by Jane Jamison
“So what do you boys need? A tour? A breakdown of the rules? Introductions to members?” She leaned against the wet bar and crossed her legs at the ankles.
William couldn’t help but wonder what she’d do if he pushed her on top of the couch and had his way with her. If the kiss was any indication, she’d spread ’em wide and welcome him home. He started toward her, acting on his impulse, but Gage beat him to it. His older brother had a habit of sensing what he was about to do then acting first.
“How about we take up where we left off?” Gage swept an arm around her and tried to bring her to him, but she was out of his arms and scurrying away like a frightened cottontail rabbit.
“Not a chance, cowboy. We got off to a strange start, but I think we’d better stick to a professional relationship.”
“Aw, darlin’, don’t be that way.”
Of course, he agreed with Gage. “Yeah. Why can’t we have a little of both? Besides, you’re supposed to show us how the Dom/sub thing works, right? There’s no reason we can’t start the lessons now, is there?”
She held up her hand like a stop sign. “There are plenty of reasons, but the biggest one is the same one I mentioned to Paul. I’m probably not the best one to explain it to you. Unlike most of the wait staff, I don’t get into doing the sex scenes. I don’t have a Dom.”
“Who said we wanted you as our sub?”
William wouldn’t have put it the way Gage had with a rough tone and all, but that was his brother’s usual reaction whenever he got ticked off.
“Good. Then we have an understanding. I don’t want to be your sub and you don’t want to be my Doms. The only thing we have to worry about is you two understanding what it means to be a Dom.”
“We’ve been to other clubs.” He didn’t want her to think they were as inexperienced as Paul had made them sound. “Not as Doms, but enough to see what goes on.”
“Okay.” She was about to sit on the couch before she jerked back up, obviously thinking twice about getting cornered sitting down. “That’ll help, but Pleasure Ranch is different. We have a lot of repeat customers, people who live and work in the area. Those are the bulk of our membership, but we do get others from out of town. Both women and men, by the way.”
Gage slid into one of the nearby armchairs. “Is that why you don’t play? You’re not a submissive, so you must be a dominatrix.”
“Wrong again.” She motioned for William to take the other chair.
He plopped down, enjoying the discussion more and more. “So if you’re not either one of those, what are you? I mean work-wise?”
She finally took a seat. “I’m what you call a waitress. Ever hear of one?”
Her smug smile was filled with a sauciness that had him aching to have her even more. “Just a waitress?”
Her smugness morphed into irritation. “Not just a waitress. There’s no such thing. Every waitress I ever knew could outwork a ranch hand any day of the week. Especially when you consider that a lot of them are raising families with no help from any man.”
“Whoa, girl.” Gage reared back as though she was about to strike him. “Don’t go getting all riled up. It was a simple question.”
She squirmed in her seat, mollified for the moment. “Okay, so we’ve got my role figured out. What’s yours, anyway? Do you want to become full-time Doms? Or just help out whenever Paul or Destin ask you to?”
She was direct and he liked it. Too many women played games. “We’re ranch hands first, but Paul wants us to help out at the club, too. Besides, it’ll be fun. A lot of fun if you’re our teacher.”
“So you two haven’t actually gotten into a scene with anyone? You’ve only watched and didn’t touch?”
She was playing with them, baiting them as Gage had tried to bait her.
Gage cleared his throat. “So far we’ve mostly watched. But we’ll get the hang of it fast enough.”
“Yeah,” interjected William. “We’re visual learners.” He was pleased when she almost laughed.
She settled back into her chair. Her expression remained coolly neutral, but he got the feeling that she was enjoying herself. A lot.
“Hmm. So no scenes yet. That’s interesting.”
Gage put his ankle on top of his knee. He was trying to act like she wasn’t getting to him, but he was failing big time. “Look, darlin’, we’ve fooled around with some of the tie-the-girl-up fun, but—”
“But not as real Doms. Have I got it straight?”
