Their Temporary Sub [The Doms of Club Mystique 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Mardi Maxwell

  Logan did a fist pump then smiled at her. “We’re going to win, sugar.”

  Panting, Cassie clutched the edge of the center island. Brows raised, she looked at Logan. “Luc’s not interested.”

  “He’s interested. If he wasn’t he wouldn’t be thinking about spanking your ass tonight.” Logan smiled.

  “Logan, I like you and I’d like to play with you sometime but I won’t get involved with you.”

  Logan gave her an aggravatingly understanding smile before he framed her face with his warm hands. Looking into her eyes, he leaned down and kissed her. “I don’t know who hurt you, sugar, but we’re going to love you so much that you won’t ever want to leave us.”

  “I don’t want you to get hurt, Logan.”

  “I’ll see you at nine.” He gave her another quick kiss then walked out, whistling.

  Behind her the pantry door swung open and a feminine voice asked, “Is it okay to come out now?”

  Cassie screamed and spun around, one hand over her pounding heart. “Damn, you scared the hell out of me, Addison! Don’t do that!”

  “Hi, Cassie,” Addison said as she walked out of the pantry followed by Jenna.

  “What the hell is it with you people always sneaking up on a person?” Cassie asked, while she wondered if the entire family was hiding in the pantry for some unknown reason. “What were you two doing in there?”

  “Addison was looking for a can of spinach,” Jenna said.

  “We’re out,” Addison said, then giggled. “Of spinach, not the closet.”

  “So, Luc’s decided tonight’s the night to discipline you for the ice cream attack,” Jenna said. “Dang, that was fun. Even though we had to clean up the mess.”

  Cassie laughed then nodded, her mind already on the coming evening. She shrugged. “Yeah. I probably should be worried about what the dominating duo have planned but no matter what they do it will have been worth it.” She took a deep breath. “Even though I’ve only know Luc a few days, it was somehow satisfying to see him tied up and gagged. Maybe I’m a Domme rather than a sub.”

  “No,” Addison said, “you’re not a Domme—Luc’s just annoying.”

  Addison and Jenna laughed then high-fived Cassie. Jenna looked at the clock, then said, “I’ve got to go. Jackson’s waiting for me in the gym.”

  “Remember in this house a sub gets a swat for every minute she keeps her Dom waiting,” Addison said, then turned to Cassie. “I like it.”

  Cassie cocked a silky brow, silently asking Addison what she meant.

  “Your name for them—the dominating duo,” Addison said, then laughed. “Don’t be fooled by the act they put on, though. Logan isn’t as easygoing as he pretends to be. It’s just their version of ‘good cop, bad cop.’ I can hardly wait to hear what they do tonight.”

  Cassie leaned closer to Addison and examined her eyes. “Why are your eyes that color? Sort of silvery blue?”

  “They get this way when I’m getting information.”

  “You mean gossip?”

  “No, not gossip. Information.” Addison lowered her voice. “Jenna and I both want to know if they use those odd blinking and brow twitching gestures when they’re playing.”

  “Don’t forget those strange little smiles and frowns, and I think they can twitch their ears,” Cassie said.

  “You can tell us about it tomorrow if we can get away from the guys. Cade hates it when I go—ur, gather information.”

  Before Cassie could answer, Cade and Thor strolled in and straddled the stools on either side of Addison. “Gossiping?” Cade asked. “Do you remember the rule about gossiping, baby?”

  “Yes, Cade,” Addison said.

  “Where’re the brownies?” Thor asked.

  Addison pointed over her shoulder to a cabinet behind them. Thor retrieved the brownies then got the vanilla ice cream from the freezer before sitting back down.

  Cade got up and grabbed a spoon and the strawberry ice cream from the freezer. He opened the carton then frowned at Addison. “We need to buy more strawberry ice cream.” He scraped a bite from the bottom of the carton and ate it, almost humming with pleasure. “So, Cassie, are you dancing with Luc and Logan or just Logan?”

  “Both of them,” Addison said.

  “Neither,” Cassie said adamantly. “I’m not interested and how do you know about that?”

  “Bugs,” Addison said, pointing to the ceiling.

  Cade smiled and took another bite. “I’ll be interested to see how that works out.” Chuckling, he finished the ice cream in the carton. “Are you going to the club, Thor?”

