She blinked and looked around. He’d crouched beside her. Master Chase and Master Lorenzo glowered, all amusement obliterated from their expressions.
“Head down, Jane. Spread those legs wider for us. I love seeing your pussy and how wet it is. Don’t deny us what we enjoy, little one.” Stryker pressed her head down.
Viviana took a deep breath and focused on casting her gaze downward. She closed her eyes and willed the tears pooling in her vision to go away. For fuck’s sake, she didn’t want to lose this chance. Not when she’d tasted nirvana.
All she needed was one more time. Just one more scene. Maybe two. Was it too much to ask?
She’d beg if she had to. God, she hated begging. But she’d gotten good at it over the years. That was so long ago. She’d sworn never to beg for anything ever again after him. But this was different.
So, so different.
In all the right ways.
She’d vowed before coming here to strike the past and forge her own future. Living in shame and fear hadn’t gotten her anywhere. It was time to embrace her desires.
“I’ll trust you two to adhere to Brigade protocol as much as possible,” Chase stated. “But you two aren’t getting out of those classes.”
“Agreed.” Lance stood. “Anything else?”
“Two weeks.”
“Fair enough,” Stryker stated.
“I’d prefer limited visibility for some of it.” Chase motioned toward the room behind them. “I don’t have the patience for whining this week.”
“We’ll use my quarters,” Stryker added.
“When’s the next shutdown?” Lance asked.
“Wednesday.” Lorenzo pulled out his smartphone. “Should we add you?”
“Yes, please.”
What was a shutdown? Viviana suspected she’d created enough havoc with her earlier questions. She’d learn soon enough.
“That’s only a few days away. Are you sure she’ll be ready?” Chase asked.
“You doubt us?” Stryker replied.
Chase shook his head. “I give up.”
The two men walked away, commenting about military brainwashing and testosterone overload. Although Viviana suspected a few people had been watching—and probably still were—she felt alone with Lance and Stryker once again. Her breathing eased.
“Your drinks, Sirs.” The soft voice ruptured Viviana’s quiet space.
“Thank you, Sarah, dear.” Lance took one of the bottled waters and the drink. “Time to drink up, Jane.”
* * * * *
Their latest Jane was a lightweight. Lance would have to remember that the next time they ordered her a drink. She drifted along behind them, her stride now casual, as if she were on a Sunday stroll. She kept her hands crossed in front of her most of the time, though they’d forgone any restraints for now. Her gaze remained downward for the most part, though he noted a hungered wistfulness in her eyes now and then.
Lance wasn’t about to call her on a look like that, and he suspected Stryker wouldn’t either. The trek to Stryker’s secluded bungalow was a quarter of a mile. They’d draped a blanket around Viviana’s shoulders even though the Texas breeze remained semi-tolerable.
They’d have to discuss her past with her at some point. They both knew it. But that wouldn’t be tonight. Probably not their next session either. She needed time to develop more of a bond with them. Trust was a key foundation with a submissive, and it would take time.
Sending her home had been discussed, but she needed time to come down from the rum and Coke, and Lance suspected Stryker needed another scene with her just as badly as he did.
Few people had been welcomed into Stryker’s private space before. Lance felt privileged to be one of the trusted few frequenters—if you could consider about ten times frequent. For Stryker, that was.
It was for Lance too.
Hell, Lance hadn’t even told anyone but Stryker and the founders where he lived.
She’d shucked her heels off about halfway. The temptation to spread her legs and fuck her hard, right there in the grass kept Lance’s cock hard. Stryker hadn’t said much, so he suspected he was having the same problem.
The little sub needed a good, hard fuck. No bondage. No commands. Just a sweet sub sandwich.
But her ass was off-limits for tonight. That made at least half of what Lance wanted to do impossible for now. Conditioning a vanilla sub for anal play was a responsibility they both took seriously.
“You okay back there, Jane?”
“Are you sure you know where we’re going?”
Stryker chuckled. “He’s gotten lost before.”
