, Tink, your fair complexion is beautiful. Don’t ever think you are less than you are because we won’t allow it.” He just smiled at her quickly indrawn breath. “And to answer your question, everything you need is already at the cabin, we knew this was what we planned to do, so we had Jenna and Colt move whatever Jenna thought you might need yesterday. Your pets are being spoiled rotten at ShadowDance, so you don’t need to be worrying about them either. Matter of fact, the only thing you need to be thinking about is resting, minding us, and figuring out how you plan to explain your actions when the time comes.” He smiled, knowing he’d given her plenty to think about for the few minutes it took to transfer her from the wheelchair in to the backseat. They’d loaded every pillow they’d been able to find in all three of their apartments, so by the time he and Bryant had finished packing her in, she looked like she was sitting inside a bowl of marshmallows. She’d looked around her, giggled like a school girl, and immediately fallen asleep. Damned but she did look just like Tinkerbell, just a tiny slip of a thing, sil
ky red curls framing her face and cascading over the pillows. God in heaven she was gorgeous. Mitch looked up to see Bryant Davis looking at Rissa with a fool grin he was sure mirrored his own.
“She’s like a little fairy, she’s un-fucking-believably beautiful. Every time I touch her it’s like electricity is racing up my arm straight to my heart.” Then, looking up at Mitch, he said, “I have no idea what it means. I’ve never experienced anything like my reaction to her.” Mitch could tell his friend was genuinely baffled by his reaction.
“Tell me about it…Let’s get a move on, I want to be sure we can get up there safely. We need this time with her if we’re going to make this work, we have a lot of puzzles to solve first.” As Bryant pulled out of the hospital’s parking lot and headed out of town, Mitch spoke so quietly it was almost like he was thinking out loud. “And then we’ll need to figure out some creative punishments for her also.” And that is going to be no burden at all. I’m looking forward to it and my palm is just itching to spend some quality time with her bare ass.
Chapter Three
The painkillers they’d given Rissa before she’d left the hospital had done the trick, and she’d slept soundly all the way to the cabin. She had barely stirred when Bryant had lifted her from the backseat and made his way up the steep stairs leading to the cabin. Calling the home they had built into the steep side of a solid rock wall a cabin was a running joke among their friends. They’d incorporated elements from an old mine, shoring up anything they had thought might someday need the extra support, and carving and blasting away sections to make entire rooms that were lined with nothing but beautiful rock walls. All the showers looked like the water was falling over the sides of the rock in miniwaterfalls, and each shower had a built-in bench along one wall that had been smoothed out flat. The hot tub was big enough to seat ten people and had been fashioned to look as if had been a natural occurrence rather than a state of the art computer-controlled spa with underwater lighting and adjustable jets. The entire thing was custom made for everything from leisurely lovemaking to sexual Olympics. And damned if either of them could think of anything they’d enjoy more after their little charge awakened from her nap, too bad her shoulder bandages weren’t waterproof.
After stripping her, they’d tucked her in the huge bed of the master suite. Since Jenna and Colt were staying at his suite above The Club while they completed the new wing that was be added to the mansion, Mitch and Bryant would be taking over the entire cabin. Colt had made them promise he’d retain visiting privileges, particularly to the playroom, but he’d signed over his share of the cabin to Mitch and Bryant yesterday. Colt and Jenna planned to marry on Christmas Eve. Of course Catherine Lamont, Alex, Zach, and Jenna’s mother, was beside herself making plans. No doubt the wedding would be every bit as spectacular as the elaborate production she had pulled together for Alex and Zach’s marriage to Katarina.
Catherine Lamont was a force to be reckoned with when she set her mind to something. She’d managed to turn the gardens behind the mansion and the Lamont brothers’ BDSM club in to a wonderland of lights for her sons’ wedding. God only knew what she’d dream up for the wedding of her only daughter to a man she already loved like a son. Her husband, Daniel, was a multimillionaire many times over, but he’d been put to work just like every other ShadowDance employee when Typhoon Catherine had blown up the mountain to prepare for the festivities. While a part of Mitch dreaded the chaos and security nightmares involved with Catherine’s huge guest lists, another part of him loved to stand back and watch the woman work her magic. And now, with Bryant home, she’d no doubt enlist his engineering expertise to create something amazing that everybody would swear couldn’t be done, but she’d pull together without breaking a sweat.
Rissa’s shoulder bandages had been pared down to something that looked like an overgrown Band-Aid and a sling she was to wear whenever her arm started to ache. The bullet had already passed through Melita Sanchez before entering Rissa’s shoulder so it hadn’t done near the damage it would have, hell, if Mia, as she was known at ShawdowDance, hadn’t jumped in front of Rissa, moving them both to the side, the bastard would have nailed a perfect heart shot and Rissa would have been lost to them forever. Every time they’d talked about it both Mitch and Bryant had thanked God for this second chance, and they’d promised each other they would do whatever it took to make sure the sleeping beauty they’d tucked in upstairs gave this relationship every possible chance for success.
