Her Devil's Kiss

by Linzi Basset

  “If that’s the best you can do, we’re gonna be here for a long time, Dexter my old man.” His lips flattened, his gaze turned cold. “You better make it quick. Do you honestly think I don’t have backup? That I didn’t put measures in place that will expose you if I don’t report in?” He laughed boisterously. “I fucking can’t believe you’ve managed to escape the authorities this long. Oh, wait, you left it all in the hands of more competent men, those with long-standing knowledge of the crime business.”

  “Fuck you, Flores! You know nothing!” Dexter barked. He stepped closer threateningly but Zee’s hand on his arm held him back.

  Zee contemplated Michael, mulling over what he’d said. He always had been wary of him and now he knew why. This man was dangerous. A lot more than they’d originally realized.

  “Check on that chopper, Dex. I’m not taking any chances.” He took a wide berth around Michael until he stood behind him.

  “You have a lot to spill and believe me, I’m not going to stop until you’ve disclosed everything you know and who else is involved.” He snorted evilly. “Let’s hope for the sake of Jack’s little whore that you open your mouth while she still has skin left on her body.” He cracked with laughter at Jordan’s gasp. He didn’t miss the sudden tension in Flores’ shoulders. “For now, back to sleep, you motherfucker.”

  The crack of the gun connecting with Michael’s skull echoed sickeningly to the rafters. He slumped in the chains. Zee glanced at the man behind Jordan.

  “Tie them up. Make fucking sure you hogtie him and wrap a rope around his upper body. If he gets loose, you’ll suffer the consequences.”

  Jordan’s struggles were in vain and brought her nothing but an irritating huff and a painful tap against the head. She fell to the ground as the tentacles of a black void wrapped around her.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “This isn’t funny, Master Razor,” Ace pouted at Rhone where he sat watching her on the sofa with Lance and Lexi by his side. She was locked into one of the stockades, next to Pamela and Paige, that had been moved to the entrance of the dungeon.

  “Punishment rarely is, my pet.” His response was met by a sharp glare from all three women. As usual, their sassiness had resulted in their asses been offered for a spanking to anyone who entered. Rhone was keeping watch while Alex and Ethan were on CM duty.

  “My apologies for missing the meeting earlier, Rhone,” Richard said as he stopped the wheelchair next to the sofa where Rhone slouched lazily with a drink in his hand.

  “No problem, mate. I assumed you had matters to take care of.”

  “After Flores left the other day, I did some digging into his MI6 background. Turns out MI6 agent Flores is still very much an active operative.”

  Rhone swung his gaze sideways. “That’s interesting.” He frowned. “For the life of me, I can’t imagine what MI6’s interest would be in Crown International, or the Sixth Order for that matter. They’ve never operated outside of the UK.”

  “Or Michael Flores is doing Jack a favor and doesn’t want his cover with MI6 blown.”

  “His cover?” Lance asked

  Richard shrugged. “From everything I could uncover, I’d say Michael Flores is an assumed identity. Either one MI6 created for him or he did himself. Interesting thing is, he has been making a name as an investor under that name all over the globe.”

  “Did you find any photos you could compare with our Flores?” Rhone’s mind worked along with the report to connect the information with what Flores had supplied.

  “Nothing, which isn’t all that strange. MI6 is quite closed up when it comes to sharing intel on their field agents. I also can’t find anything pertaining an assigned case at the moment.”

  “So, the Michael Flores we met could either be who he says he is or someone who’s using his cover,” Rhone mused aloud. “Do we know where he’s staying when he’s in Washington?”

  “In the Four Season’s penthouse suite. He’s definitely still booked in as a guest.”

  “I think I’ll pay him a visit in the morning,” Rhone said. “It’s time he came clean. I’m sick and tired of all the secrecy surrounding us lately.”

  “Ditto, mate.”

  Richard chuckled as Samantha shrieked when Keon took the paddle to her bottom. They sat close enough to hear the crack of the leather against her skin … soft as it was.

  “That one knows how to set you up, doesn’t she?”

