The doorbell rang at the same time someone across the room was calling loudly to Daniel. He turned to Alex. “Could you get that?” He moved away from her toward the calling voice.
Alex moved through the crowd toward the front door. She wished she was wearing more, which was silly in the circumstances, with half the room in various stages of undress. She pulled open the door and looked up at a man of medium height with large black eyes beneath thick, curling hair. He had several days’ growth of beard on his face and a long, slightly hooked nose over a lush, sensuous mouth and strong jaw.
He was wearing a black cashmere jacket over a pearl-gray button-down shirt, a hint of chest hair revealed at his throat, around which a slim gold chain glinted. There was something powerful in his face, almost cruel.
He was alone, and for some odd reason Alex found herself desperately hoping he was straight. She at once censored the thought. What did it matter to her? She was taken—she was owned.
He cocked his head at her and bestowed one of the most beautiful smiles she had ever seen. His eyes seemed to remove what little clothing she wore as he raked her body with them. “Hello, lovely woman. Are you going to stand there staring at me all night, or are you going to invite me in?”
Flustered, Alex stepped back and motioned for him to enter the house. He had a slight accent, something Spanish and thoroughly charming. “My name is Anthony. I’m a friend of Matthew and Phillip. I was supposed to come with them but I was detained. And you are…?”
“Alex.” A friend of Matthew and Phillip. Damn, he was gay.
He raised an eyebrow. “Alex is not a suitable name for a woman. What is your given name?”
Alex realized her mouth was dry and tried to swallow. “Alexandra.”
“Beautiful. And much more fitting. May I call you that?”
Alex was confused. The vibe she was getting definitely wasn’t gay. “Yes, Sir” she whispered.
Liam was suddenly beside them. At the same moment two men appeared. The Dom wore black leather pants and a vest with no shirt beneath. His partner wore white shorts and had muscles that bulged almost to the point of deformity. Even more arresting was the fact his torso, front and back, was covered with brightly colored tattoos.
“Anthony, you made it.” The Dom turned to Liam. “This is the guy I was telling you about. He’s a whip maker from Spain. Anthony Campos.”
Liam thrust out his hand. “Your reputation precedes you, Anthony. I hope you brought a few tools of your trade to share with us. Welcome to our home.” Alex watched them shake hands. She noticed Anthony’s fingers were especially long and slender, perfectly manicured nails at their tips. He wore a heavy rose gold ring on his right index finger with some kind of insignia engraved into it. Maybe, Alex thought fancifully, he’s a Spanish duke or something. His bearing was certainly aristocratic.
Something made her glance up at his face and she blushed hotly to realize he was watching her with dark, penetrating eyes. To her relief he turned from her back to Liam. She hoped no one had observed her blush. “I have a few things out in the car. I would be glad to demonstrate later. Perhaps on this slave? Is she yours?”
Liam put his arm around Alex and squeezed her shoulder. “Yes. She belongs to me and Daniel.” To Alex he added, “This is Matthew and his sub Phillip.”
Anthony interjected, “And Daniel is…?”
“My partner,” Liam supplied. “And my sub.”
Anthony raised his eyebrows. “You permit your sub to own another? Forgive me, but isn’t that most unusual?”
Liam shrugged. “I don’t know. It works for us. Daniel has some dominant impulses of his own and Alex here meets our needs.”
Anthony’s mouth smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I would never permit a sub such license. My slaves belong to me—they give themselves one hundred percent to me, body, soul and heart. The very idea of allowing them such liberty is, forgive me, absurd.”
A tiny whisper of warning sounded in Alex’s head but she was too distracted by the men’s conversation to pay attention. One side of Liam’s mouth turned down and he shrugged. “For you, perhaps. Above all, Daniel and I are partners. We do what works for us.”
Matthew intervened with a nervous laugh. “Don’t mind Anthony, Liam. He’s a great whip maker but sometimes he takes himself a little too seriously.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Anthony nodded and offered a thin smile. “Forgive me for imposing my views. I confess I’m a traditionalist in this regard. I take the gift of submission very seriously.”
“As do I,” Liam said. Alex could sense the tension beneath their interchange. She was relieved when Matthew said, “Hey. Let’s get this party started. Anthony, why don’t you go get some of those whips of yours and we can have a little demo? Phillip was uppity with me on the way here. I’m sure he’s ready to atone in front of Liam and all his guests, aren’t you, Phil?”