  “Yeah. Ben, Mac, and I are going over for a while. We’ll be leaving for Dallas first thing in the morning. Around five.”

  “Then we’ll see you when you return for our wedding,” Cade said as he led Addison from the room.

  Thor stopped Cassie before she could escape. “You know Cade and I are planning to set up a second office here on the ranch. I told him you would stay and act as a liaison between him and the Dallas office.”

  “I thought I would be going back with you. I didn’t bring enough clothes for a long stay.” Damn, she thought. Staying here with Luc and Logan is going to either be heaven or hell. Maybe both.

  “It’s only an hour drive to Dallas. If you need to you can drive home and pack what you need and get back here in a few hours. Otherwise, I can bring you some things when I return in a few days with Marisol Rios for the wedding.”

  “Why don’t you have Harley’s assistant help Cade? She knows a lot more than I do.”

  “I need Dania in Dallas,” Thor said, narrowing his glacier-blue eyes. “Is there a reason you don’t want to stay?”

  Shaking her head, Cassie forced herself to appear relaxed. Further protesting would trigger Thor’s notorious curiosity and she didn’t want him asking her questions. “No. I just hadn’t planned on staying but that’s okay. I’ll stay.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “I’m late. I’ve got to go.”

  Thor stopped her again before she could slip through the door. “Cassandra, are you ever going to tell me what happened the night your dad died?”

  Cassie turned back to him but dropped her eyes then shrugged. “There’s nothing to tell.” She heard a growl of impatience rumble from Thor and risked a glance. He was watching her, and he looked disappointed.

  “You know better than to lie to me.”

  “I’m sorry, Thor,” she said. “It’s…complicated.”

  “Your dad was on his way to meet me the night he died, baby girl. He’d called me raging about something you’d told him.”

  Cassie took a deep breath, bit her trembling lower lip, and forced the tears away. If she told Thor the truth, he and Jackson would try to find the men who’d hurt her and they would die, too. “Luc and Logan are waiting for me. I have to go,” Cassie said before rushing from the room and toward the playroom on the second floor.

  Blinded by the unexpected tears in her eyes, she saw Logan standing in the open door and she ran to him. His arms wrapped around her and held her tightly as she buried her face against his chest, quietly sobbing. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him as he carried her into the playroom. The door slammed behind them and then Luc was pressed against her back and his arms slid around her too.

  “What the hell happened?” Luc asked.

  “I don’t know. She was like this when she arrived,” Logan said.

  “Cassandra, stop that crying right now and tell us what’s happened,” Luc demanded.

  Logan grimaced, then frowned at Luc as Cassie froze for a moment. Then her quiet sobs turned into hiccupping mumbling. He tightened his arms around her. “Damn it, Luc. You don’t ever tell a woman to stop crying. It just makes it worse. I’ll take care of Cassie and you can get a wet washcloth.”

  Logan set Cassie on the edge of the bed and ran his hands up and down her legs until Luc returned and handed him a dripping washcloth. “You’re supposed to ring it out.” He slapped it aga
inst Luc’s jeans and let the material soak up the extra water.

  “I was in a hurry.” Luc cursed and stepped back while Logan began to wash Cassie’s face.

  Cassie opened her eyes.

  “Sugar, can you tell us what happened?” Logan asked.

  Cassie shook her head and another tear fell. Never, never, never, she thought.

  Luc shifted from one foot to the other. His hands clenched and relaxed, then finally he stepped forward, picked her up, and sat down with her on his lap. He surrounded her with his arms and signaled Logan to continue.

  “Sugar, can you tell me who made you cry?” Logan asked. “We’ll have Thor and Jackson kill them for you.”

  “No. I’ll kill them,” Luc said, his voice deadly.

  Logan dabbed at Cassie’s face. He caught a tear on her left cheek and then a tear on her right cheek. “I’ll help you.” Logan wiped away another tear. “How do you want to do it? Guns? Knives?”

  “I was thinking more along the lines of tampering with their car. You know, all covert like Cade and Thor—make it look like an accident.”

  Logan nodded his head. “That would work. We could cut the brake line.”

  “Do you know where the brake line is located?” Luc asked.

  “No, but you can google it,” Logan said.