  Rhone smiled. “Unfortunately for her, I’ve been through the wringer many times. Just because I allow her to get away with it now and then doesn’t mean I’m not on to her.”

  Keon sat down next to Rhone, shaking his head. “I barely touched her ass with that paddle, but the way she carries on, one would swear I whacked at it full force.”

  “Excuse me, Master Blade, but far be it for me to remind you that you have no idea what it feels like to have your ass paddled,” she dared to snip at him. She made big eyes at his bulging arms. “You have no idea how much power those oversized arms of yours have.”

  “That’s debatable, but I don’t suppose I need to remind you that in a couple of months I might just take the paddle to that cute ass of yours again, so I’d check the attitude if I were you,” he responded with his deep, gruff voice. He smiled at Lauren who had to make a quick detour to the lady’s room. He patted his lap. “Right here, Red.” He caught her against him for a heated kiss. “You look sensational in this black nightie, love.”

  “Oh, please, my Master, with this huge bulge jutting out a mile?”

  His large hand covered her pregnant belly. “A gorgeous bulge that makes you even more lovely, my pet.”

  “And there it is, Master Razor,” Samantha latched on immediately.

  An annoyed cry from Pamela and Paige drew their attention. Rhone waited until Max, Ethan, and Alex took their turns paddling their asses before he responded.

  “Is what, Ace?” he rasped in an amused voice.

  “Why I shouldn’t be in this position at all.” She gasped as her bottom stung from the three pats Max had just planted there. She glowered at him as he sat down in one of the plush chairs and dragged Joanne onto his lap. An amused raised eyebrow was his only response.

  “Gmphf,” she snubbed him before her gaze swung back to Rhone. “Or did you happen to forget that I’m pregnant?”

  “With the mountain of baby clothes cluttering the house? That would be rather difficult, my pet,” Rhone said drily.

  She frowned. “Are you saying I shouldn’t prepare for our baby’s arrival?”

  He chuckled at the woebegone expression on her face. “No, love, but look at you. You don’t even show and there’s already an entire baby shop’s worth of clothes and toys stacked in the spare room.”

  A becoming blush spread over her cheeks but she couldn’t withhold the wide smile. “Well, I can’t help it. There are just such cute outfits to choose from.”

  “I hope you’re buying two of each, sis,” Lauren said in a soft lilt.

  Rhone's head snapped around. “What the hell would she do that for?”

  Lauren’s tingling laugh filled the atmosphere. Rhone glanced back at Samantha. She stared at Lauren with a stumped expression, her mouth fell open as she uttered, “Oh, shit! I forgot about that.”

  Rhone straightened and demanded, “Forgot about what?” His gaze pierced through Lauren who just shrugged and smiled.

  “My mom is one of a twin. Sam was too, but our little brother was stillborn.” She made wide eyes at him. “It’s never skipped a generation.”

  Rhone glanced at her large tummy. “You too?”

  She laughed and punched Keon in the chest. “No, I guess I’m just the lucky one to have this Hulk father ours. Our little Jake is just big.”

  Rhone was at a loss for words and the cogs in his brain struggled to connect all the dots. Twins. Good lord, it had punched him in the gut to learn he was going to be a father at first … now there would be two babies. He stared at Samantha.

&nb
sp; She was watching him with worried anticipation. He hadn’t been the best example of a caring man and had been giving her a hard time. One thing Rhone had come to realize over time was that she fulfilled him, in every way possible. She’d made him a better man and where before he’d never envisioned a future and permanency with a woman, now it had become like a festering wound, demanding to be cured, to be given the relief it desired.

  It had been a long and hard road for both of them, but he’d made up his mind as he stood watching Alex next to Pamela’s bed after she’d been attacked. It had reminded him of when Samantha had been shot and how close she’d been to death. He’d floundered around then, but the thought of anything happening to her now was too much to bear. He leaned back and reached into his pocket. His hand closed around the square velvet box the jeweler had delivered while she’d been getting ready for the club.

  Fuck finding a romantic setting. There’s no time like the present.

