by BJ Wane
“What did he use? A single tail?” Dan squeezed her nipples when she shook her head. “Refusing to answer is not an option, Nan.”
“Fine, yes, a very thin one, from what it felt like.”
He rewarded her by going back to plucking her nipples and tickling her side with the scrape of his teeth. “Didn’t you see it?”
Nan’s shoulders slumped, as if in resignation before she admitted, “No. The room was dark, and I… Sir.” Her voice caught as she pushed her breasts into his busy hands.
Dan couldn’t bring himself to question her further; the strain in her voice was enough to rein in the urge to keep after her until he heard the whole story. “Thank you.” Releasing her breasts, he re-hooked her bra and lowered her shirt before turning her to face him. Cupping her face, he was pleased at the need reflected in those golden eyes. Lowering his mouth, he laid his lips on hers, added pressure to get her to open and wasn’t surprised when she resisted and pulled back with a confused frown.
“We don’t kiss, or never have. You know that.”
“That was then, this is now,” he repeated before kissing her again. This time she let him in, welcomed his tongue and returned his strokes as her lips moved under his. By the time he pulled back, her eyes were swirling with frustration. Perfect. Keeping her guessing, and on edge was key to being successful this weekend when they met at the club.
Stepping away from him, Nan frowned and fisted her hands on her hips. “You’re confusing the hell out of me, Dan.”
“Am I now?” Slinging an arm around her shoulders in their familiar hug of friendship, he ushered her out to her car. “Since you insist on relating your story in bits and pieces, I’d say we’re even on frustrating each other.” Opening the car door, he leaned on the top as she slid in. “Friday afternoon I’ll be helping with some of the prep work for the county fair, which is coming up way too fast, but I’ll be at The Barn by nine. Does that work for you?”
Those soft lips curled up at the edges in one of her teasing smirks. “What if I already have plans with someone else, since you didn’t exactly ask?”
“Break them,” he returned before shutting the door and striding into the house without looking back.
“Do you think they’re an item?” Morales jerked his head toward Dan, who was walking Ms. Meyers to her car.
Pete took the nail he held between his teeth and positioned it in the corner of the water trough. “I don’t know, and it’s none of our business,” he replied, driving the nail into the wood with two rapid hits of his hammer. “But she sure is taken with the young one.”
“Yeah. It was fun to watch them together.” Handing him another nail, Morales surprised him with his next question. “You had another nightmare last night. Handling it okay, mi amigo?”
Pete jerked, forcing in a deep breath before answering. He had hoped neither he nor Bertie had awakened during his tossing and turning. Would he ever quit hearing the screams of his wounded and dying comrades? “Yes.” He nodded without looking up and drove in the last nail. “I’m sorry if I disturbed you.”
Pushing to his feet, he watched Ms. Myers drive away. She appeared more at ease today, with fewer shadows under and in her eyes. God, he prayed she continued to recover from whatever ordeal she’d endured to put them there. He knew firsthand how the memories could haunt you to the breaking point, how hard it was to function day in and day out, get through each night with nightmares of pain and suffering filling your head.
“You didn’t. Let’s take a break. I could use a soft drink and there are still donuts left from this morning,” Morales suggested.
Pete laughed, as he was sure his friend had intended. The combined sugary sweetness of pop and donuts would give them a sugar high for sure, and he figured that was Morales’ plan, better that harmless indulgence than Pete risking another lapse that would get him booted off the ranch and land him right back in prison.
“You’re on. Dibs on the chocolate long john.”
“Fuck, man, you don’t think Bertie left any of those, do you?” Morales laughed as they strode into the small barracks.
Pete returned his grin. “One can always hope.”
Instead of that scene bringing back the memory of the lash cutting into her back, the searing pain as her skin split and the metallic smell of oozing blood, Nan drove home with her back still tingling from Dan’s fingers and lips, her nipples still throbbing from the tugs and twists. She trotted up the back stairs to her apartment with an ache for so much more, a euphoric high she could only achieve submitting to a Master’s dominance. She was close, at least much closer than before, and that put her in a fabulous mood. So much so, she answered Jay’s call as she entered her apartment in a sing-song voice of happiness.
“Hello, brother of mine. How are you on this beautiful day?”
“Who are you and what did you do with my sister?” he demanded, his tone laced with amusement.
“I am your favorite sibling who is going to be the proud mama to the most precious Appaloosa filly. You will have to come up here and see her. I’ve named her Belle.” Tossing her purse on the sofa, she frowned when she spotted her breakfast plate sitting on the kitchen counter. She could have sworn she put it in the dishwasher this morning.
“Really? And when is this grand adoption taking place?”
Nan picked up the plate and placed it in the dishwasher, the clear memory of having already done so once coming back. Ignoring the shiver of unease racking her body, she answered without shying away from the truth. “As soon as I respond to Master Dan’s control again. You remember me talking about him, don’t you?”
“I remember he was one of your friends I talked to a few times after you asked me to field your calls, and that he was none too happy about my evasive answers to his questions.” Jay paused before asking with concern, “Are you sure you’re ready, sis?”