  Cassie snorted, then giggled. Logan smiled at her. “There you are, sugar. Better now?”

  Cassie nodded, then sniffled. “I’m sorry. I never cry,” She shrugged. “Well, unless someone spanks me.” She sniffled again and looked up at Luc through her lashes. “Then, I cry a lot.”

  “We’ve got gags.” Luc slid her off his lap and patted her bottom. “You’ve got two minutes to clean up.”

  Cassie nodded then fled to the bathroom.

  Logan propped himself up against the headboard, one leg bent at the knee and resting on the bed, the other on the floor.

  Luc copied Logan’s posture with his back against the post at the end of the bed.

  “So, what do you think is going on?” Logan tossed the washcloth back and forth between his hands then tossed it to Luc.

  Luc snatched the cloth out of the air then tossed it back. “I think whatever it is she’s not going to tell us.”

  “The other night when we were in here with her and had her list her limits, she tried to keep some distance between us.” Logan nodded at the bathroom door. “Just now she locked the door.”

  Luc nodded. “I watched her at the May Day Masquerade at the club. She seemed okay then.” He frowned, his black brows drawn down in a fierce frown. “I didn’t like her playing with Dan Thompson.”

  Logan hid his grin. Cassie was beginning to get to Luc. “I think someone hurt her.”

  Luc nodded. “I’m not willing to play unless she’s willing to open up to us.”

  “We have to give her a chance to learn to trust us. She’s not like Linda.” Logan could see Luc drawing back.

  “I like Linda. She’s straightforward. She approached us and set the limits of our relationship with her and she’s stuck to them,” Luc said.

  “You like Linda because she doesn’t expect anything from you. No contract. No emotions. No connection. Nothing but sex.”

  “I like our arrangement with Linda. So do you.”

  Hazel eyes looked into hazel eyes and a silent message flew between them. Logan sighed. “Are you sure?”

  Luc glanced at his watch then at the bathroom door. “We need to get this punishment over with tonight. Linda said she wanted to talk to us. I told her we’d meet her at the club.”

  “I want Cassie.”

  “If you want Cassandra,” Luc stressed her name, “then help yourself. Just leave me out of it.”

  “Is it just the agreement about waiting until we’re thirty-two to settle down?”

  “No. She’s hiding something and I don’t trust her. She’s going to hurt you, and then I’ll have to deal with your moping.”

  “I don’t mope,” Logan said.

  “Yes, you do. Every time you get mushy about something and it goes wrong you mope.”

  “Name one time when I moped.” Logan rose onto his size-fourteen boots and faced his twin.

  “What about when Katherine wouldn’t let you keep that baby raccoon you found?” Luc rose to face Logan, a smirk on his bronze face.

  “I was ten! Besides, I wanted that baby raccoon, and why can’t you call Katherine Mom like the rest of us?”

  “She didn’t care that I called her Katherine,” Luc said, as they stood nose to nose, mirror images of each other. “Why do you have to be so emo? It makes me want to barf.”

  Logan smirked. “What? Are you twelve? Emo? Why can’t you ever admit you have feelings?”

  “Because I don’t.” Luc fisted his hands. “I’m going to kick your ass, you big crybaby.” He mocked Logan. “I want Cassie. Booho—”

  Logan slugged him, his fist striking Luc’s hard belly and doubling him over. Luc looked up, black brows drawn down over disbelieving eyes as he rubbed his belly. He came up swinging. His fist caught Logan on the right cheek as Logan swung and caught him on the left cheek. They reached for each other at the same time. Two six-foot-four men in the prime of their lives. Equally strong and evenly matched. Their movements were synchronized, neither one of them capable of winning against the other.

  Cassie opened the bathroom door and walked out just as Luc and Logan drew their fists back after landing another pair of punches to each other’s bellies. Without thinking she ran between them with her hands up. They both swung and she screamed as she felt the air swirl by her bare arms as they pulled their punches. She scrunched her shoulders together, screamed again, and then fainted. Luc and Logan caught her, their arms under her legs and upper back.

  “This is your fault,” Logan said, glaring at Luc.

  Luc glared back. “Fuck you.”

  “Let go.”

  “You let go.”

  “You both let go,” Cassie mumbled.

