Shaking her head, Paige opened her door and slid out, saying, “Men. If we could figure them out, we might not want them. Ever think of that?”
“No, but now I will.” Penny followed her to a table before confessing, “He’s everything Jim wasn’t, which I figure is why I’m attracted to him. But it’s one-sided so, yes, I’m planning on returning home soon. All I need to do is get up the nerve to go against a Dom’s wishes for the first time. And get that smirk off your face. It’s not as easy as you think. If you haven’t found that out yet with the Carlsons, you will if you’re around them much longer. Your turn to give. I want to hear details about your punishment, and what it’s like to have two men fawning over you.”
“They’re hardly fawning,” Paige returned with a wry twist to her lips. “The only reason they pulled that stunt the other night was to keep me from going back to Sanctuary. Now that Damien, and Troy and Trevor, know what I was up to, they’ll bar me from the club. Which is why I can’t figure out why they’re insisting I meet the obligations in the auction contract.” She shook her head, as confused over their motives as Penny appeared over Damien’s. “But I’m going through with it. I’ve spent the last year trying to figure out which man I fantasize most about, without an ounce of encouragement from either. If nothing else, I’ll use those hours with them to get a little recompense for the sleepless nights they’ve given me.”
Penny giggled, a sound Paige relished after all her sister’s suffering. “I don’t blame you, but I still can’t picture you letting them tie you up, or you taking orders from them, even if it’s limited to sexual submission.”
With a rueful exhale, Paige admitted, “Me either, which is why I plan to distract them with flirtatious teasing, to keep them as on their toes as they put me. I wonder who will end up enjoying the upper hand.”
They took a seat at an empty table and Penny hid her face behind the menu, but Paige still caught the humor lacing her voice with her reply. “My money is on them.”
Paige tried not to put much stock into Penny’s words as she worked her way through another shift at The Precinct that night, but her sister’s remark did nothing to boost Paige’s confidence for tomorrow. It helped that the bar boasted a larger than usual Saturday night crowd, keeping her so busy she didn’t have time to stress over what the guys might have planned or what her response might be to their dominance. That was, not until Troy walked in, zeroed in on her from across the room and then nodded before joining a group in the back corner.
Over the next hour, Paige’s job ran her ragged filling orders while conversing with the clientele, all the while leaving her conscious of the thrill of one man’s constant scrutiny. Where was that focused interest all these months when she’d been pining over him and his brother? Yeah, she was looking forward to tomorrow, and pulling out all the wiles she could muster to keep them off guard as they’d been doing to her.
* * *
Troy sipped his drink, listening with half an ear to the conversations and joking from his cronies. He’d worked late last night, but Trevor had phoned when he got home from checking in with Paige and said she appeared calm about going out with them tomorrow. But he didn’t trust her, not when it came to this abrupt about-face over submitting to them. He didn’t deny he’d been as drawn to the spunky redhead as his brother, but it had never entered his mind to act on it. He enjoyed limited down time, and when given the chance to meet up with the gang of seven for an innocent game of poker or an evening of BDSM play, he didn’t want to waste time catering to a newbie or arguing with a defiant sub.
Paige fell into neither category—at least that was what he believed after having the pleasure of her draped over his lap and the feel of her ass reddening and heating under his hand. Her cries of surprise and pleasure were genuine, her responses enough to leave him hard and hurting. She intrigued him and was turning out to be a puzzle with missing pieces he’d enjoy filling in.
They had asked Zach and Sandie to join them tomorrow, limiting the extras to one couple in deference to Paige’s inexperience and the way they’d coerced her into complying. Neither he nor Trevor felt guilty over enforcing the terms of the contract; she had a way out by paying them back. She didn’t need to know they wouldn’t have pushed repayment had she balked. But they’d both noticed the gleam of interest in her eyes and the obvious signs of arousal when they’d discussed fulfilling the remaining seven plus hours.