“Shit, Jay, it’s been months!” She threw herself down on the sofa, now irked with him. “If not, then I’ll never be.”
“Okay, okay, don’t get testy. How about if I give you some more good news to make up for my skepticism? Gerard lost his last bid to postpone the trial further. It’s set for August first.”
“Thank God.” Leaning her head back, she breathed a sigh of relief. She wanted nothing more than to get the ordeal of testifying over and done with.
“I thought that would please you. How about I make a trip up there in a few weeks? Will that give you time to win that foal in whatever wager you have going with your friend?”
“If not, I won’t be winning it. Thanks, bro. I can’t wait to see you.”
“Me too. Later, sis.”
Nan shoved aside the unanswerable questions about the plate and went to poke through her club clothes. Friday would be here before she knew it.
Chapter 9
Yawning, Nan made her way downstairs the next morning with less than thirty minutes to spare before it was time to open. She never overslept, but for the first time in too long to count, she couldn’t blame her restless sleep on nightmares. Just the opposite, in fact. Having Master Dan’s hands and mouth on her again worked like a charm to reawaken the cravings he was so good at producing, and the need for more of what she knew he could deliver. God, she loved those feelings, the heightened sensations that begged to be expanded upon. The only thing putting a damper on her enthusiasm for returning to the club tomorrow night was fretting over the possibility she would freak out again. The humiliation of last week’s debacle still haunted her. Another mortifying episode like that might be the final deterrent to ever getting back to her old self.
Noting the time as she entered the tea shop and stepped behind the counter, she shoved aside worries she couldn’t do anything about right now and turned to start the brewers. Her hand halted before pressing the on switch on the first one, her breath stalling when she saw the lit-up green light and felt the heat along the side of the machine. “I turned it off, I know I did,” she muttered, unease raising goosebumps along h
er arms. From her grandmother’s first invitation to assist in the shop, she had drilled into Nan the importance of checking and double checking everything was turned off before closing up for the day. She’d never forgotten, not once in all these years.
“I must be more stressed over everything than I thought.” Trying not to let that get her down, she flipped on the other pots then reached for the cabinet that held the gourmet coffees that were such a hit. Opening the door, Nan shook her head in disbelief at seeing two bags of tea leaves sitting on top of the ground coffee. Since she didn’t want the teas smelling like coffee, she’d made sure to keep them in separate cabinets. Did she toss those up there by mistake? She didn’t know how that could be possible; upon opening the cabinet, it was easy to see the stacks of labeled coffee bags as well as smell the rich enticing flavors.
Swearing under her breath, she snatched the teas down and stashed them in the correct cabinet before lifting down the coffees. After getting two pots brewing, she flipped the sign to open, the sight of several customers waiting to enter lightening her frustration over the strange mishaps that greeted her first thing this morning. Thank goodness her patrons were chatty and kept her hopping for the next hour, so busy she ran out of morning pastries and donuts before ten o’clock. Making a note to add to her order from the bakery for the weekend, she took advantage of the first lull to sip on her own cup of French vanilla roast as she propped open the front door to let in a fresh breeze.
“Good morning, Nan,” Willa called out from across the street as she unlocked the library and Alice lifted a hand in greeting.
“Morning, Willa, Alice.” She waved back, thinking again how lucky they were Alice volunteered to help out. The town didn’t have the funds to hire anyone, and Willa wouldn’t be happy if she didn’t have her beloved job. Opening the library just a few days a week helped the city’s budget and gave the older woman enough hours to keep busy without being too much.
Tamara pulled up just as Nan spotted Avery and Grayson getting out of his cruiser in front of the city building. Her throat tightened as she watched the sheriff pull his wife to him for a long, deep kiss, his hands wandering down her back to trace over her buttocks. By the time he released her, Avery’s face was flushed. Since Nan preferred playing the field to being tied down with one guy, she’d never envied her friends’ committed relationships. But an unaccustomed frisson of longing hinted something might be said for being the sole recipient of such a possessive, loving look as the one Grayson leveled on her friend as she walked toward the tea shop.
“He is so fucking hot.” Nan nodded toward Grayson as Tamara joined her on the walk and they waited for Avery to reach them.
“Yeah.” Tamara sighed. “Makes it hard to give up being single.”
Nan laughed so hard tears streamed down her face. “You’re such a liar. You went after Connor for years, ignoring every other guy who looked your way.”
Tamara giggled. “Okay, you got me there. But I can still look and fantasize.”
“About what?” Avery wanted to know as she strolled up to them.
“About your husband. We were just mentioning how hot he is,” Nan teased her.
Avery’s brows dipped behind her black frames, but her lips twitched as she replied, “Keep it up and I’ll set my sights on Master Dan. I saw you leaving The Barn with him last weekend.”
Tamara shook her head, turning to enter the tea shop. “Sure you would. You wouldn’t sit for a week. Nan might enjoy that, but neither of us would risk such a punishment.”
