The Men With the Golden Cuffs (17 page)

Wow. She was so not going there. “I changed my mind. I want to stay in. Please thank Mr. Taggart for inviting me, but I’ll stay out of things I don’t understand from now on.”

She would focus on the ménage books. They were just her fantasy. She wouldn’t be offending anyone by writing them. Well, no one who wasn’t already offended.

“Stop.” Jake’s voice had gone completely still.

“What do you want from me, Jacob?” Serena asked, feeling past tired. She’d gotten too used to them. Pulling away was going to be hard. Having them around had made her realize just how lonely she’d been.

Adam got into her space. He seemed to like to do that. “We want you to yell at us. We fucked up. Me more than Jake.”

“No, I high-fived you as you sent the e-mail off.” Jake seemed determined to present a united front. “Serena, you have to see Master Storm was wrong for you. There is a faction of the lifestyle that truly believes their way is the only way and the rest of us are posers. They treat it almost like a religion when it isn’t. It should be far more flexible. If you got involved with a man like that, he would have you believing there was only one way for a sub to get into that great dungeon in the sky.”

And they thought she was an idiot. Nice. “I wouldn’t have signed a contract with him. I would have walked away the minute he started to try to tell me what to write. I was curious, Jacob, not a doormat.”

Though she probably seemed that way sometimes.

“Excellent,” Adam said, taking her hand. “Then you can’t be too mad at us. Sweetheart, you need someone to organize your life. You need someone to take care of you, not to try to turn your life into taking care of him. That works for some people, but it wouldn’t for you. BDSM is about having choices and figuring out what works for a couple…or a trio. Don’t let him run you off.”

“I think I should just lay low until this whole stalker thing dies down.”

Jake moved in front of the door that led to the back, an obvious road block. “He got to you. Don’t let him spoil our night. Don’t let him send you back into your shell.”

She took a deep breath. “It’s all right. I was just disappointed to find out what a douche bag he was. He was my only real contact.”

Adam waved a hand. “Hello.” He pointed at Jacob. “Real live certified Dom standing right there. I wouldn’t let Ian bark at me for three weeks, so I don’t have my shiny piece of paper, but I know a thing or two. And I think I’ve been doing a damn fine job of taking care of you. I’ve been topping you for days, and you didn’t even notice.”

That was ridiculous. Except it wasn’t. She thought about the last several days. Adam had quietly taken over much of the day-to-day details of her life. He’d done it with a smile, pushing her to concentrate on her work. He’d started answering her e-mails, making her appointments, even answering her phone calls. He’d taken over, and she’d just been happy to not have to do all those things. It had felt natural. Adam had taken over the minutia, and Jake made sure no one got close.

They were topping her. And she kind of liked it. It had made her life easier, and she’d felt safe and cared for.

“See,” Adam said as though he could read her mind. “It can work for you, but it has to be gentler than what Master Douchewad wants from you. That can work, too. But not on you.”

She shook her head. “But I’m not doing anything for the two of you.”

“Aren’t you? Jake had a headache yesterday. What did you do?” Adam asked.

She’d noticed that he looked stressed. She hadn’t really understood that he’d had a headache. She’d just followed her instincts. She rubbed his scalp until he’d practically melted into his chair. She’d been a bit surprised and deeply pleased that he’d allowed the contact.

“You made me feel better,” Jake said. “You did what you could to take care of me. Hell, Serena, you went into the guest bedroom and pulled out mine and Adam’s dirty clothes. You didn’t have to wash them. We would have gotten them.”

“I was doing a load anyway.” She said the words, but they felt a little stubborn. At the time, she’d wanted to do something for them. She’d wanted to help them the way they were helping her. Maybe that was what a relationship really was.

“Come with us tonight,” Adam cajoled, his hand on her arm. “Let us show you that this lifestyle, like anything else, is what you make it.”

Jake stared down at her, not touching her at all, but she still felt his heat. Adam’s hand caressed her.

