Game On (The Morgan Brothers Book 4) (10 page)

Mitch moved in front of her at Phoenix’s nod, dragging the silk blindfold slowly over the tops of her breasts. He let the edge of the fabric brush erotically against the lower slope, dancing against her areolas before catching on her tightly peaked nipples. The hemmed edge of the silk was suspended for several heartbeats as it lifted her nipples invitingly upward. He smiled at her soft gasp as the pressure finally released and her breasts bounced free.

In his peripheral view, Mitch watched Phoenix pick up the soft flogger he planned to use, keeping it out of her view. Mitch continued to tease her with kisses and the scarf for several minutes, by the time he slid the blindfold back in place she was mewing softly, her head falling back on her shoulders.
Perfect.

The flogger he’d
chosen would bring the blood to the surface, a tempting preview of things to come. But Phoenix didn’t intend to give her the orgasm he knew her body was going to crave. He’d keep her release just beyond her reach, making it all the more intense when it was finally given. Phoenix had been a Dom for years, sinking into the role and learning everything he could about the dynamics of sexual dominance. He’d approached the study of becoming a sexual Dominant in the same way he learned anything else that interested him—complete immersion.

During their long conversations, he and Mitch discovered they’d both been fascinated with the emotional gratification they felt when a submissive responded to what they could give them. The trust between a Dom and his sub becoming almost tangible during a scene. The power exchange fulfilled everyone involved, if it was handled right. He’d had vanilla sex, but had never found the same level of connection with a woman who wasn’t a submissive. If he wasn’t calling the shots in the bedroom, just wasn’t going to work. “What’s your safe word, sweet Athena?”

“Red, Sir.” Her voice was already becoming airy, and Phoenix was pleased she was falling quickly into the perfect mindset for this part of the scene. He’d enjoyed their short journey back in time, but he hadn’t been sorry to cut that portion short in favor of getting back to the here and now. There was no doubt their audience was enjoying this portion more as well.

“Perfect. Don’t forget you can also use yellow if you need a break. We’ll stop and talk it through, but I’m not promising we won’t continue. Do you understand?” Phoenix knew she was inexperienced in the lifestyle, but she’d spent enough time with Doms to recognize the shift in his tone.

When she simply nodded, Mitch gave her ass a sharp swat, and she stuttered, “Yes, Sir. I understand.” The sweet tone of her voice sent a rush of blood straight to his cock. Damn, he hoped like hell he got through this without coming in his leathers like a horny, out of control teenager.

Phoenix glanced to the side and caught a glimpse of a woman who reminded him of Caila Cooper despite the dark wig she was wearing. He did a double take, but she stepped behind the man she’d been talking to, putting her out of his view. Phoenix might not have gotten a good enough look to be sure it was his lifelong neighbor, but he’d gotten a good look at her clothing. As soon as he turned the scene over to Mitch, he’d signal Kip. It didn’t matter how much Kip protested, Phoenix knew his youngest brother was more interested in Calamity than he admitted.

Returning his attention to Aspen, Phoenix trailed the soft strands of the flogger down the slope of her shoulder tracing invisible lines around the outer perimeter of each breast. The goosebumps that followed the leather strips let him know how wonderfully her body was responding to the stimulation. “Your skin is amazing. Soft and the most beautiful shade of ivory I’ve ever seen. I’m not sure Mother Nature has given us anything to match this magnificent shade.”

Pulling the flogger away from where he’d been swirling it softly over her breasts, he smiled at Mitch before leaning down to run his tongue in slow circles around each nipple then blowing soft puffs of air over them. They drew up into impossibly tight peaks, and he smiled at their perfection. He couldn’t wait to clamp them, letting a fine gold chain strung with faceted gems dangle between the rose colored tips. Oh yeah, emeralds that matched her eyes would be perfect.

“Let’s see how many shades of pink we can turn these beautiful breasts before you are begging us to let you come.” He’d already started the subtle lashes that she probably thought was nothing more than brushes of the leather strips. The goal was to build so gradually Aspen wasn’t aware of the shift in intensity, because despite what he’d told her, this wasn’t really a punishment—at least not in the traditional sense. She hadn’t agreed to be their sub, and there hadn’t been any discussion of rules prior to her evasion, so they had no real claim for punishment. But that didn’t mean they weren’t going to push the rule as far as they could and use it for their scene. She’d get the orgasm her body was already clamoring for—eventually. The entire production would be a reward—eventually.

D
amn it, a
dead donkey would have seen Phoenix Morgan looking my direction before I did.
Phoenix looked right at her and for a couple of seconds, she thought he’d recognized her.
Why didn’t Master Nate tell me he was part of the star attraction tonight?
Caila had ducked behind the Dom trying to talk her into scening with him. He’d seemed pleasant enough, but she hadn’t felt any spark, so she’d politely declined. Turning to make her way out of the room, Caila came to an abrupt halt when a large hand wrapped around her upper arm. “Where do you think you’re going, pet?”

Looking up at Master Nate threatened to topple her over backward. When she tried to take a step back to ease the strain on her neck, he shook his head no. With no effort at all, Master Nate picked her up and set her on the bar behind her. “I’m still waiting for you to answer my question, little one.” Caila fought the urge to roll her eyes, but all things considered, she knew exactly where that would lead. One of the things she’d learned was Doms and cowboys were both relentless…
and cowboys who are Doms are stubborn as hell.