  Two pairs of hazel eyes looked down at her.

  “You okay, Cassie?” Logan asked.

  Cassie blinked then lifted her hand to her forehead and rubbed it. “Yes, I’m fine. Let me up.”

  Luc’s eyes turned fierce. “Have you forgotten where you are and why you’re here, Cassandra?”

  Cassie shook her head. “No, Sir.”

  Luc nodded then glanced at Logan and they swung her up onto her feet, made sure she was steady, then released her and stepped back.

  Cassie turned to face them. Logan was smiling at her. Luc was expressionless. She lowered her eyes then slowly sank to her knees, thinking, what the hell? Luc never gives an inch.

  Several minutes of silence went by before Luc said, “We’re postponing tonight.”

  “No, please don’t, Sir.” Cassie wanted to get the punishment over with tonight. “I’m okay. Really. You just scared me.”

  Logan squatted down in front of her and stared into her eyes, then nodded and stood up. “Okay, then, we’ll go on but Luc and I expect you to use your safeword if you need to and we’ll be very upset if you don’t. Understand?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Luc stood over her. “So, Cassie, I’ve read your hard limits. No restraints. Is that correct?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “No fucking. Is that right?”

  “Yes, Sir.” Cassie shifted on her knees and slid her hands down a little farther, her eyes on her open palms. She should have put her hands palms down so she could grip her knees. For a moment she wondered if they would notice if she flipped them over.

  “Let’s see,” Luc said. “No getting completely naked. No fingering. No breast play. Is that correct?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Maybe it would be easier if I just read what you said yes to,” Luc said. “Let’s see. No. No. No—ah, here it is. Yes to spanking. Is that correct?”

  Cassie licked her lip then swallowed. Luc sounded angry. “Yes, Sir.”

  “This is a punishment, Cassa
ndra,” Luc said.

  “That means we get to push your boundaries a little, sugar,” Logan said. “We’ve decided to give you a choice, nudity or oral. You have one minute to choose or use your safeword.”

  Cassie remembered the scars on her back and knew if they saw them they would ask questions she didn’t want to answer. That meant nudity was out. But, could she let them spank her and touch her while they were alone in a room without a monitor to protect her? She trembled, then broke a rule by looking up at them. “No restraints, Sir?”

  Luc slid his fingers over her cheek and she flinched away from his hand as if she had been expecting a blow. “No restraints, Cassandra.”

  Cassie nodded her head. “Okay, then I choose oral.”

  “Excellent, Cassie,” Logan said, reaching down and lifting her to her feet then moving to her right side. “You’ve made us very happy.”

  Cassie smiled. Knowing she had pleased Logan was like a rush of sugar in her veins and for the first time in years she felt a moment of pure joy in just being. Luc moved up on her left side and two pairs of hands reached under her skirt, grabbed the waistband of her thong, and tugged until the thin strap broke. A moment of fear rose until Logan ran his hand down her leg, calming her as he sniffed the crotch of her panties before he handed them to Luc. He sniffed them, then tossed them on the foot of the bed before picking her up and carrying her to the spanking bench. He set her on her feet next to it.

  “Climb on.” Luc tapped the padded bench while little lines appeared at the outer corners of his eyes—his version of a grin.

  Cassie looked at the bench and saw that it was like the spanking bench at Club Mystique. It was a large sawhorse with places on each side for her knees and arms. Behind it was a mirror-covered wall and she could see the three of them reflected in it.

  She had never been so drawn to a man, or rather two men, in her life, and in that moment, she knew she was going to fight her fear to have them. Determined, she drew on her observations of submissive behavior and began the performance of a lifetime. Fluttering her lashes down over her eyes, she wiggled her hips and pulled her skirt up until the hem brushed the top of her mound, then moved to the side of the bench. She gracefully straddled the padded bench and raised her knees to the knee rest. Then she balanced her weight and curved her shoulders back in a deep arch, and humped the bench. Feeling free for the first time in years, she shook her head, and felt her long hair brush back and forth over the thin material of her shirt. She stroked her braless breasts and gave each nipple a little pinch before dropping onto her belly and placing her forearms on the padded rests. The padded bench was cool beneath her left cheek as she opened her eyes and saw Luc and Logan reflected in the mirrored wall.