Watching From The Shadows: Trident Security Book 5 (19 page)

“Well, we can’t have that happening, now can we? Did you have something in mind?”

Glancing at Harper, he shook his head. “Not really. Something nice, but temporary.” Harper’s astonished gaze would have knocked him on his ass had he not been expecting it. Her eyes were blazing and he could almost feel the heat. He grinned at her. “I’m teasing, Butterfly—I’m liking that nickname for you by the way. We just need something temporary until I can have one designed for you. If that’s all right with you.”

Her shoulder’s and jaw relaxed slightly. As Sasha pulled out two trays of assorted collars, Harper nodded at him. “That would be fine, Sir.”

Shit
. Her matter-of-fact tone told him this hadn’t been something to tease her about. He cupped her cheek. “Hey, I’m sorry. Bad time for a joke. I’m new to this couple and dating thing, so I’m sure it’s not the last time I’m going to say something stupid. Forgive me?”

She took a deep breath, then gave him a small smile. “Of course. And I know this is new for you, but I’ve had over a year where I thought you had rejected Mara and me, so it’s going to take time for me to get past that.”

“Understood.” He leaned in for a quick kiss. “Now, let’s enjoy ourselves, shall we?” They turned to face the submissive waiting patiently behind the counter. “Okay, Sasha. Show us what you’ve got.”

Ten minutes later, Harper was sporting a black leather and rhinestone collar, which told all the other Doms she was spoken for. Since he no longer had to worry about anyone approaching his sub, Marco took her for a tour of the pit. She’d been in the lifestyle and clubs like this for a long time so her responses to what she was seeing weren’t the same as someone new going through culture shock. Instead, as she watched a scene, he watched
her
, looking for the subtle changes in her body when she saw something that turned her on. A hitch of her breath. A flush to her cheeks and chest. An increase in the pulse rate of her carotid artery. The slight shift of her hips. The clenching of her thighs. And the fire in her eyes as her arousal grew. He took note of everything, storing the information for recall at a later time when they were playing.

One of the scenes she had a positive response to was a ménage—two male Doms and their female submissive. With any other sub, this would have led to asking Brody to join them before the night was through, but Marco knew he had to give the idea more thought before that happened. First off, he wanted her all to himself for now. And secondly, it was something Harper and he were going to have to discuss at length. He knew a ménage was on her green limit list, meaning it was something she had tried, and was interested in experiencing again. However, he would have to find out if she’d be willing to let Brody be the one to join them, knowing she was going to be seeing a lot of the geek afterward. He also had to examine his own feelings of his best friend being their third in a scene. With any other sub, it wouldn’t be a problem at all, but Harper was far from being just another sub. In addition to the ménage, there were several items on her yellow ‘haven’t-tried-but-want-to-try’ list which they would have to discuss, and possibly explore, but he’d save them for another time.

He walked them around for a bit, introducing her to other members. Some of them recognized her from the other club, Heat, and it irritated him to think of her playing with another Dom. But he had no right to complain about it, since it was no different than her dating other men prior to him. The one thing he was overjoyed about this evening was the way she stayed tucked into his side, yet didn’t come across as being clingy. She was her own woman, and could handle herself conversing with new acquaintances, but still respected him and the rules of the lifestyle. If their attentions were divided in a group, he noticed her gaze darted to him as if reassuring herself he was still with her, but she had nothing to worry about—with her was where he wanted to be. It pleased him to know she was becoming as attached to him as he was to her. They could do this…this thing between them. He was certain of it. But did he have it in him to fall in love with her? How did one know they were in love as opposed to just caring for someone? Was there some sort of epiphany he would have some day, where…
boom
…he knew he was in love and couldn’t live without her? Jeez, he couldn’t ask the guys—they’d laugh their asses off at him. Again, something to think about at another time.

After another trip around the cavernous play floor, he glanced at his watch. Two hours was more than enough time to have made an appearance and chatted with friends. It was time for the second half of the evening to commence and he was more than ready for it.
Let the games begin.