William tucked his head, ready to see smoke pouring out of Gage’s ears at any moment. He should try and diffuse the tension between the two of them, but then why bother when it was so much fun to watch?
“No.” Gage scowled. “Not as real Doms, but then again, it’s all just sex. How hard can it be?” He lifted his lip in a half snarl, half smile that was filled with a dare. “Not hard if you’re as good at sex as we are.”
She was up on her feet and fisting her hands on her hips. “How hard can it be? Let me put it to you easy-like so you can understand. As a Dom, it’s your responsibility to keep the woman”—she slid her gaze up and down Gage—“or man, as safe as possible. All while giving her, or him, just what they need. Being a Dom means you need to take charge, but you have to listen to the submissive. You have to know how they want to be handled. Do they like getting spanked? Do they want a little slap and tickle or something more? Are they ready for resistance play where things can get rough and emotionally scary? Are they looking for sex, too, or just someone to take control so they don’t have to? Your job isn’t just to fuck and run, but to give your sub the release she needs and the pleasure she craves. If you do it right, then you both get more joy from it than you’ve ever experienced. Each sub is different. Each relationship is different. It’s the finesse that counts.”
William was glad he wasn’t on the receiving end of her glare. Unless, of course, the glare led to better, more exciting things.
“That’s the hard part.” She eased back, once again taking her seat. “You have to be sensitive.” Again, she scanned Gage, her expression darkening, daring him to come back at her. “You need to pick up on her nonverbal clues. You have to be able to see the truth on her face and, if she’s holding back, taking more pain than she should in order to please you. The problem is I’m not sure you have a sensitive bone in your body.”
Shit. It was a toss-up on which one of them would blow first. “Eva Marie, let’s take a step back. That’s why we’re here and that’s why Paul’s asked you to help out.” He shot her one of his winning smiles, counting on his dimples to do their work. “We know we’ve got a lot to learn, but what better way than to learn from someone with experience? Don’t count us out yet.”
“Afraid you can’t take it?” She lightened up just enough to joke.
“Darlin’, you can ride us as hard as you want.” Gage’s smile was filled with a promise and a threat. “As long as we get to ride you just as hard.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, cowboy.”
“He doesn’t mean it that way,” lied William. “Let’s all take a breath and chill.”
She seemed to calm down, but he needed to keep Gage calm, too. Just as he thought he’d averted an explosion, Gage came back on full attack status.
“Besides, from what I’ve heard, you can’t talk much. You know how it is. Those you can, do. Those who can’t, teach.”
“Damn it, Gage, shut the hell up.”
But his brother wasn’t one for doing what he was told. “Seems to me you don’t know much more than we do. After all, you don’t do scenes so how the hell can you?”
“Fuck, Gage. Shut the hell up.” The expressions on both of their faces told the story and gave him a surprise. They were obviously angry, but they were just as obviously turned on.
He started to get up, to put himself between them. Not that Gage would ever come to blows with a woman, but he wouldn’t have blamed her if she’d hauled off and hit him. Maybe, just maybe, if he could block
their flame-thrower gazes, they’d calm down.
Instead, he stayed where he was, too mesmerized by the interaction to break it up. They stayed quiet, neither one of them moving or speaking, like the calm before the storm.
At last, it was Eva Marie who broke the silence and the tension. “You have a point. Although I do get into some short scenes that involve spanking, fondling, and more. But never any real sex. My pussy and my butthole aren’t up for public consumption.”
“Sounds like you don’t think much of your fellow coworkers.”
She gaped at Gage. “That’s not true. The people, especially the women, who work here are terrific. It’s my personal choice. That’s one of the best things about working here. Everyone chooses what and how much they’ll do.”
William groaned. Once Gage got going, trying to stop him was like trying to stop a full-grown grizzly bear.
Talking about it didn’t sit well with her. She wasn’t embarrassed, but she didn’t like it, either.