“Let’s just stay right here. The grass feels soft enough.” The wistfulness in her voice made Lance halt. His cock twitched in memory of his previous need.
Stryker groaned beside him. “She has no fucking clue how tempting she is right now.”
“No.”
“Any condoms on you?”
“No. You?”
“Crap no.”
“All righty then. Forward we go.” Lance made note to carry condoms from now on. “Condom dispensers would be a good idea out here.”
“Indeed.”
A soft amber glow lit the area before them. “We’re almost there.”
“Good.”
Stryker chuckled. “I don’t think high protocol is on the menu for tonight.”
“No.”
Stryker paused as they hit the sidewalk. Viviana looked at them and then down at the grass. She sighed and fell to her knees.
Lance suppressed a laugh. “Good girl, though we didn’t expect you to kneel here.”
“Then why did you stop?” She glowered at them.
“I didn’t want the sidewalk to hurt your feet,” Stryker stated.
“Oh.” She chewed on her lip as he stepped toward her and leaned down to lift her up. “I’m too heavy for you to carry.”
“No you aren’t, little one.” Stryker placed a kiss to her forehead. “Put your arm around me.”
She complied quickly and relaxed against him. Her eyes drifted shut. “She’s emotionally gone.”
“Yeah.”
Lance fumbled with the keys Stryker tossed his direction and shoved the door open. Soft lighting splayed through the room. Motion sensors were marvelous things at times like this.
Stryker stepped into the room with his precious cargo and Lance kicked the door shut. The lock clicked into place on its own.
Lance tossed the keys on the table beside the door and looked around. “Feels odd as shit to be here with you, man.”
“Can’t say I’m giddy about it myself.”
Lance chuckled. Stryker walked through the living room and down the hallway. He paused at a stairwell leading downward and glanced at Viviana. “She’s out.”
“Figured as much.” Lance looked around and glanced at his watch. “Want me to head out?”
“Nah. There are guest rooms. We’ll get her settled and start fresh tomorrow morning.”
“Think we should wake her up, in case she’s got something or someone waiting for her?”
“Hell if I know.”
Stryker headed into a room at the end of the hall and settled her onto the king-sized bed. The masculine décor of black and dark wood, not to mention the four-poster bed clued Lance in that this was Stryker’s room.
“I’m not exactly the type to let a girl stay over. Know what I mean?” Stryker asked.
“Yeah. Same here.”
Stryker jostled Viviana softly. “Hey there, little one. Do you want to wake up?”
“Shouldn’t that be a command?”
“Bite me.”
“I’ll leave that to her.”
“Good idea.” Stryker grimaced. “I’d have to shoot you.”
“I’d shoot myself.”
Viviana grumbled and turned into Stryker’s hand, cocooning his arm against her.
“Guess she’s a snuggler.”
“Ever met a woman who wasn’t?”
“Can’t say I have. You?”
“Nah. Not particularly.” Stryker sat on the bed. “Viviana.”
The voice was firm. He shook her. “You need to wake up.”
“What?” Her eyes fluttered open. “Go away.”
Lance chuckled. “So much for commanding.”
“Little one, do you need to call someone? Can you stay here?”
She sighed. “I don’t scoop the poop until tomorrow night.”
That’s TMI. Lance chuckled. “Glad we rate above the poop.”
“Hey, man, my sister’s got a cat. No man stands between a woman and her cat. Just saying.”
“I hear ya.”
Silence descended. Stryker placed the blanket over Viviana. They both watched her sleep for a few moments.
“This is creepy.”
“Yeah.”
“Cards?”
“What the hell. Let’s go.” Stryker stood and made his way toward the hall, flicking the light off as he went past it.
Tomorrow was soon enough to make their little submissive fly again.
Stryker paused in the hallway and turned. “You tell anyone you stayed here tonight and I’ll kill you.”
“Same to you.” Lance looked around. “Which room you want?”
