Waiting for Him (18 page)

“We’ll be fine, but I’ll text you anyway.” She glanced at her husband who was trying to stay awake, but failing. “He’ll be asleep before we hit the highway. Love you, Ben. And tell Katerina we said goodbye. Try and come visit us next weekend, please.”

“If this is all over, we will, Mom.”

He shut her door and watched his parents drive away. For the first time since he was a teenager, Boomer saw his future and loved it. He was going to make Kat his wife and they were going to give his parents grandchildren to spoil rotten. Maybe he could convince them to move closer than Sarasota. Smiling, he went to fix Kat a dinner plate, looking forward to feeding her in bed…among other things.

* * *

“Following car with same last name as boyfriend. Must be parents.”

Viktor smiled as he walked down the hallway leading to his plane. His men had taken down the license plates of vehicles driving toward the Trident compound. It was the only property off that road, so it was easy to assume someone using it could be a possible target. Thanks to his contacts in law enforcement, they’d been able to run the plates and find out who they belonged to. If they couldn’t get into the compound to get the girl, they’d have to make the girl come to them.

“Don’t lose them. I’m on way.” Disconnecting the call, he winked at the pretty stewardess as he boarded the plane. Things were looking up.

Kat tried to pull the short skirt lower, but it wouldn’t go any further. After taking a nap and eating the dinner Benny had, literally, fed her in bed, she felt confident she’d nipped her migraine in the bud. She’d been surprised and then excited when he’d asked if she wanted a tour of The Covenant. Sunday nights tended to be their slowest nights, he’d told her, but it didn’t mean there wouldn’t be plenty to see. He’d provided privacy papers she had to sign, as well as a limit list and protocols she needed to adhere to. Most of them were easy enough to remember, and Benny had assured her everyone would help her if she accidentally did something wrong. She hadn’t been cleared to play since she needed a mandatory background check and blood work, so he told her they would fill out the limit list together at another time. Tonight she was only allowed to observe and learn what BDSM was all about.

When Angie and Kristen discovered she would be joining them, they’d been thrilled and offered to lend her something to wear. They’d taken her over to the huge apartment Ian and Angie shared on the first floor of the compound’s last building. Kristen and Devon had the unit above theirs and it was just as spacious. Since her stress-induced weight loss, Kat had dropped to a size six from her normal size ten, but Angie had a few items they’d been able to adjust to her smaller frame.

The black skirt she now wore was a wrap-around which tied at the back of her narrow waist. It had a slight A-line cut and covered her ass as long as she didn’t spin around, making it flare outward. On top she sported a teal-blue camisole with lace trim. While her assets were covered, barely, she was still self-conscious of the fact she had no underwear on. Benny had insisted, and she had to admit, doing so made her feel naughty and sensual. But that didn’t mean she wanted to be flashing anyone other than him.

Glancing at Kristen and Angie as the three of them walked across the compound to the club, she realized she was the least scantily dressed. Angie wore a snug pink teddy which stopped at the middle of her thighs. The stretchy lace material was just sheer enough to see through, but the woman acted as if it was no big deal her nipples could be seen. Kat could also see she was wearing a matching thong, and she was almost jealous of the woman’s toned yet curvaceous body. Angie had told her Ian had a thing for lingerie. He loved to browse through some of the nicest and naughtiest intimate catalogs looking for new things for her to wear.

Kristen’s outfit fell somewhere between the other two. She had on a matching black bra and panty set with a sheer black overlay. While it was sexy, it wasn’t any less than what some women wore poolside or at the beach.

As they walked through the gate separating the club from the rest of the Trident compound, flip-flops slapped against their heels, almost in sync. The girls had told her the floors of the club were carpeted, with the exception of inside the scene areas, so most of the submissives went barefoot. No glass was allowed in what they referred to as ‘the pit’, so they didn’t have to worry about anything which might cut their feet. The scene areas were polished wood and constantly being wiped clean by the staff to eliminate any ‘ick’ factors.

Walking up the stairs to the second floor entrance, the butterflies in Kat’s stomach took full flight. Her nervousness must have shown on her face because Angie gave her an encouraging smile while holding the door open for her. “Relax. You’ll be fine. Boomer is going to give you a collar to wear, so no one else will be allowed to touch you. If you have any questions, just ask one of us. We’ve all been in your shoes before…well, actually, your flip-flops.”

