STORY EXCERPT

“Something’s not right, Tait. I feel it in my bones.”

“Probably arthritis, but hell, I can’t even make a decent joke about it. I think you are right. Only two places Candy would be at this hour, in her own bed or in the diner. Her house seemed empty when we were here earlier, but we need to double check. Maybe there’ll be a clue as to where she is.” He walked up the steps to her porch and took a look in the front window. Place looked as empty as it felt.

He looked around as Tait approached the front, too. In less than a minute, the door was unlocked and they were inside. It was empty, as they expected. It wasn’t right, not at all.

“Maybe we just passed each other while we were driving. Maybe she’s at the diner?” Tait’s voice sounded uncertain. “I’ll call.”

A moment later, he put the phone down. “No answer.”

“I have a really bad feeling, Tait. Why isn’t Noah there? Try again.”

Tait dialed and again the call went to voice mail.

“I’m calling Dace.”

“Don’t jump the gun. There might be a simple explanation. You have a look around upstairs. I’ll check out her downstairs office. We’ll meet in five.”

It didn’t take Aaron long to know that something was very wrong. They’d always made fun of Candy for insisting on making the bed even though they were just going to mess it up again, so when he saw the tangle of bedclothes, he could feel the icy finger down his spine. This wasn’t good.

He checked her dresser, closet, and bathroom. It looked like a small bag had been removed along with some clothes and a few toiletries. He headed quickly back downstairs.

Tait was in her den and the computer was on.

“It looks like she packed for a short trip. You find anything, Tait?”

“She left the computer on. She was on Google Maps looking for directions to the El Paso airport.”

“Shit! We’re late and she leaves town?”

“Looks like it.”

“Any clues about where she went?”

“She was on the site for a place called Libertine Island, but I can’t get in. It’s password protected and she logged out.”

“Can you check her e-mail?”

“No, she logged out of that, too, Aaron. Damn, now she pays attention to the security protocols we taught her. I knew we should have installed a keystroke logger, just in case.”

“Oh, yeah. That would go over well with her, Tait!”

He looked at the screen again. “I say we head to El Paso while we set the dogs on her trail.”

“Agreed. You call her brother to see if he knows anything. I’ll call SSP and get them to put a trace on her movements. If she booked an airline ticket, they can tell us where to a lot faster than even Dace can. He’ll need a warrant. They won’t.”

It was a short conversation so he listened to the end of Aaron’s call to SSP. “I want you to find out if Candy Lowe from Satisfaction, Texas has purchased an airline ticket, and if so, to where. She’s probably flying out of El Paso. You are right. Candy may be a nickname. Search on any female last name Lowe, L-O-W-E, has bought a ticket. No, I don’t have a case number. Just do it and get back to me as soon as possible.” He hung up and looked at Tait. “Why do you think she left town without telling us?”

“I don’t know, Aaron, but I’ll find out if I have to beat it out of her.”

“What did her brother say?”

“Dace said he had no idea she had any plans to go out of town. He offered to go by the diner and talk to Noah while we head to El Paso. He’ll call us as soon as he has any information. Aaron, Noah didn’t call him. He promised but didn’t. I had a bad feeling. Now it’s worse.”

“Shit. Let’s get back to the diner.”

They drove in silence for a moment.

“Do you think it was because we were late again? I mean, we called, for once, but we’ve never talked about leaving SSP or settling in Satisfaction. And, Tait, we’ve never talked to Candy about becoming exclusive and never told her we planned to quit the agency. What if she doesn’t want a relationship with us? What if she has someone else, someone she’s going away with?”

“Goddamn it, Aaron. Could you be any more of a girl about it? She loves us. Of course she does. I don’t know why she’s left Satisfaction without telling us, but she’d damn well better have a good reason or she’s going to find herself tied to our bed for a good long time!”

* * * *

They were halfway to El Paso before Aaron’s phone rang. Tait felt all of his muscles clench. Let it be Candy, let it be Candy.

The conversation was short. Aaron hung up and turned to his friend. Tait didn’t like his expression.

“There was an attack on Noah.”

Tait nearly lost control of the SUV and was just able to swerve back into his lane in time to avoid a transport truck. He pulled onto the shoulder of the highway.

“What? Candy? How is Candy?

“She’s fine. They think.”

“They think?”

“No one’s seen her. But she wasn’t attacked. Noah was the target. He’s okay. It was Rodgers. He went after Noah, but everyone’s okay and he’s in custody.”

“The FBI agent Rodgers? Son of a bitch. I never did like the guy, but I never thought he was bent.”

“Yup. He was on the take. For years apparently, but now that they have him dead to rights for attempted murder. He’ll spill everything. He knows his only hope to live to see the end of the year is to go into witness protection. