Shades of Pleasure: Five Stories of Domination and Submission (27 page)

Sandy’s eyes filled with pity, which only made Blair regret
trying to explain more. “Oh sweetie.”

Blair shook her head, “Like I said, it’s impossible for
anyone else to understand.”

“Maybe I understand better than you think.” Sandy flipped her key ring over in her hand. “I’m going to head home, let you get some more
sleep. I’ll see ya tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Blair turned a one-eighty, heading back toward the
kitchen.

“Hey, what’s this?” Sandy called.

“What?” Blair glanced over her shoulder, halting midstride
when she saw her friend stoop over. “Did the neighbor’s cat throw up on my
welcome mat again?”

“Uh. No. You’ve got a package.” Grimacing down at the brown
cardboard box in her arms, Sandy stepped back into the house.

“A package? It’s Sunday. Nobody delivers on Sunday.”

“I don’t think this was delivered by a courier. There’s no
address label or anything.”

“Weird.”

Sandy set it on Blair’s coffee table and stepped back,
almost as if she was scared. “Are you going to open it?”

“I don’t know. Should I?”

“I don’t know either.”

Blair walked a wide circle around the table. “I saw a
television show once where a woman received a box without a label and it was a
bomb from her pissed-off ex-husband.”

“You don’t have a pissed-off ex-husband,” Sandy pointed out.

“I know.”

“You don’t have any enemies either.”

“Maybe it’s a random thing?”

Sandy chuckled. “I’d say it’s highly unlikely. But maybe we
can take it outside into the garage and carefully open it out there?”

“Sounds like a plan…I guess.” Blair cautiously carried the
box back out through the front door and around the side of the house to her
detached garage. Meanwhile Sandy opened the garage door.

It was already hot outside. The heavy air promised yet
another day of record temperatures, which meant the garage’s interior was like
a gasoline-scented oven. Blair set the box on the ground and went for the
garden tool with the longest handle—a hoe. Feeling like an idiot, she poked and
prodded the box with the hoe, while Sandy stood outside laughing her ass off.

She gave up some ten minutes later, plunked the tool down
and glared at her friend, who was finding this whole thing hysterical. “It’s
not working.”

“No kidding.”

“So what do I do now?”

“Well, either you call the bomb squad or you take your
chances and open it.”

“I’m not crazy about either option, but oh well. I guess
I’ll open it. The chances of the stupid thing being a bomb are slim to none,
right?”

“Right.” Sandy shuffled back another few feet.

“You’re not making me feel any better about my decision here.” 

“I’m sure it’s safe. I’m just being extra cautious. One of
us has to be safe, just in case we need to call 9-1-1.”

“Sure.” Blair knelt on the floor beside the box and slowly
ripped the tape off. Nothing blew up. She lifted the top flaps. Nothing blew
up. She glanced inside. Nothing blew up.

She gasped. “Ohmygod!”

It was the box from the magic show. The beautiful one with
all the glittering red stones. She gently lifted it out of the cardboard box
and hurried to Sandy. “Look! It’s from Trey and Damon. They know where I live.”

“Wow, it’s so beautiful.” Sandy ran an index finger down the
side.

“Yes, it is.” Hot tears burning her eyes, Blair cradled the
gift to her chest and headed back inside. She sat at the kitchen table and set
the magic prop in front of her. “I wonder why they sent me this?”

“Look inside.”

She flipped the lid up but there was nothing inside.
“There’s a magic compartment in this thing. How’s it work?”

“Let me see.” Frowning, Sandy inspected the box from every
angle. “Hmmm, this one’s tricky. My box has a little hinge thingy on the side
that flips up. The one I want to buy has a button. But I can’t find either on
this box.”

Blair sighed and took the box from her perplexed friend. “Of
course they’re not going to make this easy for me.” She opened the lid again,
just to make sure she hadn’t missed something, like a special button or loop to
unlock a hidden compartment in the bottom.

But this time the inside wasn’t empty. An even smaller box
had appeared somehow. Red, velvet, it looked like a jewelry box. “There’s
something in here now.”

Sandy leaned closer. “This is so cool! What is it?”

Blair lifted the little red box. “This.” She turned it and
flipped the lid, revealing an absolutely breathtaking garland brooch with a
large ruby in its center. The pin was piercing a small folded piece of paper
that had only an address, date and time printed on it.

