Take a Chance (8 page)

This would be the first of many orgasms he’d
give her, but, he hoped, the only one without submission. One he’d
remember whether she did or not.

Fingers burrowing, he discovered the upper
edge of her slit, and then the tight bud of her clitoris. Circling
the engorged nerve center, he drove her to a fever pitch and kept
her on the edge until his own body throbbed in echo of her need. He
kissed the side of her cheek and whispered encouragement as he
pressed his thumb into the sensitive nerves.

”
Give me your orgasm, Dena.
Come for me.”

Her body came apart in his arms, arching and
twitching through a prolonged moan. All the while, he continued to
whisper in her ear. “Beautiful, Dena. My beautiful china doll. So
sweet and soft.” She’d already drifted off when he slipped his
fingers out of her and brought them to his mouth.

Unwise on his part. He craved more but would
wait. Easing his body from the bed, he pulled the sheets up to her
chin and turned off the bedside lamp. With a last check of all the
locks, he left her tucked in tight and headed for Private Delights.
The club would be opening soon, and it was still early enough that
he’d find Mark and Derek at work.

Sure enough, Derek’s truck and Mark’s SUV
were in the front lot. The sign at the front entrance was
beautifully lit, the letters echoed on the brick wall behind them.
Steve found his friends in the main lounge, each sprawled out on a
couch while they argued about the merits of leather restraints
versus soft cloth restraints.

Of course.

“
It depends on what you want
to accomplish,” he threw in from the darkened foyer. “Don’t y’all
have work to do?”

Easily deflecting the empty water bottle
Derek threw at him, Steve dropped into a chair where he could see
both his friends. “How’s the schedule?”

From what he could see, the place was ready
to open. Dark purple carpet with swirls of gold and green stretched
out in the huge room, making it look like a football field
decorated with chairs, tables, and couches. The only thing he
missed was the sight of naked women on their knees. That should be
happening soon. The thought reminded him of Dena and his cock rose
to half-mast. Again.

Might need to push Dena’s induction into the
lifestyle up on the schedule before she drove him bat shit
crazy.

“
Everything’s a go. Just
waiting on the final inspections and we’ll be open for business,”
Mark told him.

“
Where’ve you been?” Derek
asked. “I thought you were taking her to dinner and walking
away.”

“
Don’t tell me you broke
your own rule and slept with her?” Mark added.

“
Got back to her place and
the front door was open. Place had been sacked.”

“
Shit. Good thing she was
with you, then,” Derek said.

Steve listened to his buddies toss around
ideas about the break in. All good theories, and their conversation
helped push the residual lust onto a back burner for him. “I think
it had something to do with the burglary at her office.”

“
Did you call Simon?” Mark
asked.

Damn. He should’ve, and he’d pay for the
oversight in the morning. “No. Stayed with her until she fell
asleep, and made sure the place was secure before I left.”

Mark shook his head, a grin reminiscent of
winning the lottery. “You stayed until she fell asleep? Do
tell.”

“
Not yet, dammit. She was
too upset to push those buttons tonight.”

Derek grunted across the coffee table. “A
gentleman? Not surprising now I’m thinking of the woman in
question.”

“
What do you mean, buddy?”
The last word came out like a curse. Wrong in so many ways, and he
knew it.

Both men laughed and Derek finished his
comment. “Chill. She’s not what you usually go for, and you haven’t
fucked her yet. Have you?”

“
No.”

“
Not for lack of trying, I
bet.” This from Mark.

“
From me, if you want the
truth, no. I don’t want to rush her, and she’s after an
adventure.”

“
Well, you sure can give her
one.”

Hell if they didn’t know him all too well.
They both spoke at the same time, an echo of the same words,
proving the three of them had spent too many years hanging out
together.

“
She’ll get there when I’m
ready to take her.” Steve focused on Mark, knowing Derek wouldn’t
interfere. “My woman, my timeline.”

“
You might want to add
Simon’s timeline, just in case he has other ideas.”

“
He’s a non-issue.” The
laugher from both men rubbed at Steve’s conscience, but only one
small tic on the irritation meter. His company was in bed with
Simon Lindsay’s, but it wouldn’t interfere with his personal
relationship with Dena. “I’m meeting him for lunch tomorrow to
discuss the contract and put together a schedule for
implementation.”

* * * *

The sight of Lindsay’s face when he marched
into the restaurant the next afternoon set Steve back for a minute.
He hated to be wrong, and he had a bad feeling that was about to
happen. Standing to shake the man’s hand, he made eye contact with
Dena’s oldest brother.

“
Good to see you,” Steve
offered with his handshake.

“
Not sure I can say the
same, but I do owe you a thank you, at least. The very
least.”

Steve chose to let Simon lead the
conversation and opened a door. “Rough morning?”

“
Not until I was informed
that my sister was out with you last night. And her house was
vandalized. Was that a bid to get another contract—one for her
home, along with this deal we’re working today?” Simon’s forearms
dropped on the table and he leaned half across the space. “Or do
you seriously think I’ll agree to you dating my sister?”

Steve leaned back in his chair and let his
body relax, one of the hardest things for him to accomplish at the
moment, but he needed to diffuse the conflict before Simon started
a heated public argument.

“
I’m dating Dena because I
want to, and she agreed. Personally, I’m glad she was with me last
night instead of home alone or with some prick who couldn’t handle
the situation.”

“
You had nothing to do with
the break in?”

“
Lindsay, I may be many
things, but I’m not a thief or a con artist. We walked up to an
open door and a darkened house.”

Simon’s eyes went black and the soft string
of profanity wasn’t normally heard from him in a public setting. He
was one of those businessmen who protected their reputation in the
community.

“
I didn’t hear that
part.”