Kat walked through the door and her eyes immediately found Benny’s. He was waiting for her in the club’s lobby along with Devon and Ian. And holy hell, did they all look like they just stepped out of a
Playgirl
magazine photo-shoot. Ian and Devon both wore leather pants, but the styles were slightly different. Ian’s had a zippered front and he paired the black pants with a snug grey T-shirt. Devon’s crotch was laced up and he wore a matching black leather vest sans shirt. But it was Benny whom she thought was the sexiest and she hoped she wasn’t drooling. Under his open brown leather vest, he was shirtless with his rock-hard chest and abs showcased in skin bronzed by the sun. His faded jeans fit like a glove and the bulge behind his zipper made her mouth water. A brown leather belt went through the loops at his waist and was a close match to the well-worn boots on his feet.

He held his hand out to her, grinning broadly as she took it. “Damn, baby. Just when I think you can’t get any sexier, you prove me wrong. I think I’m going to start calling you my little sex-kitten.”

Pulling out a simple, black leather collar, he indicated for her to turn around and lift her hair. His fingers brushed against her skin as he placed it around her neck and connected the hook and eye clasp in the back. Fingering the thin strand, she faced him again. “Okay?”

“For now. I’m going to have to start thinking about a permanent one for you, like Angie and Kristen have. I want to design it myself.”

Kat was thrilled he wanted to show everyone she belonged to him. She’d noticed the other women’s collars earlier. Kristen’s was a platinum choker with evenly spaced diamonds along its entire length. She’d showed Kat the removable sapphire pendant which she occasionally wore with it. The custom-designed collar matched the engagement ring Devon had also given her, which had tiny blue stones surrounding the large teardrop diamond. Angie was wearing one of two collars Ian had gotten for her. Her everyday one was a yellow-gold, Byzantine-styled chain with a padlock pendant which she’d been wearing earlier. The one she had on now was a two-inch wide, white-gold necklace with a diamond heart in the center. It was stunning and must have cost a fortune. But Kat didn’t care what collar she wore, as long as it was Benny’s.

He reached for her hand again and placed a yellow ‘no-play’ band on her wrist. “Are you ready to go in?”

A nervous giggle escaped her and she took a deep breath. “Oh, what the hell. You only live once, or in my case twice. Or is this my third life? Oh, who knows. Anyway, let’s do this before I lose my courage.”

The group laughed with her as she followed Benny to the large wooden doors leading into the main club. Tiny was standing guard and pulled open one of the doors for them. It didn’t escape Kat’s notice he was wearing a holstered gun on his hip. She’d been told they’d increased security at the compound until she was out of danger. The huge man smiled at all three women as they were escorted past him. “Hello, Miss Katerina. Hello, ladies. Looking beautiful as always. Have a nice evening.”

Kat thanked him as she crossed over the threshold on Benny’s arm. Her jaw dropped as the sights, sounds, and smells of the club assailed her senses. She tried to look everywhere at once, but it was physically impossible, so she took in one section at a time. The second floor was basically a horseshoe which overlooked the floor below. To their left at the base of the ‘U’ was a curved, dark-wood bar with intricate carvings. A shirtless bartender was serving drinks to the members. His red bowtie and black pants were what she’d been told was the submissive male employee’s uniform. A female server was waiting for her round of drinks, dressed in a short black skirt, red bra, and bowtie.

But it was the patrons who had her agape. While some were dressed in clothing which would be suitable for any club in the city, others were practically, if not completely, naked. Chatting at the bar were two women dressed in fashionable outfits, but kneeling at their feet was a guy wearing only a thong and black collar attached to a leash. Other people were walking around in various stages of dress, and Kat was grateful for what little she was wearing. At least her tits and ass were covered.

Scanning the area, Kat loved how the grey carpet and burgundy walls gave the club a warm atmosphere. Lighting consisted of wrought iron chandeliers and sconces, and there were numerous seating areas with couches, chaise-lounges, winged-back chairs, and dark wood tables. Across from the bar was a grand staircase to the floor below. Brass railings ran down the side of the steps and around the balcony. More seating, in the form of pub tables and stools, allowed members to sit and observe the activities in the pit from above.

Two men, one of whom looked eerily similar to Ian and Devon, approached the group and she guessed this was their cousin Mitch. He was a little shorter than the brothers and his blue eyes weren’t as striking, but his hair and facial features were definitely from Sawyer DNA. Dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a snug black T-shirt, he carried himself with confidence. The other man was slender and, with his salt and pepper hair and goatee, she assumed he was in his fifties. With his black leather pants and dress shirt, an image of Dracula popped into her mind. All he was missing was a cape and some fangs. The way he looked her up and down made her shiver and step closer to Benny. Studying the two men, the first word which came to mind was dominant, and Kat realized she was able to categorize the club patrons by their dress and/or manner.

Next to her, Benny put his arm around her shoulders and gestured to the two new-comers. “Kat, this is Master Mitch, co-owner and manager of the club. And this is Master Carl, who better be nice if he wants to remain standing.”