“June twenty-third? That’s today.” Sandy plucked up the
paper as Blair took a good, long look at the beautiful piece of jewelry. “They
want you to meet them tonight. At this address.”

Blair was so thrilled she could hardly speak. She gave her
friend a watery smile. “They want to see me.”

Sandy hopped out of her chair and threw herself at Blair,
giving her an exuberant hug. “I’m so happy for you! But I’ve got to know how
that box works. Can I see?”

Blair’s head was not on any box. It was flying ahead about
six hours, to tonight. She’d been nearly heartbroken when she thought she
wouldn’t see her guys again. But now that she knew she’d see them, she was
nervous as hell. “Sure.”

Why had they tracked her down? Did they feel the same way
about her as she felt about them, even after all these years?

Six hours was such a freaking long time to wait for answers.

Blair sat in her car, alternately staring at the address on
the creepy old warehouse and rechecking the one on the piece of paper. Yes, the
address was right. So why did this place seem so wrong? Why would Trey and
Damon ask her to meet them here? In some old industrial complex?

Granted, they’d never been what she’d call traditionally
romantic guys. Instead of giving her flowers or candy when they were teens,
they’d given her practical things, stuff she could really use, like warm
socks…and cans of Spam. But having a date meet them at a warehouse? Bizarre was
the only word that came to mind.

She checked the clock again. It was now five after six, and
the paper said six. There weren’t any other cars in front of the building. Were
they running late? She was so wired and jittery a minute felt like an hour. The
thought of sitting inside the car for even a few seconds made her want to
scream.

Check the door.

What the hell? For all she knew, the guys could have parked
their cars around back. The neighborhood was safe. It wasn’t like she was
taking her life in her hands by walking across the parking lot.

The door was all glass. She peered inside. Looked empty,
quiet. She pulled.

Unlocked.

“Hello? Damon? Trey?” She stepped into a silent reception
area. To the left stood one of those reception counters. No one was posted
there. The overhead fluorescent lights were off, and the deeper she walked
inside, the darker it grew, the heavier the shadows became, and the edgier she
felt.

She smoothed her hands down her legs, flattening her skirt
against her thighs. Her pumps made little tap-tapping noises on the tile as she
ventured to the back of the reception area. There were three wooden doors
spaced evenly along one wall. One was marked with a sign, a bathroom. The
second opened to a small office. Empty. The third opened to the cavernous
warehouse. “Trey? Damon? Hello? It’s me.”

Creepy.

She almost turned around, called it a total wash and headed
home, but then she heard her name, whispered, and she instantly recognized the
voice.

She stopped, held her breath, searching the deep shadows.
Where were they hiding? “Damon, you dork. Are you two trying to scare me? Quit
playing.”

There. She heard something moving. She rushed forward, eager
to touch her old friends, to give them a hug and thank them for the wonderful
gift. But she stopped midstride, a scream shooting up her throat, when one of
the enormous black cats from their show, wearing a sparkling red collar,
stalked from the shadows, its glittering eyes fixed on her.

Absolutely terrified, she froze in place. “D-Damon, I think
one of your pets is loose,” she whispered, afraid to speak louder. Oh God, that
animal was huge. Those paws. Those teeth!

And then the cat stood up on its hind legs and the scream
she’d been swallowing flew from her mouth. She whirled around and slammed into
one hard male body. “Trey! Ohthankgod! Help me!”

Trey smiled as he eased her around.

The panther was gone. Damon stood in its place, dressed head
to toe in black. The top two buttons of his crisp shirt were unfastened,
revealing a vee of suntanned skin and a silver charm hanging from a thick
chain. The panther’s glittering red collar lay in his outstretched hand.

Blair let loose with a huge sigh. She accepted the proffered
jewelry, which up close looked more like a choker and less like an animal
collar. “Thank you. But you just about scared me to death.”

“May I?” Damon asked, pointing at the jewelry.

“Sure.” She dropped it in his hand.

Damon’s eyes glittered with smoldering heat as he stepped
closer to fasten the choker around Blair’s neck. It felt cold and heavy against
her skin, even with the little flares of heat erupting beneath the surface.
“Welcome, Blair.”

