by Lexi Blake
Flynn.
Flynn.
She liked Flynn better than John. Way better. She already had one too many Johns in her world.
What was she doing? She’d already kissed a Dom, and one who was in her training class. How was she going to feel when he got paired up with another sub?
She looked up ahead at the dungeon space they’d designated as the classroom for the night. It looked like there were four women and three men up ahead. She’d known it was a small class, but then Sanctum was pretty selective from what she understood. They tended to take in new members by referral only. She was here because of her sister.
Who did Flynn know?
Maybe he worked for McKay-Taggart. The club had founded around a group of ex-military men who formed a security company. It had been completely private for years, but now they were taking new members since they had a much bigger space.
Apparently the last space had blown up.
Maybe she didn’t want him working for McKay-Taggart. They had dangerous jobs. Maybe he was someone’s brother and he had a perfectly normal, didn’t get shot on a regular basis job.
She didn’t want him to get shot. She kind of wanted to kiss him again.
Focus. She needed to focus on the task at hand and that was not making a complete idiot of herself in front of the class.
She wished she’d talked more to the other subs. The prep class hadn’t been held on the dungeon floor. It had been done in the downstairs conference room and it had mostly been a lecture about safety. They’d been allowed to familiarize themselves with the equipment and explore the club. She’d spent the majority of her time talking to the woman who had led the class. Kori Williamson was engaged to the psychologist who’d approved them all for entrance. Unlike her very serious husband-to-be, Kori was fun and didn’t seem to mind that she sometimes talked way too much.
Kori wasn’t here today and she hadn’t gotten to know the other three women.
She put on a smile. She wouldn’t admit it but she was shy. One didn’t run a company and get to indulge her shyness. Her father had seen it as a weakness and done whatever he could to ruthlessly purge it from her. So she knew how to put on a confident smile even when she kind of wanted to run away. She pretty much felt that way at every board meeting and she knew all those fuckers.
The three women were standing to the side, whispering among themselves. There was a full complement of hair colors. The tall one was blonde and built like a swimsuit model. There was a petite redhead with a sweet smile and a curvy body, and a brunette who looked a bit like she should be standing with the Doms. She was on the severe side. If she had to guess, that woman likely worked for the security company. She had a military look about her.
The redhead gave her a wave. “Hi, Amy.”
Amy searched her memory. Redhead, she’d worn lace the first day but it hadn’t been racy. Lucy. “Hi, Lucy.” She glanced at the other two. They’d all been introduced that first class. Blonde like Dolly Parton. Jolene. “Jolie, it’s nice to see you again.” Brunette. Held herself like a queen. “Regina.”
Regina frowned. “How do you remember everyone’s names? Did you write them down? Because I didn’t write them down and I haven’t talked to you at all. I don’t remember your name and now I feel bad about it. I don’t like feeling bad about things.”
Jolie sighed. “Don’t mind her. She’s nervous. She doesn’t like feeling nervous either. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t like feeling much of anything.”
“Emotions are overrated,” Regina agreed.
“I use a mnemonic device,” Amy explained, grateful to be talking. “It’s one of those things they teach you when they’re training you to be in sales.”
Lucy nodded. “My dad was a salesman. Insurance. He had to go into a room full of people and memorize names very quickly.”
“I can never remember names,” Jolie complained. “But I think I want to memorize that man’s abs. I’m sorry. We were objectifying the men. Want to join us? Any idea why there are four of us and only three of them?”
“I’m not sharing,” Regina said. “I did that enough during my marriage. I told Karina this wouldn’t work. I’m not a ménage girl. Not if there’s another girl involved. I don’t like girls. I definitely don’t want to share a Dom with one.”
“I met the fourth one downstairs.” She was with Regina. She kind of didn’t want to share either. Not Flynn. It wasn’t her call. “I think there are enough to go around.”
“I don’t know. I think that one is totally big enough to share.” Lucy was eyeing the biggest guy in the room, a massive slab of muscle. “I’ve actually seen him before. He comes into the restaurant I work at every now and then. I think they call him Bear. Or is that one of those mnemonic devices?”
“That was his call sign in the military, ladies,” a deep voice said. Suddenly Wade was behind them, staring them all down. “Do I need to go over the club rules on gossip?”
The other three were quiet, though Regina was silent with a mulish look on her face. Lucy and Jolie suddenly seemed to find their feet really interesting.
So it was up to her. Every group of subs needed a ringleader. She’d learned that from Bridget’s books. It looked like that was going to be her. “We weren’t gossiping, Sir.”
Wade turned on her like a predator who’d recently figured out where his next meal was going to come from. “Then what were you doing, sub?”
Yep. All eyes were on her now. Awesome. Regina’s lips curled up in a snarky smile as if to say, yeah, newbie, get us all out of this one.
All the men were looking at her, including the truly gorgeous one who looked even better in leathers than he had in street clothes. Flynn joined the other men and damn but that boy worked out. He also had the steely-eyed thing down. He was staring at her, waiting for her answer.
There was nothing to do but answer him honestly. “We were objectifying them, Sir. Sexually.”