She could take the chance. She didn’t have much to lose. She might learn a little something. Despite the fact that she’d told Storm that she would concentrate on ménage, she was still thinking about the fact that her latest book had BDSM in it. And apparently Ian Taggart was the ultimate authority in the DFW area. She’d heard of Sanctum. And she’d heard that they only admitted people who passed strict tests. She was being given a true opportunity to research. If she could keep herself separate, it could work in her favor.

Adam hovered near her. He was so damn close. And Jake. He was so perfect. Each called to her in their own way.

“Come with us.”

She was just about to answer when the doorbell rang again.

“Damn it.” Jake crossed the space, his hand going for the door. “If it’s that jerk, he’s going to see my gun. ‘My body is a weapon.’ Dumb shit. I bet my gun can take out his body really damn quick.”

She turned, Adam’s hand on her shoulder. He leaned in, his lips close to her ear. “Give us a chance, baby. We can show you a whole new world.”

It was the right thing to say. It was exactly what she needed to hear. The world she was in was hard. It would be nice to have some place to sink into.

“Say yes.”

She nodded. She didn’t have anything better to do.

Jake turned back, a box in his hand. “It was a courier. Were you expecting some books?”

She shook her head. “No. I have to order prints. I haven’t ordered any. I have a signing coming up, but Lara ordered those and they went straight to the bookstore.”

“There’s a return address.” He carefully pulled off the label and started to open the box. He pulled out a book. She recognized it immediately. There was a sweet-looking blonde, her head turned submissively to the side, a hot Dom, and the cool as sin beta hero in a cowboy hat.
Sweetheart in Chains.

“It’s just your books,” Jake said, passing it to her.

Serena picked it up. It was her book in trade paperback. Nothing out of the ordinary. She had a closet full of them. She flipped through and saw the difference.

Every dirty word, every pussy, cock, dick, fuck, and others, had been marked through. Someone had taken an enormous amount of time to mark through every part of the book that could be considered slightly controversial.

She flipped to the front.

Stop writing filth or my wrath will come down on you

“Someone sent you a copy of every book you’ve got in print.” Adam held up a copy of
Two Men to Love
. He started to flip through it, and his skin flushed. She knew they were all the same.

Someone hated her. It was all too fucking much. Between Storm’s criticism and this, she felt the tears begin. Too much. She’d just wanted to find a place, and she’d found so much rejection.

Jake put his arms around her. She was hauled to his chest as the sobs began.

Jake stood beside Adam, the soft throb of industrial music thudding in from the dungeon. He watched the women’s locker room, waiting for the moment Serena walked out with Eve. He’d been damn happy Eve was around. He worried that if he’d sent Serena in there alone, she might never have come out.

“She’s taking her time.” Adam watched, too.

“She’s nervous.” And afraid. And a little heartsick. He’d held her while she’d cried, and most of his damn defenses were sorely in need of shoring up. The last several days with Serena had been hard. It had been hard to keep his distance, hard to not like her, hard to just be hard every minute of the day. His cock had made its decision. His cock didn’t give a shit that this was a bad idea. His cock just knew that she was exactly his type and that her soft heart matched her curvy body. It was a dangerous combination.

“I went easy on her.” Adam’s mouth turned down. “I didn’t leave her completely naked.”

Jake turned. “Maybe I shouldn’t have left you in charge of her clothes.”

“Give me a little credit. I didn’t want to scare her away. I left her a miniskirt and a corset.”

Just like that Jake’s dick jumped. His leathers suddenly felt too confining.
Fuck
. How the hell was he supposed to keep his hands off her? He had a hard time when she was fully dressed. What the fuck was he going to do when she walked out wearing next to nothing and looking like his wet dream?

Adam put a hand on his shoulder. He was still in street clothes. He had a job to do. “You can handle this. It’s one very curious woman who is likely to also be deeply shy. You’ll probably stand at the edge of the crowd the whole time.”