C
HAPTER 15

Harper followed Marco across the parking lot and waited as he placed his hand on the scanner to open the compound’s inner gate. He’d told her to put her skirt and shirt back on over her club wear, then meet him in the lobby. Returning to the locker room, she’d obeyed his instructions, curious to know what he had planned since he refused to give her any hints earlier. Now, she couldn’t resist asking, “Where are we going?”

Instead of answering her, he gave her a sexy, evil grin, then gestured for her to proceed him through the gate. Several armed men patrolled the perimeter fencing, and aside from a quick glance, they ignored the couple. As the gate closed behind them, Marco took her hand, leading her toward the third building in the row of converted warehouses. It was the only building she hadn’t been in yet, but had been told it housed the gym, training rooms, and storage. Was he planning on some sexual gymnastics? The thought made her giggle and he raised an eyebrow at her. “Something funny?”

She shook her head as he unlocked the door with another scan of his palm. “Not really. Just imagining a few scenarios based on what I was told about this building. Mainly the gym.”

When they entered, he flipped on one light switch, partially illuminating a workout room which would rival any high-end commercial gym. There were racks of weights, nautilus machines, a boxing ring, and every piece of aerobic exercise equipment she’d ever heard of—treadmills, cycles, stair climbers, ellipticals, and more. But Marco obviously had another destination in mind, since he bypassed all of it. Guiding her down a hallway that ran through the second half of the building, he slowed at an ordinary looking door, turned the knob, and entered the room with her in tow. Confused, she glanced around as he strode over to a shelving unit. “What are we doing in a storage room?”

Opening what looked like a normal, metal junction box, he placed his hand on another scanner. To her amazement, the shelving and wall swung open, revealing a hidden entrance. “What the…?”

He reached in and flipped a switch, bringing the lights on. “Come on in and watch your step. This is our panic room, so to speak. The compound used to be owned by a drug cartel. The government seized it and Ian bought the place for a song at an auction. When we were taking inventory of the place, Jake found this underground bunker. We fixed it up for our needs and added to it. Egghead’s got a duplicate war-room down here, where he can run everything from if needed. Once a month, we strip and clean all the weapons in the locker, and rotate out cases of water and MREs as they approach their expiration dates.”

Harper was shocked at the size of the place as she descended the stairs and found herself in a huge room. There was a computer terminal and security set up similar to the one in Brody’s office, bunk beds, lockers, tables, chairs, shelves with supplies, and anything else they needed to hunker down if the compound came under attack. From the looks of it, over two dozen people could stay down here and there would still be room for a few more. “What happens if someone finds the entrance?”

Pulling out the chair from the computer desk, he pointed to a door on the far side of the room. “That’s sort of a porta-potty bathroom since the plumbing wasn’t run down here, and through there is an escape route that takes you out into the woods to the west of the compound.”

He punched two buttons on the computer console and the bright, white lights dimmed and changed to a soft red, giving the room a sensual feel to it. She assumed it was to allow anyone in the bunks to get some sleep. Sitting in the chair, Marco crooked his finger, silently calling her to him. When she stopped in front of him, he held out his hand and waited for her to take it. “I have to ask…to be sure. Is this what you want tonight? To submit to me? To obey my orders?”

Without hesitation, she replied. “Yes, Sir.”

“What’s your safe-word, Butterfly?”

At Heat, they didn’t have a universal safe-word as they did at The Covenant, so each submissive chose their own word. “It’s cauliflower, Sir.”

He snorted. “I take it you don’t like cauliflower.”

“No, I don’t. And there’s no chance I’d accidentally say it during a scene.”

Rubbing his thumb over her wrist, he nodded. “Okay. Cauliflower it is. But I will also honor the word ‘red’ since it’s used by everyone here. If you say either word, I will immediately stop the scene and we’ll talk about what went wrong. ‘No’ and ‘stop’ will not be heeded. Understand?”