  “Rhone?” Her voice sounded small and uncertain at his continued silence.

  “Well,” he slapped his hands on his thighs and got up. “I guess it’s up to me to finish the punishment.”

  He ignored her shocked expression and walked around the stockades to quickly whack Pamela and Paige with four stinging strikes each. They were still complaining loudly when he unlocked the stockades. Ethan and Alex were there to assist them and with gentle murmurs led them to a sofa and sat down.

  “What about mhhh,” Samantha’s protest ended in a purr as Rhone brushed his palms over her rounded cheeks.

  “I do love your ass, Ace. Have I ever told you that?”

  “I’d rather you tell me once I’m out of this fucking thing.”

  Crack! Crack!

  His hand landed in quick succession on each cheek. “Continue like that and you’ll spend another thirty minutes like this.”

  “My sincere apologies, my exalted Master.”

  Rhone shook his head at her sugary lilt. He gently massaged her back. He’d chosen a low stockade so she could be on her knees and not put too much strain on her body. He was very cognizant of her pregnancy and had limited all corporal punishments to light pats on her behind.

  “You know, I’ve been thinking,” he said softly.

  “Oh, no. Blow the bagpipes, Richard. That never happens,” she quipped with pretend seriousness. Everyone laughed. They all knew Rhone’s mind was never inactive.

  A sharp sting on her bottom reprimanded her for her sassiness.

  “What, Master Razor? That it’s time to get the baby room ready?”

  “Oh, I didn’t tell you? I already arranged for an architect to come and see us.”

  She tried to twist her head to see him but it was impossible with her neck locked in place. She took a deep breath to calm her thudding heart.

  “On Monday, but see, I kinda thought I’d like our kids to have my name when they’re born.”

  Samantha frowned and cleared her throat. “Don’t put the cart in front of the horses just yet. We don’t know if it’s twins.” Her eyes widened. “Wait! What did you say?”

  Her breath got stuck in her throat when suddenly Rhone went down on one knee in front of her. The warmth in his gaze felt like it incinerated her soul.

  “I realized I need you in my life, Samantha. I’ve never believed in the concept of love and I still don’t know if I do. But if what you make me feel and the thought of you walking out of my life fills me with a fear so profound I can’t breathe, is love … then maybe one day, I’ll be able to say the words and feel their meaning deep inside.”

  “Rhone—”

  “Shh.” He silenced her with his fingers against her lips. “I crave your presence, always, even while you’re upstairs in the bedroom and I’m in the study. You’ve become my home inside my soul.” He opened the black box and held it up in front of him. “Samantha Frazer, I need to call you my wife, so much it burns a hole inside my gut just thinking about it. Will you marry me?”

  Her astonished gaze was glued to the glimmering blue diamond surrounded by the brilliance of smaller white stones.

  “You … y-you’re asking me to marry you?”

  He leaned in to kiss her lips. A gentle touch filled with promises she’d only dreamed of since they’d met.

  “I’ll beg if I have to,” he whispered against her lips.

  Samantha was overjoyed and drowning in a soup of astounding wonder. To see the big, proud Rhone Greer on his knees was the one thing she’d never believed she’d experience.

  “You don’t have to, my love, and I’ll wait for those words because I already know you love me.” Her smile was blinding through the tears that spilled from her eyes. “Yes, Rhone Greer, I’ll marry you.”

  She watched with glowing eyes as he slipped the ring on her finger, still locked in place next to her face. She flicked her fingers sideways and a giggle escaped her lips.

  “Look everyone! We’re engaged.”

  They burst out laughing. Not so much at her exuberance but because she’d completely forgotten she was ass up in a stockade.

  “Where are we going?” Pamela asked, one hand stretched out in front of her with the other clasped in Alex’s firm grip. He’d tied a black sash around her eyes and told her he had a surprise for her. She felt the gentle breeze lift the heavy weight of her cascading hair from her face.

  “Patience, love. Two steps,” he cautioned and waited while she gingerly followed his guidance down the pathway, which she assumed was leading into the maze at the back of Club Devil’s Cove. He took so many turns that she was completely lost by the time he stopped.