Deciding honesty was her best bet, Caila sighed. “I was leaving, Sir. You didn’t mention that Phoenix Morgan would be here. He’s my neighbor, and I’m not comfortable…”

She didn’t get to finish because he pressed his finger against her lips. “Be very careful what you say next, little vet. You’ll be punished for lying to yourself just as quickly as you will be for lying to me—and you’re getting awfully close to doing both.”

When she nodded her understanding, he continued. “What you are telling me is you don’t trust Master Phoenix to follow the strict non-disclosure agreement he signed when he joined the club. His agreement was exactly like the one you signed, pet.”

She felt the blood drain from her face, that wasn’t what she’d meant at all. Shaking her head, she struggled to find the right words. “No. I mean, no, Sir. That wasn’t what I meant. I’m just not sure it’s a good idea for us both to be here. We’re neighbors. It just seems wrong.”

“You should know that we have several members who are closely related. They love and respect one another enough to play in different areas when they are uncomfortable. Are you telling me you aren’t willing to respect Master Phoenix’s kinks, and you don’t believe he’ll respect yours?” Holy crap on a cactus, when he said it like that, it sounded awful. She wished the teak bar she was sitting on would slide apart and drop her into oblivion. Embarrassed didn’t even begin to cover it. Caila hadn’t thought that far ahead, she’d simply reacted. And if she was being honest, it wasn’t Phoenix who worried her, it was Kip, because where you found Phoenix you usually found his younger brother.

“I’m sorry, Sir. I didn’t think of it that way…nor was I trying to be disrespectful.”

“Then perhaps you’d like to tell me what the
real
problem is.” She wasn’t fooled by his conciliatory tone, after all, in her line of work she was surrounded by Alpha males all the time…Caila knew an order when she heard one.

“I just need to put some distance between myself and the Morgans…well, not professional distance, but personal distance. I’ve made a fool of myself forever, and I’m done with it. It’s just too embarrassing.” She fought back the tears burning the backs of her eyes and hoped he didn’t see the pain piercing her heart.

When Caila tried to look away, Master Nate used his fingers to grip her jaw and turn her to face him. “Thank you for finally trusting me with the truth, sweetness. Remember, there are times in life we have to suffer through some embarrassment in order to get to our goal.” She took a deep breath and nodded.

After years of banging her head against a wall, she’d finally been forced to admit defeat. Changing her goal hadn’t been easy, but she’d decided to move on. Despite her unease, Caila decided to stay. If she was going to find the relief she’d come for, she’d need to suck it up and find a play partner. She started to scoot off the bar, but the hand Master Nate had on her thigh tightened in warning. “Don’t move, pet.”

The club’s owner looked to his left and when Caila followed his gaze she was surprised to see his brother standing beside them. Taz Ledek was also enormous, but his smile softened his features and made him look more approachable than the stern man who’d lifted her to the bar as if she weighed nothing at all. “Master Taz, this little sub was going to cut and run, but I believe we’ve talked through that particular challenge. She doesn’t have a play partner. Are you free?”
What?
She’d never played in a real club before, so someone a little less experienced would be better, right? Her only experience was a play party hosted by a couple of college friends.
Holy shit, Sherlock. I might have exaggerated my experience on my application a little…okay, a lot.

Nate watched Caila’s
pulse at the base of her neck accelerate until he worried her heart was going to beat right out of her chest. He already knew she’d greatly exaggerated her play experience; it hadn’t taken long in the interview to figure it out. Ordinarily, he’d have sent her on her way for that particular offense, but her mention of Kip Morgan had caught his interest. The younger man was a member of the club, and although Nate knew he wasn’t a serious player, he seemed to have an almost innate knowledge about what women wanted.

And now, watching her closely as her mind scrambled to find a way to escape, Nate had to fight back his smile. He’d been watching her from the back of the room when she realized she’d caught Phoenix’s attention. Even with her blonde hair hidden beneath the dark wig, her dainty features made her hard to miss. She’d panicked and tried to run, but he’d made it across the room in time to stop her. He’d been surprised when he wrapped his hand around her upper arm. The muscles hidden under her soft flesh rippled beneath his fingertips, the woman was obviously in good shape. Her muscle tone was well hidden in the loose fitting dress she was wearing, but she wouldn’t be covered for long.

For the first time in a long time, Nate wished he had a sub of his own. But this little inexperienced beauty’s heart belonged to the man leaning casually behind the bar. Challenging her to be honest with him was easy. Caila was naturally submissive and her desire to please him ensured her compliance. She was trying desperately to convince herself she was finished with Kip Morgan, but Nate wasn’t buying it. In fact, Nate would bet it was Kip rather than Phoenix who was the reason she’d been desperately trying to finagle a way out of the club without getting her pretty little ass in a pinch.

Nate didn’t usually play match-maker, but this little sub was definitely in need of some help. He and Taz hadn’t been blessed with a little sister, so maybe they’d adopt Caila as their little sis with a kink. Taz had moved into place beside him, but he was sure the little subbie in front of him hadn’t noticed their little chat was being observed. Nate also made sure Caila didn’t see Kip Morgan standing nearby, because he was planning to test her commitment to staying away from the man she obviously wanted.