She donned her poker face as she nodded in earnest to Benny. Out the corner of her eye, she caught the way Adam and Jake Kendall exchanged quick, alarmed looks.
Ginny busied herself pulling her order pad out of her apron, and when she met her gaze, Jillian knew she’d made a friend.
There were just times in life when women had to stick together.
“Our special tonight is chicken-fried steak, with your choice of rice, fries, or garlic mashed, and mixed vegetables. If you need time to look at the menu, I can come back.”
“The special sounds perfect, thank you. I’ll have that.”
Ginny nodded. “Most everyone has the special the first time they eat dinner here. I’m thinking it’s the smell of good cooking in the air that hits ’em when they step through the door.”
“It made my stomach growl and my mouth water,” Jillian confessed.
Ginny headed off to the kitchen, and Jillian turned her attention back to the men. She didn’t feel as uncomfortable as she might have expected, sitting at a table with two adult men she didn’t really know.
“Have you heard from your aunt Shirley yet?” Adam asked.
“Just yesterday. She’s all settled in at a condo about a block away from Uncle Hal and Aunt Betty. I think she’s looking forward to reconnecting with her brother and sister-in-law.”
“I like Miss Shirley. She always gives me a toy when I have to go see Doc Jessop. And I get
two
if I have to have a needle.” Benny had crayons and paper, but showed he was aware of his surroundings and the conversation at hand.
Jillian approved. She’d always encouraged Brandon to join in—despite the fact that more often than not his father discouraged that. He’d believed children should be seen but not heard.
Asshole
.
“Are you sad because your aunt has gone away?” Benny asked.
Understanding that her emotions had been plain for all to see, Jillian cast off all thoughts of Neil Gillespie. He did
not
belong in the here and now. “Maybe just a little,” she said to Benny.
“We got a new aunt that we didn’t even know before. She lived all the way away in New Jersey, and we went to visit her and now she lives in Lusty, too! She’s marrying our cousins.” Then he leaned closer. “And do you know what?
I’m
going to be a big brother.”
Jillian knew she’d sworn off men, but this little guy completely captured her heart. “Do you know what? I think you’re going to be a great big brother.”
Benny smiled, and then looked at the men. “Is that like how Aunt Maggie is my great aunt?”
Jake laughed. “Not exactly, Benny. Great can mean fantastic, and great can mean, well, like double. Maggie is your mother’s aunt, which makes her your double aunt—or great aunt.”
“I think she’s pretty great, too. She makes
really
good cookies.”
“It’s hard to argue with the man’s logic,” Adam said.
Ginny came out of the kitchen with a basket of bread and some butter, and carrying another place setting.
“Mom eats with us sometimes even when she’s working.”
“Does she? She must have a very good boss.”
“Yep. Kelsey is really neat and she has horses at her ranch and Steven is teaching me how to ride and do you know what? When I’m bigger I can ride a big horse instead of a pony.”
“I bet that pony is going to miss you,” Jillian said.
“That’s what mom says.”
“Benny Rose, you don’t go talking Ms. Gillespie’s ear off now, you hear?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Benny gave his mother a smile that Jillian bet would melt any mother’s heart.
“Did you get a chance to take a look around the clinic?” Jake passed her the basket of bread.
Jillian sighed when she realized the bread was nice and warm. Her one weakness, she justified the huge glob of butter she used because she was celebrating the first night of her new life. Tonight, the butter had no calories and would
not
go directly to her ass. “I did, yes. And I think I met two of the doctors, although I must confess I was surprised. I had the impression from Shirley that the Doctors Jessop were only two, and older gentlemen at that.”
“Robert and David came back to Lusty a few weeks ago after spending several years at an inner-city hospital up north in Chicago.” Adam gave a piece of buttered bread to Benny. Then he looked over at his brother. “They’ll just be part time, won’t they, until the uncles retire?”
“Yeah, they’ll spell off their dads, so they can become ‘semi-retired.’ But if I know the uncles, they’ll stay ‘semi-retired’ forever.” Jake turned to her. “So you met Robert and David?”
“Yes, but they didn’t bother to tell me which one was which.” Jillian wasn’t going to think about those two, but she’d found that, despite her best intentions, thoughts of them intruded anyway.
“They’re twins, but fraternal ones,” Jake said. “They’re pretty easy to tell apart. David got a bigger dose of the Sanchez genes, so his eyes and hair are a bit darker than Robert’s. He’s also a bit more happy-go-lucky than his brother. Likes to laugh and tease a lot.”
And he’s a flirt, too, Jillian thought.
“Robert
has
seemed a bit more intense than he used to be,” Adam said.
“He’s always been intense,” Jake said.
“You just think so because you’ve always been happy-go-lucky yourself,” Adam shot back. “Next to you
everybody
seems intense.”
“Boy howdy, you two can’t be trusted to wear your company manners for more than five minutes,” Ginny had come out of the kitchen carrying a tray. Behind her another woman, brown hair with auburn highlights caught up in a top knot, held a second tray. Both men leapt up and relieved the women of their burdens. Adam took the one from the woman Jillian hadn’t met yet.
“Damn it, Kelsey, Matt and Steven are going to have my head if they see you carrying a heavy tray around like that.”
“Damn it, Adam, I’m pregnant, not sick.” But she gave him a big smile. Then she leaned forward, and offered her hand to Jillian. “I’m Kelsey Benedict. Welcome to Lusty, and to
Lusty Appetites
. We really are a modern town, even if our men do tend toward the old-fashioned, overprotective,
Neanderthal
type.”
Jillian accepted the greeting, and told her the truth. “From where I’m sitting, old-fashioned and protective seems very nice indeed.” And certainly something she’d never had a chance to experience.