Master Carl ignored Benny’s warning as he took Kat’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “So this is the little kitten Carter was talking about. He didn’t lie when he said you were one mighty fine-looking feline. Me-ow. You’re welcome to use my scratching post anytime you want, my little pussy…cat.”

While Benny growled and plucked her hand from the other man’s grasp, Kat blushed awkwardly. The group laughed and Ian tugged on Master Carl’s arm forcing him to step back out of her personal space. “You’ll have to forgive Master Carl, Kat. We’ve been trying to house-train him for a while now. One of these days he’s going to piss in the wrong sandbox. Aside from being a sadist, he’s harmless.”

“Um…okay.” Kat wasn’t sure what else to say to that.

Kristen put her hand on Kat’s arm. “Don’t worry. He comes off as a shark, but he’s actually a big teddy-bear. But if he offers to show you his bullwhip, run in the other direction.”

Master Carl tried to frown, but wasn’t successful. “Everyone ruins all my fun. However, it is a pleasure to meet you, little one, and I welcome you to our little club.”

Before anyone could say more, Tiny rushed over and addressed Ian. “The front gate has three unknown males in a vehicle demanding entry to the club. The guards have them at gunpoint.”

As Tiny and Devon took off for the door, Ian turned to his cousin. “The women don’t leave your sight, and no one goes out to the parking lot until we clear this.”

“Got it. I’ll post extra security at the door.” Mitch waved over two men in red button-down shirts and began to bark out orders.

Meanwhile, Benny pointed at the manager, but his eyes were on Kat. “You stay with Mitch no matter what and do exactly what he says. I’ll be right back.”

Kat felt the blood drain from her face, but she managed to nod. “O-okay. But be careful.”

She wasn’t sure if he’d heard her because he and Ian were already running out the double doors to the lobby. Angie put her arm around Kat’s shoulder as Kristen stepped in front of her, drawing her attention. “It’s going to be fine, Kat. This is what they do and they’re the best trained men out there.”

Neither one wanted to tell her how they both knew that first hand. Last year, Kristen had almost been collateral damage when a hit-man was after Devon, Ian, Jake, and Brody. And five months ago, Angie and Jenn had been held hostage by dirty DEA agents after Angie’s best friend’s undercover operation was blown. Unfortunately her friend, Jimmy, had been killed during the successful rescue of the women, and Angie was still grieving and having nightmares over the incident.

Mitch rejoined them and suggested they take Kat to one of the empty seating areas. “She’s very pale and I don’t want her to faint.” As the women sat, he signaled one of the waitresses to bring over some bottles of water. Taking one, he opened it and placed it in Kat’s hand. “Drink, Kat.”

She had no memory of how the water bottle had gotten into her hand—she’d been concentrating on the doors leading to the lobby. At Mitch’s words, she glanced at her hand, then up at the pretty brunette waitress who was smiling at her.

“Hi, do you remember me? We met at the store the other day. I’m Cassandra. It’s nice to see you again.”

Recognition dawned. Now Kat had two things running through her mind. One, was Benny okay outside? And two, had he had sex with the petite woman standing in front her? She tried to be polite despite the waves of jealousy coursing through her. “Oh, yes. Hello. It’s nice to see you too.”

Cassandra handed water bottles to Kristen and Angie, who thanked her. She turned back to Kat. “I had a feeling I’d see you here soon. It looks like Master Ben is off the market and I’m happy for you both. He’s a great guy and deserves someone special. Anyway, if you need anything else, just let me know.”

Watching the friendly waitress walk away, Kat felt Angie’s hand on her arm. “I know what you’re thinking, Kat. You have to get past the fact that Boomer had a life while he thought you were gone. The point is, he’s with you now, and I can tell by the way he looks at you, he doesn’t want anyone else.”

Kat nodded then took a sip of water, knowing the other woman was right. Sitting near the koi pond earlier in the day, the subject of her walking back into Benny’s life and right into his arms was the main topic of conversation. Angie and Kristen hadn’t talked much about the club in front of Jenn and Eileen Michaelson, but they had while finding something for Kat to wear. They explained how some of BDSM interactions were just physical, without the emotional entanglements and drama which came with traditional relationships. And whether she liked it or not, there were women at the club who Benny had played with. She knew they were trying to put her mind at ease. It wasn’t as if she’d expected him to be a celibate monk for twelve years when he thought she was dead. But the few men she had dated over the years had never given her a reason to be jealous, so it was a new emotion for her. One she would have to get past if she wanted this to work between them—and she wanted that more than anything else in the world.