Nan followed them inside, wishing she could agree with them. There’d been a time when she’d not only relished, but embraced a painful session over a Dom’s lap, and the lingering effects of such an intense punishment. But pining for a return of those pleasures wasn’t the only thing clouding her head right now. For the first time, she experienced a stab of irritation over her friend’s innocent remark about flirting with Dan. What the hell was up with that? Between the unexplained mistakes she’d encountered coming downstairs and now her uncharacteristic possessiveness, she would be lucky to get through the rest of the day without losing what remained of her sanity.
“So, did I miss something else this morning? Did we change our time to meet this week?” Their weekly get together at her shop was usually in the afternoon.
“No, we just didn’t call you, figuring you would be here, regardless. I have a patient coming in at one today to make up an appointment and Sydney is at an auction with Caden,” Tamara replied, choosing a table near the counter.
“And Gertie asked if I could fill in this afternoon for Barbara, who called in sick.” Avery took a seat next to Tamara, glancing up at the chalkboard menu. “That cherry blossom tea sounds good.”
“It is. Let me get it started.”
As Nan strode behind the counter, Tamara called after her, “What did you mean, something else? Are you having senior moments already?”
Nan jerked as if struck then averted her face from Tamara’s frown. “I must be,” she tossed back, injecting a lighter note in her tone than she was feeling. “I seem to be absent-minded this week. First, thinking I’d lost my purse at the library when it was there all along and then this morning, discovering I’d left one of the pots turned on.” She didn’t dare mention the plate left out upstairs, or the misplaced teas. Her nerves were strung taut enough without having her friends hovering over her with concern.
Avery smiled and waved her hand in dismissal. “That stuff can happen to anyone, at any time. You’ve been so busy since getting back, it’s a wonder that’s all you’ve forgotten.”
“Not to mention still dealing with whatever happened in New Orleans, which we’re still waiting to hear about,” Tamara reminded her as she brought the cups over along with cherry scones.
Taking a seat, Nan was grateful they were the only ones in the shop at the moment. “I know, and I also know I owe you an explanation. I’d rather wait until there’s wine and pizza though, and when Sydney can be with us so I don’t have to repeat it.”
“Okay, but let’s make it soon. The fair is coming up. The Barn will be closed that Saturday night, so maybe we can get together then.” Reaching for a scone, Tamara took a bite and moaned in pleasure. “Mmm, so good.”
Avery sent Nan a wry grin. “That’s what she said and sounded like when Master Connor bound her on the St. Andrew Cross last weekend.”
Nan laughed, recalling only too well the pleasure of being restrained on the padded wooden X, her favorite apparatus. Damn it, she vowed tomorrow night would be different, she would get the relief she needed and would not let Gerard’s torment of her interfere.
She hadn’t counted on the torment of her own mind playing tricks on her. By the time Tamara and Avery left, the afternoon regulars were starting to come in and the rest of the day passed without much of a break. Nan was grateful for her loyal customers but getting back into the swing of working was draining after the months she’d spent doing little except wallowing in self-pity and nightmares. Before heading upstairs, she double checked all the brewers, ensuring each was turned off, and then did a quick inventory scan, making a note everything was put back in its proper place.
After fixing a salad for dinner, she tallied her books, called Jay for a brief chat and took a long, hot bath. Before turning in, she flipped on one light in the living area, the panda night light in the hall bath and her closet light in the bedroom, leaving the closet door halfway ajar.
So, why, when a sound startled Nan awake several hours later, did she find herself jerking upright in pitch blackness? With her heart lodged in her throat, nausea roiling in her stomach, she blinked to make sure she was awake, and with confirmation instant terror propelled her from the bed. The door creaked, rousing her from a fitful sleep. Oh, God, he was back. The flashback initiated a wave of frantic hysteria and sent her fleeing through the dark, dashing into the living room by memory since she couldn’t see in front of her. “Have you learned your lesson, cunt? Are you ready to be
have like a proper slave?” Gerard’s cold voice rang in her head and she rammed into the sofa. Crying out, she stumbled her way to the door where she struggled with the lock. By the time she wrenched it open, her shallow breathing had switched to panting sobs, one questioning plea bouncing around inside her head. Dan, where are you?
Heedless of her scanty nightwear of satin boy shorts and matching camisole top, Nan ran through the moon-lit shop and dashed out onto the walk, shaking with relief at the bright glow shining from streetlamps. Leaning against the wall, she sucked in deep breaths, pressed a hand to her pounding chest and worked to get herself under control. But nothing stemmed the flow of steady tears or slowed her racing heartbeat. Burying her head in her hands, she shuddered as she realized it wasn’t a power outage that caused her lights to go out, as her subconscious had been hoping.
Nan was so lost in her misery, she didn’t hear the footsteps approaching and jumped when the deputy lightly touched her arm.
“Nan, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Concern colored his tone as he looked behind her into the shop.
“Jase, I didn’t hear you. Sorry.” She’d known him since grade school and yet felt like a stranger standing there in her underwear pajamas, crying and trembling without an explanation. “I… needed some fresh air. I didn’t think anyone would be out.”
“It’s my turn at taking the night shift. Are you sure you’re okay? You look upset. Can I help you back upstairs?”