A laugh exploded out of Wade’s mouth but he quickly covered it by coughing. He shook his head as though that had been the last thing he’d been expecting. She could see the baby Doms all smiling.
With the exception of one. Flynn did not look amused.
Wade’s lips were still curled up, though his shoulders squared. “Ladies, these are men and they have feelings. You can not treat them like sexual objects.”
“I would like to be treated as a sexual object, darlin’,” the tall, lean one with sandy blonde hair said. “Don’t you listen to the big bad Dom. You objectify away.”
Wade rolled his eyes. “Let this be a lesson. Never ever let your brother talk you into being his training Dom. I’m already uncomfortable. Let’s get started. Once you’ve been partnered, I would like you to take the first few minutes of this class to talk to your partner about what you’re looking for from training. Over the next few days, you’ll develop your contract and begin to figure out how you work as partners. Rand, you are partnered with Jolie. Please go and sit down and try not to act like a dumbass.”
Rand strode forward and held a hand out to the lovely blonde. “Don’t listen to him, darlin’. He’s just irritated because I got all the looks in the family.”
Jolie was smiling as she walked toward the set of chairs that had been placed in the “classroom.”
Wade simply shook his head as he looked down at his clipboard. “Vaughn is a new McKay-Taggart employee. He works with the personal security unit, but he comes from LAPD. I think you’ll have a lot in common with Regina. She’s DPD.”
Regina’s eyes went wide as the very muscular Vaughn stepped up. Amy could practically see the tough cop arguing in her head that this was all wrong and she should walk out right now.
Amy leaned over. “Oh, you can totally take him. I’m backing you in that fight.”
Regina’s jaw tightened and the slightest spark hit her eyes. “You better. Hello. I’m Regina.”
Vaughn nodded her way as though he got she wasn’t ready for anything touchy feely. “Vaugh
n. Good to meet you. I take it you’re one of Brighton’s?”
“He’s my CO, but I’m good friends with his wife, who’s pretty much the most kick ass chick I’ve ever met,” she was saying as they walked away.
Two down. Two to go. Flynn was still standing across from her, his eyes intent. Was he thinking the same thing? Was he hoping she was his partner? Or was he praying Wade called out Lucy’s name with his?
She wasn’t normally insecure about her looks, but Lucy was petite and curvy, with a healthy rack. If Flynn was into big boobs—and most men were—he would probably prefer Lucy.
Or he might have totally changed his mind and decided she was a mouthy brat. Which she very likely was and then it would be for the best that they weren’t together because she wasn’t going to change that.
She intended to be respectful and follow the rules they agreed on, but if he didn’t like a little snark, she wasn’t the sub for him.
“Lucy, my dear, you’ve been paired with Bear, who has a very good story about his name,” Wade continued. “And that leaves Flynn and our resident brat. I call you that because you’re going to be trouble and now everyone knows it.”
Flynn stepped up, his face grim. “Nice to see you again, Amy.”
Wow, that seemed like it was so not nice to see her again. Damn it. Her mouth got her in trouble time and time again.
Lucy and Bear walked toward the chairs with Wade and she was left standing alone with a man she’d kissed not ten minutes before. She’d felt so close to him in that moment. Like they’d connected.
Not so now.
And she was stuck with him for six weeks.
“Nice to see you, too.” She flashed a smile. Cry on the inside, girl. “So we’re partners.”
“Apparently.”
So he was big on conversation. Maybe this was his Dom space. She’d been told some Doms changed when they walked onto a dungeon floor. They took on harsher personas. If he was this cold, she was in for a very chilly month and a half.
God, she’d hoped for some warmth.
“Should we join the others?” Maybe he would warm up once he got to know her. They could talk. Maybe he was as nervous as she was and instead of talking like an idiot, he got cold and unapproachable.
“We’re fine.”
She stood for a moment and for the first time she felt self-conscious about what she was wearing. She hadn’t minded at all earlier. She’d felt pretty. The way he was looking at her made her reassess.
And that kind of made her mad. This was supposed to be a safe place for her.
“Is there something I can do for you, Sir?” If he was cold, she could be, too. This was only a training class. She had to get through it to get to the good stuff. If she got stuck with an asshole Dom for six weeks, then she could handle it. She’d survived eighteen years in the home of a man who couldn’t stand her. She could handle this asshole for a brief period of time.
“You can explain to me why you’re here.”
It felt like a drill sergeant questioning a wayward recruit. Sir. Yes, Sir and all that. She straightened her posture, her spine becoming rigid. She’d done it all her life when she felt threatened. “I want to explore the lifestyle, Sir.”
“From what I heard a moment ago, I think you’re just looking to get laid.”
She stared him straight in the eyes because she wasn’t putting up with that and he needed to understand right now. “I’m here to explore my sexuality. That very likely means I will end up sleeping with someone. I would enjoy it if the partner was right. I thought this was the place I could do that without judgment. If I’m wrong and Sanctum has its double standards like the rest of the world, then please, Sir, let me know now so I can go home to my vibrator. His name is Oliver and he doesn’t judge me.”
“You’re very forthright.”