“You take the left and I’ll take the right. Bathroom’s next to yours. Towels are in the cabinet. Extra toothbrushes and other shit are in there too.”
“What the fuck are you doing with that shit?”
“Chase’s OCD ass struck.” Stryker shook his head as he wound down the hall. “Gotta get that guy on some meds before he alphabetizes us.”
“I hear ya.”
Chapter Five
She’d fallen asleep. No, she’d passed out. Viviana cringed. A large, four-poster bed engulfed the room. A matching chest of drawers in a rich mahogany sat across the room. A locked footlocker clad in leather peeked out at the end of the bed.
Viviana swallowed. If this was Stryker’s place, there was no telling what was in there. A note was perched on the small nightstand.
Shower.
Supplies inside bathroom.
Breakfast waiting.
Obviously a man of few words. She made her way into the bathroom, trying hard not to contemplate what the hell all of this meant. She’d never, ever, ever fallen asleep at someone’s place. Would he be irate?
She’d passed out before they’d had another scene. The growing concern drew her focus away from the lush bathroom. A shower big enough for a football team took up a corner. An equally large spa-style tub sat in the other corner. She didn’t know much about countertops and accessories. She’d been surrounded by too many men growing up. But she did recognize expensive when she saw it.
Two towels sat beside the end basin. An unopened toothbrush, toothpaste, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and a bath scrunchie were on top—along with an assortment of hairbrushes, combs, hairsprays and gels. She picked up the t-shirt draped over the basin and shook her head. Her brothers would have her ass for wearing a Cowboys’ jersey, but it was clearly what they’d wanted her to wear.
No underwear. Stryker and Lance seemed to have an aversion to it. Then again, they probably didn’t stock panties in assorted sizes. She glanced down at the unopened packages waiting for her and winced. Yeah, they probably did. They’d had everything else.
She padded into the shower and eventually figured out how to operate the multitude of buttons and dials. Okay, she could kill for a shower like this at her place. The pulsating jets massaged her achy muscles. God, it’d been too long since she’d had sex. Muscles she’d forgotten she had throbbed, begging for more.
Two weeks. Chase had agreed to a two-week membership for her, but what did that mean? And how the hell was she going to keep this from the busybodies at work? She needed a phone to call in sick. That’d buy a day or two if she hacked enough of a lung up or wheezed into the phone. Clarence and Mags lived to get her into trouble with Clint, but they were both hyper-vigilant germophobes.
She sighed at the loss of the awesome shower and wrapped herself up in the thickest towel she’d ever used. If she had a suitcase she’d steal it in a heartbeat. She’d expected to be more anxious.
Even though her stomach was tied into knots and her pulse had already begun to sprint a 10K marathon, an even bigger part of her was…
Excited.
Her toes curled at the thought. What did they have planned for her? Would she have to do the walk of shame this morning and come back another time? Had they changed their mind? Did Doms do scenes in daylight, or were they like BDSM vampires who clung to the safety of a darkened dungeon under a moonlit sky?
Okay, no more SyFy channel.
Accepting that her riotous hair was simply looking for a reason for her backside to get another romp with a paddle by slowing her down, Viviana put on the jersey. If she didn’t bend over, it’d cover her ass and a small bit of thigh. The neckline plunged lower than she’d expected it to and the arms swallowed her to the elbow.
Wandering back into the bedroom, the scent of frying bacon wafted in the air. Her stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast yesterday thanks to her jumbled nerves and an unhealthy fear of bodily functions going awry under all the stress.
Immaculate wood flooring covered the hallway. A soft cream color adorned the walls. Black-and-white landscape photography dotted the walls of a leather-sofa-clad living room. Leather ottomans filled the corners.
She paused at the entryway to the kitchen and took a deep breath. Mumbled curses echoed from the room before her. Taking one last breath, she stepped into the room.
“Goddamn idiot, she’s not going to want a freaking protein shake for breakfast.” Lance shook his head and continued chopping what she suspected were mushrooms. “If I left it up to you, she’d be eating MREs for the next two weeks.”