With a cock of his head, Steve asked, “What
did she tell you?”

“
Nothing, dammit.” The
bright red face returned. “Not a damn thing. I didn’t know a goddam
thing until the police showed up this morning to verify the report.
They told me you were there.”

He buried the smile, or at least tried. Damn,
Dena was a handful of trouble just waiting to happen. “Did you ask
her about it?”

From the tilt of his head and his gaze on the
light fixtures above him, it appeared that Simon Jr. was attempting
to count to ten before he answered. “Yes,” he finally replied
through clenched teeth. “I asked. I didn’t get much from her, or
from the officer, even though he let me read the report. She claims
nothing much was taken.”

Taking pity on the man, and thanking God he
didn’t have any siblings himself, Steve braced his arms on the
table and tried to look sympathetic. “She’s a grown woman. She has
a right to privacy. Don’t worry too much, Simon. She has a strong
sense of self and she’ll be fine.”

“
Fuck you, Gladston. Stay
away from my sister.” A low whisper, but forceful, while Lindsay
positioned his torso close to Steve’s. “I won’t warn you
again.”

“
She’s an adult and makes
her own choices. You can rest assured she won’t get hurt while
she’s with me. I think I proved that last night.”

The man’s shoulders relaxed a bit, not
completely, but a start. “Yes. Thank you for making sure she got
home safe. What can you tell me about the break in?”

“
Not much. The locks weren’t
effective, though I’m not sure what they used to break in. My focus
is more of a preventative. Once the police were called, I got ahold
of a locksmith we work with and had him change the
locks.”

“
Thanks.” Simon’s posture
loosened a little more. “Send me a bill and I’ll take care of
it.”

“
No. My gift to Dena and
nothing to do with our deal.”

As expected, Simon wasn’t happy about it, and
the shift in his demeanor made it obvious even though he didn’t
voice another complaint.

Fortunately, the waiter arrived with water
glasses and menus, giving both of them a chance to regroup. Steve
refused to discuss Dena with her brother. This meeting was about
business and, until that was finished, he wasn’t about to veer into
personal territory any more than he already had. He made a quick
choice from the menu and flipped open the G&L folder while
Simon talked to the waiter.

Once they stayed on course, the contract
discussion was short and to the point. Simon was ready to sign the
document before the waiter returned with his steak. Steve packed
away the paperwork and assured him work would begin as soon as he
got back to the office.

“
It’ll take about a week to
get the security panels you want, but just a few days to install
everything once they arrive.”

“
Fine. Call my office when
they come in, and we’ll be ready for the install.”

“
Good. Any questions about
the process?” Steve asked.

Simon lifted his napkin to blot his mouth,
his brown eyes dark and serious, and Steve got ready for his
argument.

“
What are your intentions
with my sister?”

He huffed a half laugh. “What do you want me
to say, Simon? That I’m going to use her and toss her in the
gutter? That I’m going to marry her next week? We’re dating. That’s
all I can tell you.”

“
She’s young and
impressionable, sheltered most of her life even though she grew up
with three brothers. Maybe because of us. Hell, I don’t know what
to do with her half the time, but I don’t want to see her
hurt.”

“
She’s not the little
innocent you’d lead me to believe. She needs to be
independent—craves it, actually, but you keep trying to hide her
away. Won’t work. She’s hungry for adventure and for
sex.”

“
I don’t believe that. She’s
dated for a while now, and hasn’t formed any kind of lasting
relationship.”

“
Only because you or one of
your brothers scared the guy off before she had a chance.” Before
Simon could respond, Steve raised a hand and said, “Her words, not
mine. And one of the reasons she wants me involved.”

“
What does that mean?”
Simon’s face reddened again, but business was over and it was time
to set the man straight about Dena.

“
She wants a relationship
with a man who won’t be intimidated by her family.”

“
And you think you’re that
man?”

Steve shrugged. “She does, and I’m willing to
help her. She’s a special woman, and I’ll take good care of
her.”

“
Keep your fucking hands off
my sister, Gladston.”

“
I’ve been invited by your
sister to assist her in an adventure, and I’ve agreed.”

“
She doesn’t need your kind
of adventure.”

“
That’s her decision, Simon.
Not yours or mine.”

The staring match wasn’t fun, but he’d had
worse with Derek and Mark. While tough, Simon Lindsay, Jr. was a
midsized competitor. After a few minutes of posturing, he gave the
man a break.

“
I can’t hold her back. More
than that, she needs to learn some self-control or she’s going to
end up pregnant and with some asshole who just wants her money. Do
you want her to be used and discarded? Thrown out with the trash
when all she wants is—”

Simon threw up both hands. “Okay, I get it. I
don’t have to like it.”

Perfect time to make a reasonable escape.
Steve stood and gathered his satchel. When he offered his hand,
Simon met him halfway and they parted without further argument.

Executed contract in hand, Steve headed for
the new club. They’d agreed early on that Steve would handle the
club’s security issues while Derek took care of the general
contracting and Mark managed the general business. Once open, Mark
would be onsite manager for Private Delights.

While Derek worked on the build-out, Steve
handled the day to day business at G&L. There were a few things
he’d like to add to the Lindsay job that he wanted to discuss with
Derek and he wanted to see how the building was coming
together.

With a seriously potential playmate at hand,
he was eager for it to open. Introducing Dena to BDSM would be a
singular pleasure. He’d already sketched out a timeline, working
with her steadily until she was ready for the heavy commitment.

Submission was a beautiful thing when handled
correctly, and he was a master.

“
What can I do to help?” he
asked, and Derek jerked forward.

“
Thought you were busy at
the Lindsay job,” Derek asked.

“
Have to order parts and
schedule crews, but I have some time to work on this baby. Give me
a job.”