“How long do you think we should let her sleep?” Bryant had been pacing for the past half hour, and Mitch had been almost ready to shout his frustration when he’d looked up at the top of the stairs and seen her standing there wrapped in a floral robe they’d left on the bed for her. Her hair was a mass of uncontrolled curls and wisps framing her delicate features and her eyes were still sleep dazed, but she was without any doubt the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.
“I’m awake, well, mostly…” Bryant spun around at her softly spoken words and rushed up the stairs to her side.
“Sweetness, how are you feeling? Come on, let me carry you down the stairs.” With that he scooped her up before she had a chance to protest and moved down to the living room and sat on the sofa, positioning her on his lap so she was facing Mitch. Mitch picked up her small feet and placed them in his lap and was rubbing them for her before she even had a moment to realize how quickly they had both managed to get their hands on her.
“Wow, I didn’t even realize you’d moved, and all of the sudden I find myself down here…and…oh my God in heaven that feels so wonderful…Holy shit, I’ll give you a week to stop that…” She wiggled her toes as Mitch pressed his thumbs firmly into her arches. When the tingles traveled up her legs and she shifted on Bryant’s lap, her gasp and widened eyes told Bryant she’d discovered how aroused he’d become just being near her.
“That’s right, sweetness, that’s all for you and all because you are wiggling that sweet little ass of yours all over my lap. Now hold yourself still before I flip you over and fuck you right here on the sofa.” Bryant knew his crude words had surprised her. Most people assumed his quiet demeanor transferred to the bedroom, and nothing could be further from the truth. Bryant Davis was a Dominant to the bone. He loved the power exchange of a Ds relationship and took great pride in the pleasure and care of the submissives he played with. But he had known the minute he’d seen Rissa all of the other women he’d ever topped would fade quickly from his memory. Something about this woman electrified him. She made him want things he’d never even dreamed possible. He’d told Mitch they had to begin as they intended to go, so he’d wanted to establish a position of power immediately. Carrying her down the stairs had been as much about setting that ball in motion as it had been about conserving her strength. Every Dom worth his salt knew that carrying a sub was a great way to put her in the right mindset of their physical strength, and it also provided the close tactile awareness every sub craved because in his arms he could pull their tiny sub close to his chest, essentially surrounding her with his own body.
Rissa went instantly still, she knew the men wouldn’t hurt her, well, not physically, but she also knew her limits, and love just wasn’t in the cards for her. She’d seen too much of the dark side of men to believe in happily ever after, that was something that only happened to other women. For her, relationships with men had always been about her giving and them taking. She’d given up on finding Prince Charming long before Dylan Marshall and his beautiful partner had walked down the stairs of Bobby Murrell’s basement and found her naked in that damned cage. It had taken her weeks to regain her strength and stop smelling the stench that seemed to have become a part of her skin during those awful months. Shaking her head, she realized she’d been lost in her memories and hadn’t realized they were both just watching her. When she met Mitch Grayson’s gaze, she was startled by the storm clouds that darkened his eyes. He looked ready to come apart at the seams.
“Cage? A fuc
king cage? Somebody put you in a fucking cage?” By the time he’d spoken the third question he was nearly shouting, but Mitch was so mad he was literally seeing red. “Start talking, Clarissa. Right. God. Damned. Now.”
Chapter Four
Rissa started shaking all over and was immediately hyperventilating. Bryant pulled her close and started smoothing his hand down her silky tresses, attempting to calm her back down. Holy fuck, what was that all about? “Mitch, maybe you could notch it back a bit?” Looking up at his best friend, he sent him a scathing back-the-hell-off-now look. He had no idea what his friend had heard, but it had sent him straight to DEFCON I status that was for sure. Slowly Rissa seemed to be calming a bit, but her breathing was still much too shallow and fast. Bryant lifted her tear-stained face to his, “Slow down, sweetness. Breath in…and out…Slow it down or you’re going to faint or make yourself sick. Come on, breathe with me…That’s it, good girl.”
When she finally settled in, resting her face along his shoulder, he felt her breath float along his neck in warm wisps of air. He knew immediately when she’d fallen asleep by the change in her breathing, but he continued to hold her for long minutes simply because he was so filled with contentment with her nestled against him, knowing she’d trusted him enough to fall asleep in his loving care, filling a hole in his heart he hadn’t even known was there. He slowly stood up, trying to not jostle his precious cargo, turning to Mitch. “I’m going to take her back upstairs to bed and get her settled. Wait right here, we need to talk.”
Mitch had stood when Bryant had gotten up from the sofa and watched his friend carry Rissa out of the room. Jesus, what the hell? I can’t believe I scared her that bad, talk about proving every fear she had about my gifts right in one smooth fuckup! He was pacing the room, running his hands through his hair in frustration when Bryant returned with two bottles of cold beer and simply said, “Sit the hell down and talk to me.”