“I’m here to do a job, and as long as Paul’s asked me to do this, then I’m going to do it the best way I know how. Is that okay with you? Or do you want me to ask Paul to get someone else to help you? Someone who’s had more real experience than me?”
“No, we don’t want anyone else and we appreciate the help.” He whacked Gage on the arm. “Isn’t that right, bro?”
Gage had a temper, but he was also a reasonable man. He hated like hell to do it, but if he was wrong, he was a big enough man to admit it. “Yeah.” He cleared his throat as though the words had gotten stuck in his throat. “As for what I said—”
“Don’t worry about it.” She drew in a long, slow breath. “A Dom and sub have to take time to get to know each other. They have to learn what they want and how far they want to push each other. Getting to know each other’s limits is very important.”
William relaxed a little. “Hey, I see what you did. You just taught us our first lesson.”
She gave him a look that said she knew he was trying to help her. To take her side over Gage’s. At least, for a while. “Thanks. But first things first. Do you want a tour of the place?”
“We don’t need another one. Destin gave us one the other day. He showed us all the equipment as well as the cameras and the security room where the men watching the monitors hang out. We’ll be holding up some of those chores, too. Seems like a pretty good setup.” William was glad to have the conversation back on an even keel. For a while, he thought they might’ve started World War III.
Taking his turn at as a monitor, one of the men who manned the surveillance cameras, was the one part of the job he wouldn’t like. Sitting in a room watching a bunch of screens and looking for any signs of trouble felt more like a night watchman’s kind of job. Sure, watching what went on would be interesting, but he preferred to keep moving, not sitting in a hard chair. It was difficult enough to work indoors.
“Okay. And you know the usual rule most clubs have? Safe, sane, and consensual?”
“Yup,” answered Gage. “Only makes sense.”
“And we understand that no means no. Or whatever safe word is used here.”
“We use the colors of a traffic light. Green means go, yellow means things are getting touch and go, iffy, and red means stop right away.”
He could listen to her melodic voice night and day. As long as she kept talking and wasn’t about to tear Gage’s head off, he was good. Her voice was lyrical, light yet not too high in pitch to get irritating. It had a sexy huskiness, like she’d just come awake after a long night of using her mouth for more carnal acts than talking.
“About the only things we need to know from you, from our assistant, is the mechanics of it all. How hard to spank, how far the girls will go. That kind of thing.”
William grimaced at the word assistant and realized Gage may have started to apologize before, but still hadn’t calmed down enough not to push her.
If Eva Marie’s eyes could go any colder, she would’ve frozen Gage’s cock off. Knowing his brother had said it just to get her riled up didn’t help matters any.
She smiled, chilling William to the bone and he wasn’t even the one she’d directed her icy smile to. “I am not now nor am I ever going to be your assistant. Get that straight.”
He had to hand it to Gage. He couldn’t have acted as innocently as his brother. Then again, he wouldn’t have pulled that shit with her. Resisting the urge to whack his brother again was hard. Was Gage trying to ruin it for them? Some women responded to that kind of baiting, but he didn’t get the impression that she was one of those kinds of women. Hell, she wasn’t like any woman they’d ever known.
“Don’t let him get to you, Eva Marie. Like you said. He’s just pushing you to see how far you’ll let him go.”
Her green gaze darted his way, then back to Gage. “He isn’t bothering me. Still, don’t call me your assistant again.”
“Sure thing, darlin’.”
Scowling, she picked up the desk phone and punched a button. “Hey, Wilson, it’s Eva Marie.” She paused as Wilson spoke. “That’s right. Paul asked me to help out. Anyway, would you please send Belinda to the first private room? Paul’s name’s on the door. Thanks.”
“What’s up?” Was she bringing in reinforcements?
“Belinda’s one of the girls who enjoys doing scenes. I thought I’d ask her to demonstrate. If that’s okay with you.”
“Sure.” William jumped in, nixing any plan of Gage’s to keep pushing her. Still, he had to hide his disappointment. If he’d had a say in the matter, he’d have chosen her to demonstrate. “Sounds like a plan.”