Having played in the lifestyle for years, Harper knew all this was the sign of a good Dominant making sure his submissive fully comprehended what was about to happen, but she still wished he’d hurry things along. She was horny as hell between being so close to him all night, observing some hot scenes, and the fact that it had been over a year since she’d had sex. “I understand, Sir. Red and cauliflower are my safe-words. No and stop will mean nothing.”

“Good girl. Take off your skirt, blouse, and shoes, then present for me.”

Disrobing once more until only her corset, stockings, garter, and underwear remained, she placed her discarded clothes on the desk next to him. Then, using his hand for support, Harper lowered herself to her knees and sat back on her heels. With her head bent forward, eyes downcast, she placed her hands, palms up, on her thighs, then took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

This was it. What she’d been dreaming about for years. To completely submit to Marco DeAngelis. Yes, she had the power to stop him at any time by using her safe-word, but she highly doubted it would be needed. He had been tender and caring with his sister through her entire battle with cancer, and Harper knew he would be the same thoughtful man during sexual play. She knew he would never hurt her…but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t use a bite of pain to give her the pleasure she desired. Oh, no. She fully expected him to make her body sing the way it had during their one night together, even though he’d kept his dominant side in check back then.

Impatiently, she waited. When he shifted and opened a desk drawer, she fought the urge to see what he was up to. It really didn’t matter, since she was sure she would know soon enough. And Marco didn’t disappoint. Dropping whatever he’d retrieved on the desk, he leaned forward and tucked his fingers under the cups of her corset, pushing them down under her breasts. She held her breath to keep from begging for him to play with them.

“Beautiful. I told you yesterday that those nipples deserved to be decorated, so that’s what I’m going to do, sweetheart.” His voice had dropped to a sexy rumble and she felt every word penetrate her body and settle between her legs. She was already wet for him and they had barely started. His thumbs brushed over her nipples and they immediately responded, puckering and tightening. He pulled and tugged them with his fingers until they were distended enough for what he wanted to do to them.

Marco picked up what she now knew where nipple clamps. Squeezing the rubberized clasp of one of them, he instructed, “Take a deep breath.”

When she did, he clipped it on her right nipple, and the pain pushed a groan from her mouth. It had been a long time since she’d been clamped, and even though Mara had been breastfed for the first few weeks after her birth, it was nothing compared to what she felt now. Marco tugged on her left nipple and quickly attached the second clamp. The pain was already morphing into pleasure for her. Damn, how she’d missed this. In the hands of an experienced Dom, a submissive like Harper was in heaven. She didn’t know why she craved the pain, all she knew was she did. Her body and mind were just wired that way.

Marco held the ends of the attached strings in his palm so she could see them. Spaced evenly along the three-inch lengths were finely polished stones, providing enough weight so the clamps tugged downward. Each time she moved even a fraction of an inch, the stones swayed, shooting electricity through her nipples into the rest of her body. “Someday, these will be gems because you deserve them. But for now, these will do. Stand for me, Butterfly.”

She did as she was told and he pointed to a leather recliner he must have placed in the middle of the room earlier. “Bring me the two items sitting on the right side of the chair.”

Pivoting on the ball of her foot, she carefully walked over to the chair. Each step caused the clamps to pull down under their attached weight and by the time she reached her destination, her clit was throbbing in time with her the aching in her breasts. On the chair she found three items. On the right side was what she was supposed to bring him—a new, pink anal plug and a tube of lubricant. On the left side was a matching vibrator. Oh God, he was going drive her insane before he fucked her, she just knew it. Then again, the man was a Dom, so she really shouldn’t have expected anything less.

Picking up the plug and lube, she turned around and found he’d shucked off his boots and removed his T-shirt. How had she forgotten how gorgeous his body was? Sculpted like an artist had designed him using a Greek or Roman god as their guide. He had a smattering of dark hair on his tanned chest, which thinned into a line going straight down his torso, disappearing into his black leathers. The bulge behind the laced fly was unmistakable and made her mouth water. She’d sucked him off the last time they’d been together, during a middle-of-the-night shower to clean the sweat and sex from their bodies. And now she couldn’t wait to do it again. Well-hung was an understatement when it came to Marco.