“I’m so glad to see you two. I have so many questions, like
how you—”

Damon pressed his index finger against her lips, silencing
her. “Later.” His gaze meandered down her body then slowly climbed back up. The
corners of his mouth lifted into a naughty, predatory smile. “You look
beautiful. You’ve always been beautiful, but you’ve changed. In a very good
way.”

Her cheeks had to be as red as the fiery stones in her new
choker. She nervously fingered the jewels as she met his gaze. “Thanks. But I
think most of the changes haven’t been for the better. You, on the other hand,
both look amazing. You really…er, filled out.” That was an understatement.

Damon looked very pleased by her compliment. “Thank you.” He
motioned toward the far corner of the warehouse, which was completely cloaked
in thick black shadows. “This way.”

“I’m not sure if I’m liking the magic thing or not. Gotta
admit, it’s a little strange. Scary, even.”

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Trey said behind her,
gently coaxing her forward with a hand pressed to the small of her back.

Little prickles danced up her spine. She would have shivered
but she stopped herself. Somehow.

A small part of her felt like bait being coaxed into a trap
for a big, hungry feline. But a bigger part knew better. These two guys had
been her soul mates. And even though it had been years since they’d last seen
each other, she knew they wouldn’t hurt her.

Damon flicked his hand and poof, a dozen candles or so lit
instantaneously, illuminating a table draped in white and set for three. She
had to give it to them, these guys had the magic thing down pat. Another flick
of the hand and the warehouse was filled with the low, sultry sounds of jazz.

And it looked as if they’d learned a thing or two about
romance since she’d last seen them too.

“This is so nice. Do I need to ask though, where the big,
scary black cat is?”

“He’s safely put away,” Trey reassured her, giving her a
not-so reassuring smile. As Trey pulled out her chair, she noticed he was
wearing an identical necklace to Damon’s. The silver disk flashed when he
moved, catching the flickering light of a candle.

They both held her chair as she sat and then Trey took the
seat on her left, Damon the right. Damon poured her a glass of wine. Trey
lifted the covers off her plates, revealing a full dinner, complete with salad,
vegetables, loaded baked potato and some kind of beef. It looked and smelled
delicious, which was too bad, because with her jangly nerves and twitchy
insides, she knew she wouldn’t eat much.

“Tell us,” Damon said, looking over the rim of his
wineglass, “where have you been since you moved away? What have you been
doing?”

“I’m not saying a word until you tell me first,” she
challenged, giving both of them a devious grin. “How’d you two end up with this
gig? Magicians?”

“Illusionists,” Trey corrected. “We decided the priesthood
wasn’t for us.”

“You were going to become priests?” Blair asked, her gaze
shifting back and forth between her two charming, handsome hosts.

They both nodded.

“It sounded like a good idea at first,” Damon said as he
lifted a forkful of potato to his mouth. “Free meals. Peace and quiet.
Stability.”

Now she could understand where they were coming from. None
of those things had come easily to any of them, Blair included, as they’d been
growing up. Instead, their lives had been full of screaming voices, chaos,
instability and the kind of gut-burning hunger that few people in the United States could relate to.

“But there was one big problem,” Trey added, his eyes
sparkling with humor. “Neither of us believes in God.”

She couldn’t help chuckling. “Yeah, I guess that would be a
problem.”

“So instead we decided we’d be illusionists,” Damon said.

“A logical choice,” she said, laughing. “There’s gotta be
lots of stability and peace with this career.”

The guys joined her, and the sound of their laughter echoed
through the huge warehouse.

Sobering, she sipped some wine. “It’s so great to see you. I
can’t tell you how many times I wondered where you were, what you were doing.”

Damon reached for her hand, resting his on top of hers.
“Same here. It took us a long time to find you.”

“But you did. You looked for me. You found me.”

“We couldn’t stop until we did.”

Their gazes tangled, and the same sizzling chemistry they’d
shared when they were younger zinged through the air and buzzed through Blair’s
body. It was as if the years had rolled back and they’d just said goodbye
yesterday.

A hot tear slipped from the corner of Blair’s eye and
dribbled down the side of her nose. Damon thumbed it away and Trey leaned
closer, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulders.

Damon’s index finger traced her upper lip. “Tell me you’ve
been okay all this time, because it was killing me that we weren’t there to
take care of you.”