“As if you’re any better.” Stryker picked up a blender and poured some gray liquid into a glass.
“Hey, at least I know how to cook a fucking breakfast.”
“You’re a long way from Martha Stewart, man.”
“Does she even cook?”
“Hell if I know.”
“Well, after that time in New York with Autumn I realized the value of a good cooked meal.”
Pangs of jealousy drifted through her. Who was Autumn? Hadn’t she heard the name before?
“I’d hardly call the mess you’re making good.” Stryker peeled a banana and set it on a plate.
“Fuck you.” Lance set the knife down and palmed the mushrooms. “This isn’t for you anyway.”
“Are omelets supposed to be black?” Stryker glanced over at the skillet. “If you set off my sprinkler system, I’ll have you put on KP duty for a year.”
“Crap.” Lance turned and grabbed the spatula. Viviana covered her mouth to suppress her laughter, but the two men whirled.
Suddenly she wasn’t hungry. Her nipples hardened as the two men stared at her.
Viviana pointed to the skillet behind them and tried not to laugh any louder than she already had. “Fire.”
Lance sprang into action, flipping the stove off and covering the skillet with a lid. So much for the eggs. He wiped his hands on a dish towel and flung it into the sink. Stryker prowled forward.
“Did you enjoy my bed, little one?”
“It would’ve been better if I’d had some company,” she whispered as she glanced down and fidgeted. “Sorry I passed out.”
“I guess we know you aren’t a rum and Coke girl,” Lance teased.
“It would’ve gone over better if I hadn’t skipped a couple of meals.” She fumbled with her hair and cleared her throat. “Sorry I stole your bed. I can’t believe I passed out.”
“You’d had a long night,” Lance commented.
She glanced at the hallway leading to what she assumed was the exit. “I wasn’t sure whether you wanted me to just leave or come in here first, but you did mention breakfast.”
Stryker cupped her face and wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her flush against his body. Warmth trickled between her legs. “We definitely didn’t want you leaving.”
Lance stepped behind her and ran his hands up her thighs. “We’ve got a full day planned for you.”
A full day. Viviana winced and glanced at the phone. “I’m supposed to work. I can call in though.”
“Good,” Lance whispered. “The two weeks is intended to be a full-immersion program to teach you about obedience in all settings. Some submissives crave a more full-time lifestyle, while some prefer scenes only.”
“These next few days will help you decide what you prefer, in all ways.” Stryker ran his finger down the jersey. “I knew you’d make my cock hard when I saw you in this.”
Her head spun. Full-time. Crap. Her entire body reacted to the thought. If an instantaneous orgasm was possible, she was about to have one.
“I can’t take two weeks off work.”
“We’ll figure something out.” Lance cupped her ass cheeks. “For now let’s enjoy today.”
“Make your call and we’ll salvage breakfast.” Stryker kissed her forehead and moved away.
Viviana dialed her brother’s number and held her breath.
“Where the hell are you?”
“Something came up. I’m taking a few days off.”
“What the hell are you talking about? What’s wrong?”
Viviana laughed. “Nothing’s wrong. I just need a few days off to deal with some stuff.”
Clint sighed into the phone. “I swear you’re trying to give me a heart attack. You’re never late to work and Mags was beside herself.”
“Apologize for me. I’ll see you all in a few days. I’ll check my email, just in case something comes up.”
Silence greeted her response. There wasn’t much he could say. They were between projects for the most part, and she was about to turn thirty. Answering to her big brother hadn’t been on her list of things to do for a long time.
“You’d tell me if something was wrong, right?”
“Of course. Turn off the sister-in-trouble radar because I’m fine.” Viviana glanced at Stryker and Lance, who both leaned against the kitchen island, arms crossed. “I’ll see you in a few days. Love ya.”
“Love ya too.”
She hung up the phone and smiled at them. “My big brother. One of them. I sort of work for him. Well, it’s sort of a partnership, but I’ve got the easy part.”