Jillian pushed the unwelcome thought away, but too late. On its heels came the rest of that sentiment—a longing that she’d managed to keep buried most of her adult life.
Old-fashioned and protective, even Neanderthal in her mind equaled cared for, and Jillian would give just about anything to know what that felt like.
* * * *
“You’re having a good night. The crowd’s lively.” Robert set his drink down and turned his attention to the Master of the
Lyon’s Den
. On this Saturday night, the place was packed, the two main lounges filled nearly to capacity.
Their host had met them at the door, and invited them to join him for a drink. Christopher Lyon’s private lounge—on the mezzanine— was large enough for a small party, featured relaxing arm chairs and a one-way glass wall that looked down over both of the public lounges.
“Saturdays, as you can imagine, are always premium evenings here.” The man’s eyes didn’t linger, but roamed, taking in the ebb and flow of the club’s patrons. “We’ve managed to do well, despite the downturn in the economy.”
“
Reckless Abandon
came through the recession pretty well, too,” David said. Then he looked through the glass. “I’ll be honest. Your place appears to draw a more hard-core crowd than Jordan Fitzpatrick’s does.”
“It does, yes. There’s a higher percentage of the membership here that lives the lifestyle twenty-four seven.” Lyons took another drink from his glass—a tumbler that contained sparkling water and lime. “Frankly, given the differences between our two cities, Jordan’s and mine, I’d expect the reverse to be true. Still, I can’t complain.” He met Robert’s gaze. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t screen potential members just as thoroughly as Jordan does at
Reckless Abandon
. After that incident a couple of years ago there, I ordered a deeper background check on my entire membership.” He paused and let his gaze roam his domain. Robert felt the pause, the weight of it. He could almost bet he knew what was coming.
“You should know, I’ve also hired a psychologist, part time.”
Robert felt the force of the man’s blue-eyed gaze. He nodded. “Wise decision. Hire a professional to revamp your questionnaire, perhaps even sit in on the initial interviews. If your psychologist is good, you’ll be able to, at the very least, prevent any borderline personalities from joining.”
“Exactly. That was a good idea you had, and we shamelessly copied it.”
Robert had expected Jordan to be completely open and honest with Lyons. He wasn’t used to letting near strangers get too close. Under the circumstances, that was something he’d have to get over, at least this once. “Nothing wrong with that. I know the fact that a sociopath managed to get through and into his club—that he then kidnapped a young woman who was a close friend of his—has haunted Jordan.” Robert looked out at the view, then met Christopher’s gaze. “As it would any good master. Fortunately she was found in time, and that bastard will never see daylight again.”
“Yes, a genuine happy ending as I know that Richard, Alan, and Molly Grant have since already welcomed their first new addition to their family.” Lyons also took another look out at the action taking place below them. “We have a great deal in common, Jordan and I, not the least of which is that we take our responsibilities very seriously.”
It was one facet of the D/s lifestyle that meshed so perfectly with the way Robert had been raised. A real man took care of his own. A good master took care not only of his own subs, but also any sub that came under his roof.
He thought it a bit odd that Christopher Lyons didn’t have a sub attending to him at the moment, but he let it pass. Something about the man spoke to him on a deeper level than that reached by most new acquaintances. He had the feeling that he and Christopher could become good friends.
At the moment, Christopher Lyons appeared to be a man completely invested in the operation of his club.
Robert followed Lyon’s gaze. A busy Saturday night, lots of music, lots of people dancing, lots of people mingling. Some were dressed in costumes, some barely dressed at all. From this vantage point it proved a simple exercise, picking out the Doms from the subs. Aside from the collars, and occasional leashes, the way people stood, their body language, often told the story of who, and what they were.
Robert wondered what pretty little Jillian Gillespie would think of this place.
Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren’t you, Robbie?
He probably was, but it had always been his nature to make up his mind about what he wanted very quickly. He could see no reason why it should be any different when it came to choosing his life’s mate. If he took the time to think about his family’s unique history, he’d remind himself that falling in love immediately and for life really was a family trait.
Jessops were like that.
“Both Jordan and Jonathan Steele seemed to think you’d be interested in finding a sub to share,” Lyons said. “I happen to know of a couple who are in need of a new master—and who wouldn’t be averse to being shared.”
“We’ve already found one,” Robert said.
Even if she doesn’t know that’s what she is
. Now that he thought about it, she probably
didn’t
know she was a natural-born sub. “For the time being, however, we’d like to continue our training—we’re not interested in having sex with anyone else, that’s not why we’re here.” He inhaled deeply. They couldn’t have sex with anyone else, not when they’d found their mate. Robert allowed himself one more moment to think about pretty Jillian.
A part of him very much wanted to be back in Lusty right now. Jillian might already be home in her apartment for the night. He wanted to go there, go right there, strip her naked, and put her between himself and his closest brother.
With effort, he closed off those thoughts and desires, and focused on the conversation. “I found the practice, and the discipline, to be an excellent way to manage stress. I’d like to work on that, if you’ll permit me.”
“I pretty much feel the same, although my stress levels don’t get as high as Robert’s.” David tilted his head to one side and met Lyon’s gaze. His brother could be serious when he needed to be.
Lyons nodded. “We have some playrooms that require the supervision of a Dom. We also, from time to time, are obliged to either assist with, or administer discipline ourselves.” Lyons grinned. “If you’re offering your services on a volunteer basis, I’ll take them. After I process your applications for membership, of course.” Lyons took another drink from his glass. “I’ll also want to see how you are with a six foot before I permit you to wield one in my house. That, we can do tonight.”