Bringing his glass to his mouth, he hid his grin when Paige said something to the people lined up at the bar that made them laugh. Following with a silly grin and pirouette, she entertained her customers with flirtatious glances no one found fault with. When the crowd thinned, he downed the last swallow of his drink and rose, making his excuses to his friends.
“Excuse me. I believe I’ll get a refill then head out. Catch you guys later.”
Troy wound through the tables, passed the pool sharks off to the side and slid onto a stool at the bar, his cock twitching when Paige stepped over to him with a wary frown and that cute dip of her brows. She tossed her head, swaying her chin-length hair around her jaw, her gray eyes snapping with awareness and determination.
“What can I get you, Detective?”
She didn’t know Trevor had relayed every word of their encounter last night. Amused, Troy leaned forward and cupped his hand on her nape, drawing her torso across the bar to meet him halfway. Against her mouth, he whispered, “So formal after giving me the pleasure of smacking your delectable ass then feeling your pussy grip my finger with your orgasm.” She stiffened and tried to pull away, but he held her still long enough to press his lips hard against hers. Sitting back, he held up his glass. “A small refill, please.”
“You…” Flustered, she cast a quick look around and he could see the relief replacing her annoyance when she noticed no one stood close enough to hear, or even pay them any mind. “Sure.” He made sure their fingers brushed when she took the glass and enjoyed the flare of heat spreading over her pale cheeks.
“When do you get off?” Troy asked when she set his refill in front of him.
“Mel’s nephew is picking up extra cash by taking over for me at ten. Why?”
“I’ll wait and walk you out.”
“Here we go again with your fetish for walking me to my car. I’m a big girl, Troy, and know how to take care of myself.”
He grinned and leaned forward again, this time letting her meet him halfway on her own, which she did without hesitation. Damn, maybe big brother was right, and the girl possessed more than an inkling of submission under that layer of feisty independence. “I thought to tell you in private about another fetish. It includes fitting you with a pair of nipple huggers and small butt plug before we drive down to Miami tomorrow. Have you ever used either?”
Her breath hitched and her eyes widened, but a teasing smile ghosted across her lips followed by her tongue darting out to lick it off. “No, Detective, I haven’t.” She stood back, adding, “But I’ll discuss the possibility with you in,” she checked the time then raised a brow, “ten minutes, when you walk me out.”
Troy shifted on the stool, his jeans growing tight around his semi-erection as he watched her work cleaning up her station. Snug denim hugged her ass, and he itched to get his hands on her again. Her quick turnabout after he’d shocked her with their plans caught him off guard, a rare thing for anyone to accomplish. As soon as her replacement arrived, she reached under the counter, waved to Mel and strolled around the bar to meet him.
“I’m ready.”
He grasped her elbow and they walked in silence out the side door, down the short, narrow hall to the back exit and into the rear parking lot. “I need to talk to Mel about getting better lighting back here,” he stated, leading her over to her vehicle and taking the keys from her to open the door.
“About tomorrow, do I have a say in anything?”
“You have the safewords, or you can pick your own, either of which will stop anything we’re doing. And you can stil
l change your mind about participating at all any time between now and when we reach the marina in Miami. Believe it or not, you hold the power to make all the decisions. I told you about the toys to prepare you, and give you time to think about this overnight, before we arrive at 1:00.”
He caught the gleam in her eyes even in the meager light. Paige leaned into him and brushed her lips over his, the ‘barely there’ kiss enough to send a frisson of lust straight to his groin. “I won’t change my mind. In fact, I’m looking forward to it, Detective. Goodnight.”
“Paige.” She halted before sliding behind the wheel but didn’t look around at him. Pressing against her back, he instructed, “Wear a skirt, and leave off your bra and panties.” He felt her stiffen, but she nodded without a word before settling in the Jeep.
She had guts, he’d give her that, Troy thought, watching her drive off. He hoped that bravado lasted through the afternoon. For the first time in years, he was looking forward to introducing a newbie to the lifestyle.
Chapter 9
“You’ll enjoy them, I promise.”