“You’re the brains, he’s the smile,” Lance stated. “We had Gabe retrieve the stuff from your car, which is now in The Brigade garage. Your laptop and purse are in Stryker’s office.”
“Thanks.” Viviana took a step forward. “I should’ve told you he was my brother last night, but I panicked.”
“It’s not our business,” Stryker replied. He took a step toward her and cupped her chin in his palm. “But we will have no secrets from this point forward.”
“Yes Sir.” Anxiety skittered through her, followed quickly by its evil twin—guilt. Together they created a volcanic need to confess what she’d done. “There’s something you should probably know.”
“This ought to be interesting judging from your nervousness.” Lance’s voice was a husky whisper as he ran his hand down her shoulder. “We won’t bite. Just tell us.”
“I sort of hacked into your computer system.” She cringed.
“What exactly does
sort of hacked
mean? Is that like being sort of pregnant?” Stryker crossed his arms. “And why would you feel compelled to do that?”
Confession might be good for a soul, but it was hell on Viviana’s heart. It thumped its dissension. She’d done it to learn more about Stryker. A man’s ego could only handle knowing so much, and she wasn’t about to give anyone that sort of ammo.
“Technically it wasn’t hacking per se. We’d been contracted to work on your security system and I was curious about The Brigade.” True enough. It’d been the sexier-than-hell voice on the other end of the conference call that had first driven her to the dastardly deed. “I never went into anything private.”
“That’s debatable.” Lance laughed. “Gabe will shit a brick when he hears this. Mr. M.I.T. got hacked.”
“Viviana will confess to him later, when she has time to help render his firewalls as impenetrable as the system she devised.” Pride reflected in Stryker’s voice. “I should be angered by your actions, but I’m too turned-on by how your mind works.”
Lance drew Viviana toward him and shook his head at Stryker. “Food first, fun later.”
Lance watched Viviana eat the last of her banana and squirmed in his chair. His cock was hard and his blood was raging to his groin. Stryker had begun scrubbing the omelet pan while muttering some crap about ice cubes and wanting to go catch a polar bear.
Lance had better ways to deal with his need. “You done, Jane?”
Her head snapped up from her plate. Her almond-shaped eyes widened, her pupils dilating. She nodded and scooted her plate away from the small table. Lance doubted the rickety surface would sustain much weight and he had no intention of taking the time to get her into another room.
“Remove the jersey and hop up on the kitchen island.” Lance stood and leaned against the pantry across from where she’d be.
Her hands shook as she obeyed. Stryker raised an eyebrow and looked at him as he paused his scrubbing. “Really? The kitchen?”
“Better than scrubbing a skillet.”
“True.” Stryker chucked the skillet into the trash can and turned, leaning against the sink countertop.
Her ass was a lovely pink, but Lance remembered how gorgeous it had looked last night after he’d spanked her. She’d be getting another round of that soon enough. For now he wanted that sweet pussy of hers.
She hopped up on the counter and crossed her arms in front of her, a nervous habit she’d developed to hide her lovely breasts no doubt. He grinned and stalked toward her. “Lean back and scoot your ass to the edge. Spread your legs.”
She moved to comply and he groaned his satisfaction. “Such an obedient little sub.”
“What’s your safe word?” Stryker asked.
“Cobra, Sir.”
“Good girl,” Lance commented. “Hands above your head.” Her nipples hardened under his touch. He thumbed the puckered peaks and grunted his appreciation. Damn, he wanted to fuck her long and hard. There’d be time for that later, though. Right now he needed her too damn bad to go slow.
He and Stryker had devised a tentative schedule—one which would give them each some quality alone time with Viviana. Fortunately he’d get the first round since Stryker had work shit to deal with today.
He looked around for something to restrain her hands with. He should’ve thought ahead.
“Second drawer on the right.”
Lance opened the drawer and pulled out a set of cuffs. “Really? The kitchen?”
He shrugged. “I’m prepared.”