STORY EXCERPT

“So, you liked the fact that he wanted to hurt women. I knew it. Any men who would own a place like this must really hate women. I’m sure he fit right in. You people make me sick.”

She shot to her feet with the intention of getting the hell out of here before she threw something at their heads, but King moved fast for such a large man and caught her before she could even take a step.

With fire in his eyes, he gripped her upper arms.

“I don’t appreciate being judged by a woman who doesn’t know the first thing about me.”

Royce came to his feet, no longer smiling. “Or what we do here. We kept Donner close to watch him. We all talked to him over and over about the way to treat women, and Blade, our partner, even went out to meet with him. We were afraid that he would be a danger to women in the club in Virginia, and even went so far as to warn the owners there.”

King gestured toward the sofa, leading her back to it. As she sat, he braced a hand on the arm and loomed over her.

“We knew that there was a woman he was fixated on, but we didn’t know who you were. We’re very sorry that you had to go through that. We do not promote abusing women.”

Breathing a sigh of relief when King stepped back, and watching the play of muscle as he perched on the arm of the chair across from her, Brenna fisted her hands on her lap.

“You’re Doms, right?” Even if she didn’t know that they owned this place, she would know that they were. Something about their presence reminded her of the Dominants she’d met back in Virginia. It was in their posture, in their eyes, and in the way they looked at a woman, as though not wanting to miss a single weakness that they could exploit at their leisure.

The confidence, and arrogance, couldn’t be mistaken.

King inclined his head. “We are.”

Expecting that answer, and the cool tone, Brenna nodded. “So, are you going to try to tell me that you don’t use whips on women? You don’t hit them? Hurt them? Isn’t that how you get your kicks?”

Royce shot to his feet, but King waved him back, the calculating gleam in his eyes sending off all sorts of red flags. “If you’re really curious, I’ll be happy to answer all your questions, but I’m not about to sit here and argue with you when you’ve already made up your closed mind about us and what we do here.”

The disappointment and censure in his tone made her feel like a heel, but remembering Donner and his cruelty infuriated her all over again.

“I’m not buying it.” She jumped when Royce came close and squatted down in front of her, stiffening when he ran his fingers over the back of her hands in a caress she assumed should have felt nonthreatening. Alarmed at the rivulets of heat that ran up her arm, she forced herself to remain still, shaken by his intense stare and the cool calculation in his eyes.

Royce smiled knowingly and ran his fingers up her arm, sharpening the tingling sensation.

“I’m afraid I’d have to agree with King. If you really want to understand, we’ll be glad to answer all of your questions.” He lifted a finger when she started to speak.

“But, we’d like to show you. That’s the only way you’d truly understand. The only way you’ll be able to see the way we live is to experience it for yourself.”

Brenna pulled her hand away and scooted as far as she could away from him. “Sure. Sign me up and make me pay an exorbitant amount of money for you and all your customers to beat me. I don’t care what you call it, it’s just an excuse to hurt a woman. Even those men in the club carried whips with them. The women thought it was sexy. I didn’t.”

Hoping he didn’t see the lie in her eyes, she lifted her chin, silently daring him to call her a liar.

Royce’s gaze sharpened, his eyes becoming the deepest green she’d ever seen.

“So, you’re a submissive? Do you go to clubs regularly? Do you belong to someone?”

Bristling at the bite in his tone, she shot to her feet and started forward, only to have King come to his feet and block her again.

“Belong to someone? What’s with you people and that belonging crap? I don’t belong to anyone and I only went to that club once. And no, I’m not a submissive and I don’t ever plan to be. Frankly, I just don’t get why any woman would want to be.”

Royce came to his feet and moved in behind her, the fingers he ran up and down her arm making her shiver.

“Maybe you are. Maybe you’re not. Maybe you don’t want to know for sure because you’re afraid of the answer. You went to that club for a reason.”

“That’s ridiculous.” She jerked out of his hold and started for the door, both relieved and disappointed when neither man made a move to stop her. “Just because you’re surrounded by women who let you do what you want to them, you think every woman you meet is the same. I’m not. I think you’re all assholes.”

Proud of her exit line, she turned the knob and yanked, cursing when it didn’t budge. Whirling, she fumed. “Open the fucking door and let me the hell out of here.”

ADULT EXCERPT

With a growl, King slid his finger free with a speed that left her clenching at emptiness, cries of distress pouring out of her.