Jake threw his partner a look. Serena could be deeply shy, but Jake had the feeling that once she got in the dungeon, her shyness would battle with curiosity, and there was no way shy won. Serena was too interested in everything. He’d watched her corner a waiter who’d mentioned he’d spent some time in Iraq. She’d had a million questions. She hadn’t been too shy to talk to him.

“So, where’s the client who no one here is fucking?” Ian stepped beside Jake, his massive body crowding the space. Ian was dressed for play in motorcycle boots and his leathers.

“She’s in the locker room with Eve. I’m pretty sure Eve’s not fucking her, either.” Adam just had to push it with Ian.

Ian just smiled and one eyebrow cocked up. “Let’s not be hasty. I might actually watch that show.” He sighed. “So, I heard from Liam there was some movement today. I got a frantic call from Lara. She’s really worried about this. She also said she got a call from a local TV station. It seems someone’s smelling blood in the water, and they think it might make a good story.”

A hard knot formed in the pit of Jake’s stomach. This was what he’d been worried about. Serena didn’t seem to want the publicity. She hadn’t called the press. So who had?

“Cool it, Dean. Don’t you know reporters routinely pump police for interesting cases?” Ian always could read his mind.

Adam jumped on that little fact like it was a lifeline. “Of course. It’s an interesting story. Writer’s private life mirrors her books. I can see a reporter wanting a piece of that. And I’ve checked her phone. The only people she’s talked to are her friends and her agent. She’s practically a damn nun.”

Ian’s face creased. “Yeah. See, that’s what I want to hear. Of course, she’s not exactly wearing a habit right now. Damn.” He growled a little as Serena walked out. “There’s no fucking way you don’t fuck her. Goddamn it. I was happier when you two were playing gay.”

Jake would never be able to play gay with this client. His cock jumped as he caught sight of Serena. To call the skirt she was wearing a mini was being deeply generous. It was more like a piece of spandex she’d wrapped around her luscious ass. It would be so easy to push it aside and bend her over. He could shove his cock deep without ever having to remove the thing. And her breasts looked like they would spill out of the corset. It was a vibrant red, her porcelain skin making a sharp contrast against it. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders. In her everyday life, she wore it in a ponytail or she would use a pen to form a loose, messy bun, but now the soft brown hair made a waterfall down her back. He could sink his hand into it and use the hold to guide her where he wanted her to go. He could force her to the floor, kneeling in front of him, that glorious mouth lined up to accept his cock.

“You look beautiful, Serena.” At least Adam still had the power of speech.

“You look like someone’s serving you up to a big bad Dom. Adam, did you forget to put the cherry on top?” Ian asked, sarcasm flowing.

Serena flushed.

“Not at all, boss. But little Serena there has a cherry of her own. It’s not on top, if you know what I mean.” Adam laughed, but the husky quality told Jake he wasn’t unaffected.

Serena shook her head. “I don’t know what you…oh, my god, you’re talking about my bottom.”

Ian laughed. “Look at the little sub blush. After reading some excerpts of your books, I would have sworn you didn’t have it in you. You use some rough language.”

Serena straightened up. Jake was just about to tell Ian to stuff it. She’d had a hard day, and the last thing she needed was Ian’s comments on her books. But Serena frowned and took it straight to the Dom. “If you can’t handle a little rough use, maybe you should stick to vanilla books.”

Ian laughed. “Oh, I like a brat, honey. I like to eat them for lunch. Mind your manners, sub, or you’ll find yourself over my lap. We’ll see if you turn your bratty mouth on me then.”

“Back off, Ian.” Jake took her by the hand and pulled her close, half shoving her behind his body. He wasn’t about to stand here and watch Ian flirt with his sub.
Fuck
. She wasn’t his. Except she was for the night. He had her collar in his hand. Thin and delicate, it was a training collar. It was the only piece of her wardrobe he’d been responsible for, and he’d taken two goddamn hours to pick it out. Ian had been yelling at him to leave Serena alone, and now the asshole was staring down at her like a hungry hawk who’d eyed a particularly juicy bunny. No fucking way. A deep possessiveness took hold in his gut. “I told you no one else is disciplining her.”