  His warm hands cupped her shoulders briefly before he ran his hands over her arms to pull her against his chest. He embraced her waist and nibbled on her earlobe.

  “Hmm, I love that, Master Rage,” she purred.

  “Relax, baby. This is not a scene. It’s just you and me being alone and close,” he whispered in her ear.

  “No Master and sub?”

  “We’ll always be that, but for now, we’re just lovers.”

  “That’s quite surprising. You’ve never allowed such leniency at the club.” She leaned her head against his shoulder, reveling in the hardness of his body pressing into her softness.

  “Maybe because I feel a little sentimental tonight.”

  “You do?” Pamela was frustrated with the darkness that surrounded her. She’d do anything to look into his eyes. “Perhaps now that we arrived at our destination, maybe I could lose the blindfold?”

  “Keep your eyes closed.” Alex gently removed the sash and moved away, taking his heat with him. “Open now.”

  Pamela’s eyes fluttered open.

  “Oh, my.” Her soft gasp echoed over the rippling water of the Potomac. Alex stood next to a beautiful and romantic setting of dinner for two on the bank of the river. The long, flowing, white tablecloth moved gently in the breeze. The crystal wine glasses glowed from the flickering lantern in the center and more hanging from the trees surrounding the setting. White lilies adorned the small round table with pink rose petals scattered around it. It looked like a fairytale … a perfect rendition of the day he’d formally asked her to become his sub. Tears glimmered in her eyes.

  “Alex …”

  “Happy anniversary, my love.”

  His words were still floating toward her when she flung herself into his arms. “I can’t believe you remembered,” she said against his lips as she kissed him, over and over again.

  “I remember every moment we've spent together, Pamela. You knocked my socks off from the first time you walked into Club Victory five years ago. Haven’t you realized it yet? You are the love of my life, the only woman I have ever offered my heart to.”

  “And you are mine. I am so sorry I wasted—”

  “No more regrets, love. It’s in the past. All that matters now is the present and the joy the future holds for us … and our children.”

  Her smile was blinding as she looked into his eyes. “A future that I’ve
been dreaming of for so long.”

  He held the chair and she sank into it gracefully. It was leather and lingerie theme night at the club and she’d elected for a flowing white chiffon nightgown that gave her body a sensual glow. The top was a fitted lace bra that covered as much as it revealed with matching lace panties. It was a pity she had to cover up such sensual beauty for a romantic dinner outside. Luckily, the weather hadn’t been that cold and the portable gas heaters placed around them, encapsulated them in a warm cocoon.

  Alex sat down opposite her. She tangled her fingers with his in the center of the table.

  “A toast,” he lifted a glass of champagne and waited until she picked up hers. “To our future and the eternal love we share.”

  “I do love you, Alex. Until forever and a day.”

  The ambiance of the surroundings added to the romance that hung thick in the air. Alex studied her with intense consideration. She squirmed in the seat.

  “You’ve got something on your mind?”

  “Being a Domme,” he squeezed her hand to stay her protest, “have you missed it over the past couple of weeks?”

  Pamela opened her mouth to answer, then closed it again. It was obvious Alex had thought about this at great length and maybe it was worth some of her own. She recalled the past three years where she’d been the one in control, the one who had to guide, care and protect the subs she scened with because it had never gone further than that. She’d not been interested in a relationship. Thinking back now, she realized she had never fully embraced it.

  “I suppose it’s something I will always remember with nostalgia. There were some good times, but you were right, before. I’m not a true dominant, not sexually, and to be honest, at times it had been frustrating not to be guided during a scene. I missed the serenity, the acceptance of my submission to a Dom who takes care of me.” She smiled ruefully. “To be honest, I think I’d been more of a permanent sub trainer than a Domme.”

  “Maybe, but the subs love you as a Domme, especially the females.” His fingers tightened around hers. “I won’t have a problem if you switch now and then to scene with them.” A wicked grin slashed across his face. “Provided I’m part of the scene as well.”