Tears of frustration blurred her vision. “No. Please don’t stop. I was starting to come. I need—”

“Quiet!”

He slapped her breast, a light slap on her nipple that sent another jolt of sizzling heat to her clit. Her frantic cries echoed in the room as she wiggled as much as the bonds would allow in an effort to get closer.

King tapped her nipple, his eyes hooded and watchful as she squirmed and cried out again.

“I know damned well you were starting to come. You’re not dealing with one of your boyfriends, Red. I know what you need, perhaps better than you do. You’re remarkably passionate, and probably the most naturally submissive woman I’ve ever met. Have you ever had this clit clamped?”

Just imagining it scared her to death. Her fantasies had never involved anything painful. “It would hurt.”

The cold smile King gave her scared her even more. “That’s entirely the point, Red. You’ll love it.”

“But—”

King’s brow went up as he tapped her nipple again, keeping her body primed. “You want to be sold at auction. You really don’t think the Master who pays handsomely for you is going to allow you to dictate terms, do you?”

“King, I—”

“Master. When you wish to address me in this room, you will refer to me as Master.”

Brenna bristled at his arrogance, but some part, deep inside, got an erotic thrill from it, one that left her stammering.

“M–Master.” The word stuck in her throat, but sounded so right. “I don’t think I could stand that.”

King ran his fingers over her belly and thighs, his touch light and exploring as though testing the resiliency of her skin.

“When you’re aroused enough, and you need relief enough, you’ll take anything I give you. You’ll do absolutely anything you’re told to do without hesitation. It’s going to be a hard lesson for someone as headstrong as you are to accept, but you’ll have to.” He sounded just a little distracted, as though talking to himself as his fingers moved lower. “As passionate as you are, I think it’ll be a long time before we reach your limits.”

Lifting his gaze to hers, his eyes full of curiosity and fascination, he ran a finger over her clit. With her legs spread in a wide stance that kept her folds parted, she couldn’t do a thing to get away from the sizzling heat, no matter how hard she struggled.

It took every ounce of willpower she possessed to keep from crying out at the growing pressure. She didn’t want to come with King—especially when he watched her with that possessive look in his eyes.

What would it be like to belong to such a man?

“You’re a magnificent sub, one that any Master would be thrilled to take on.”

Something in his eyes, regret perhaps, and a wonder she found irresistible, had her arching to get close to him. The words tumbled from her lips before she could stop them.

“Would you like to try? I mean, instead of auctioning me off?”

His eyes softened, the hands at her waist clenching once before he released her and turned away.

“We’ll have to see about that, Red. But make no mistake—if I decide to be your Master, there would be no trying about it.”

He moved to stand behind her, his breath warm against her ear. His fingers moved over the silver choker around her neck. Although he didn’t touch her anywhere else, she felt the heat from his body all along the back of hers. “You’re going to have to prove that you want to be mastered. Forever. Every day. You’re going to have to prove that you can handle having two Masters in your life. Do you have any idea how close a Master and submissive get? It’s a strong bond, Red, one that most people can’t handle. I’m not about to get wrapped up in a woman who can’t go the distance. Remember, Royce and I share women. You would belong to both of us. Our property.”

Brenna shivered at the deep rumble in his soft voice. Her nipples beaded even tighter, her breasts feeling swollen and heavy. Her bottom clenched at the brush of his leg against it. Being tied in this wide-open position left her so open and exposed, the air caressing her slit increasing her sense of vulnerability.

“I don’t think I know how to submit. Teach me.”

King cursed under his breath and straightened, his hands moving over the globes of her ass. “Have you ever been fucked in the ass?”

Her bottom tightened in response, the puckered opening tingling with awareness.

She’d always wished one of her boyfriends would suggest it, but they hadn’t, and she’d been too embarrassed to ask for it herself.

She gulped. “N–No.” Her choked answer seemed to please him immensely.

Inwardly cursing the show of weakness, she lifted her chin, trying to ignore the way her nipples tingled for attention. Instead of filling her pussy with his finger again, or stroking her clit the way she expected, he ran his hands over the cheeks of her ass.

His lips touched her ear, his words slow and deep. “A virgin ass. Mine to explore. I wonder how much you’ll like having your ass breached. Explored. Stretched. Used. Fucked. Filled with whatever I want to fill you with at my whim. You’ll fight me. Yes, Red, you will. You’ll never be completely tamed, but it would be a hell of a lot of fun to try.”