“Once I left home it was okay. I’m doing okay. Renting a
house in a pretty good neighborhood from a friend’s brother—got a great deal
since he’s out of the country for a few years with the military—and I have a
job that doesn’t involve taking off my clothes or schlepping food to customers.
Considering everything, that’s pretty impressive. Right?” She lifted her right
arm, threading her fingers through Trey’s, and leaned into his bulk, grateful
for his strength and warmth. It had been a long time since she’d been held by a
man. And even longer since she’d been held by a man she cared this much about.

It was magical. She just hoped this magic wouldn’t prove to
be all an illusion, fleeting and phony.

Damon nodded. “It’s very impressive, what you’ve
accomplished.” His expression changed. “Are you happy, Blair?”

“Happy?” She considered her current situation, the okay-but-not-great
job, and the okay car that ran more days than not, and the okay house she
rented in the okay part of town. Considering the start she’d had, her life was
damn good, even if she hadn’t been in a relationship with a man in years.
Hadn’t had sex for even more because of a very severe and persistent case of
guilt she couldn’t shake, no matter how hard she tried. She’d long known there
was something missing but hadn’t known what to do to change it. “I’m content
most days. Some days, though, I want more.”

“More what?” Damon asked, leaning closer.

“More…living. More special, memorable moments.” She traced
each of the three curved lines on his pendant, briefly wondering if the design
had any special meaning. “Most of my minutes, hours, days, weeks, are the kind
I don’t want to remember. They’re just blah, nothing special. But at least they
aren’t the kind I have to force myself to forget either.”

Damon’s gaze shot to the side, to Trey.

“Why?” she asked. “What are you thinking? Why did you bring
me here?”

“We want to give you some special, memorable moments,” Trey
answered, tightening his hold on her hand. The oddest sensation, a bizarre
blend of hot and cold, swept through her body. His thumb stroked across her
palm, sending the slightest quiver of heat up her arm. “Will you let us?”

“I guess that depends. How long can you stay?”

“Only a couple of weeks,” Damon answered.

Her heart dropped to her toes.

A couple of weeks. A couple meant two. That was only
fourteen days at the most. How would she say goodbye after spending two weeks
with her guys?

How would she say goodbye after spending an hour?

She couldn’t.

“I understand,” she said, nodding. “I want to make the most
of the time then. I’ll spend every moment I’m not at work with you.”

Damon’s smile was more a pained expression than a gleeful
one. “We were hoping you’d say that. Every minute is precious, which is why I
can’t wait another second to do this…” He leaned closer, brushed his mouth over
hers, and she swore the world stopped spinning for a split second. The universe
stopped whirling and all the galaxies crashed together, creating a mighty
explosion in her head.

Oh God, how long had she been waiting for this moment?

Eager to deepen the kiss, she released Trey’s hand and
looped her arms around Damon’s neck. Turning in her chair to face Damon, she
pulled until her chest was flattened against his. She parted her lips, inviting
him inside with a moan. But he didn’t accept her invitation. Instead, he
sprinkled torturously soft kisses over her mouth.

She could see some things had not changed. “You tease,” she
murmured against his mouth.

“You love me anyway,” he whispered between kisses.

Did he have that right!

Trey decided right then was a grand time to skim his hands
around her sides and lean into her back. She was now wedged snugly between the
two sexiest, most amazing men in the universe, and she never wanted to leave.
She gave a little mewl against Damon’s mouth, wishing her skirt wasn’t so snug
around her thighs. For the first time in fifteen years a pounding heat was
slowly gathering strength between her legs and she was in the perfect position
to grind away that ache against Damon’s legs. If only she could part her legs.

She knew it was just a matter of time before they were
naked, their slick bodies gliding over one another. In a way, she’d known it
since she’d taken her first look at them. She felt the heat in their gazes. Saw
the desperate wanting they were trying so hard to hide.

She wasn’t afraid or struggling too much with that awful,
nagging guilt.

“Damon,” she murmured, tightening her hold on his neck.
“Please.”

“Soon, sweetheart.” Leaning back, he gently unclasped her
hands and lowered her arms. “Forgive me,” he whispered, looking as dazed and
breathless as she felt.

“Forgive you for what? For kissing me? Or stopping?” She
shifted her weight back, once again letting Trey’s bulk support her as she sat
sideways in her chair, facing Damon. They all knew where this was heading. Why
fight it? If she wasn’t, after so much time had passed since she’d had sex, why
should they?