“I thought that would be to my advantage.” He wasn’t the only Dom in the sea. Still, she didn’t want to lose this opportunity. If she simply walked away she would have to explain it all to that big Taggart guy and he kind of scared her. She’d come here to have fun and maybe make some friends and not have to be the ball buster she had to be in her daily life. The last thing she wanted to do was put that off for another six weeks. “Look, I can easily see that you’re disappointed. I’m sorry you feel that way, but I doubt they’ll change the pairings. How about we sit down and make a deal? I want this chance. It’s six weeks. You only have to see me here in the club. I’ll be obedient and you’ll be respectful and we’ll get through the class.”
“There are homework portions to the class,” he argued. “And evenings we’ll be expected to spend together here at Sanctum.”
He wasn’t bending and she didn’t feel like charming him. She was so sick of having to maneuver her way through every second of the day. It was one of the things that appealed to her about D/s. There wasn’t supposed to be a ton of bullshit, but it looked like she’d stepped into it again.
She shoved aside her softer self and put on her CEO hat. Get things done. Even when the task was unpleasant.
“You don’t think you can stand to be around me for six weeks? I find that a bit arrogant when you know nothing about me. It appears to me you’ve already judged me and found me lacking. I don’t understand it. Maybe it’s your way of getting the upper hand. I believe you’ll find humiliation was one of my hard limits, Flynn. I’ll have a talk with Wade after class and explain the situation to him. Good luck.”
She turned to go. She would get dressed and have a long talk with Wade. There were things she couldn’t put up with. They’d chosen improperly for her. She couldn’t stand any man who had no warmth.
But he’d seemed so warm before. So giving.
Maybe that was how he trapped his prey.
“I was jealous.”
She sighed and turned. “Jealous of what?”
His cheeks had a slight flush. “You objectifying the other men. It bugged me and I know that it’s stupid because we’ve known each other for less than an hour.”
“I made a joke,” she stated flatly because that wasn’t an excuse. Not a good enough one. “And you made me feel like shit because of it. Is that the way you handle things when you’re jealous?”
“I don’t get jealous.” His voice had softened and he stepped toward her. That hard stance he’d taken relaxed a bit as his shoulders eased down. “I haven’t felt that way since I was a kid, Amy, and I didn’t handle it well. I’m sorry. I had an emotional response and I haven’t had one of those in a very long time.”
If they could be civil she would greatly prefer to take the class. As soon as it was over, she didn’t have to be close to Flynn again. She didn’t want a jealous jerk in her life. “I’m not something to possess or to punch when you’re feeling bad. I flirted with you pretty hard downstairs. Hell, I was excited about the potential of you being my partner. I did not like how you made me feel so let me apologize for flirting.”
His face fell. “Can we please start over again?”
Not until she’d made a few things clear to him. “I’ve been batted around all my life, Flynn. I’m not going to take it from a man I barely know. I need you to understand that if we’re working together, you can’t do that to me again. You do it again and I will walk away.”
“Hard limit,” he said with a nod. “How about I take a fist bump this time and we slow down?” He moved in and brought his hand up, his thumb swiping across her cheek. “Amy, I’m very sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry. Please forgive me and know I won’t do it again.”
He sounded so sincere. And why did she have to cry? She thought she’d purged that from her system a long time ago.
She nodded. “So maybe we can be friends.”
He held a hand out. “Friends who see each other mostly naked.”
She had to smile at that. She shook his hand. “All right.”
It was a start.
Chapter Three
“What happened to ‘I’m going to talk to Wade, Mitch?
I’m going to do the right thing and end this fiasco before it begins’?”
His brother didn’t even wait for the elevator doors to close behind him. He was yelling as he got off the private elevator that led to Flynn’s penthouse. He was dressed for work and still carrying his briefcase, a sure sign that he hadn’t even stopped at home before coming over for this particular lecture.
Flynn winced inwardly. He hadn’t exactly gotten around to telling his brother that the whole walking away from Amy Slaten thing hadn’t happened. It had been a full week and he’d managed to avoid this conversation altogether.
Now he was a little worried he was about to get found out.
Next week he would have his first night at Sanctum with his training sub at his side. He’d gotten his pick of nights and he’d selected Thursday because Mitch and Laurel didn’t play on Thursdays. He’d hedged his bets. Amy’s sister, Bridget, was on bed rest so he wouldn’t have issues there. He wasn’t sure the rest of the Daley clan would even know him by name. Everyone else at Sanctum had no idea that Amy and he owned companies that were involved in a feud. Oh, he was certain Big Tag had some understanding of it because the big guy seemed to know everything, but he wouldn’t come up and ask questions about it.
Mitch might be another story.
“She’s different than I thought she’d be.” Flynn had spent the five classes they’d had studying her mostly. Sure, they’d gone over contracts and how to behave in the club and started to explore the equipment, but mostly he’d watched her.
“Different how?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. She’s funny. She’s kind of weird.”
He liked her weird. That talking thing she did always amused him. Her stream of consciousness commentary when she got nervous led her in odd directions. Before the spanking class she’d spent fifteen minutes talking about how she’d read about spanking but had never actually had one before, and somehow she’d ended making a statement about snowflakes.