The door opened and a woman peeked her head around the door. “Did you call for me, Eva Marie?”
“Hi, Belinda. Come on in. This is William and Gage Langham. They’re new ranch hands who’ll also be helping out around here. If you don’t mind, they’d like to try a little spanking session with you. Isn’t that right, boys?”
William stood along with Gage. “Whatever you say, Eva Marie.”
Belinda giggled, then skimmed her shiny red fingernails along Gage’s arm. The red of her fingernails matched the red of her recently dyed hair. “I was hoping I’d get a chance to play with you two.” She flicked her tongue over her upper lip. “Just so you know, I’m up for everything and anything.”
“Take it easy, Belinda.” Eva Marie opened the nearby black box and took out fur-lined handcuffs and a short black paddle. “They’re newbies.”
Eva Marie tossed the cuffs at William. “Let’s get a feel for how well you can handle yourselves. What do you say?”
If his brother was thinking along the same lines he was, then he would’ve liked to put the cuffs on Eva Marie and not Belinda. The girl was pretty with a great body, but she didn’t have the vitality, the spunk, or the raw sexiness Eva Marie had. Instead, hers was more of an unattractive, lecherous, I’m-going-to-eat-you-alive vibe. They’d already seen Belinda scoping them out like she was a vulture and they were fresh roadkill.
“No problem,” added William as he searched for a way to turn her down. But what could he do? They were only doing what Paul wanted them to do.
Eva Marie stuck out her arm, offering the paddle to Gage. “And you can do the spankings.”
“Fine with me.” And yet they both stayed where they were, their lack of action not matching their bravado.
“Like I said, Belinda, they haven’t had any real experience working as Doms. No actual hands-on experience, anyway, so it’s up to you to help direct them.”
“Okay. I understand.” She batted her eyes, a seductive glint sparkling in them. “Don’t worry. I’ll be gentle.” She flicked her tongue over her lips again. “But that doesn’t mean you have to be gentle with me. In fact, I hope you’re not.”
“Go on, boys. Make her day.” Eva Marie took a couple of steps, giving Belinda room to move forward. “Remember. You’re in charge of her happiness. Giving her what she needs and wants is what gives you pleasure. And giving yo
u pleasure is what makes her happy. It’s a two-way street at all times. Got it? And don’t forget about the safe words.”
“Sure.” William took her hand, then the other. After a moment of indecision—behind or in front?—he tugged her wrists together and clapped on the cuffs.
* * * *
Eva Marie exchanged a look with Belinda and hoped Paul, Wilson, or someone had filled her in on what was expected. Sometimes Belinda wanted to take things too far. She was a good waitress and had worked at the club for a while, but her personality had taken a shift lately, getting more and more desperate to hook up with permanent Doms as well as find men who would marry her and let her live off their incomes. “Take it slow, Belinda.”
“Do you want my clothes off, masters?” Belinda gave them a coy look, then swept her hair off her shoulders and turned just far enough that William could undo her halter top.
“Sure.” William popped the snap and let the straps fall.
Belinda had a terrific body and breasts any woman would be proud of. Eva Marie had seen her naked often while doing scenes for and with members. The girl was more comfortable out of her clothes than in them.
William and Gage stood there as though they had no idea what to do. But their gazes knew where to go. Their appreciative and hot looks locked on Belinda’s bare breasts.
Haven’t these guys ever seen a girl’s boobs before?
Irritation swamped her, but not because they didn’t have the experience a Dom needed. No, the feeling she had didn’t have a damn thing to do with their lack of skills. But then what?
She shook it off. Determined to do a good job training them, she focused on what she needed to tell them.
Teach them. Even if it is with Belinda.
“Come on, guys. You need to tell her how great she looks. And touch her. Go on. She won’t bite.” She frowned. Funny how she’d gotten a little sick to her stomach. The more they looked at Belinda, the sicker she became. Was it something she’d eaten?
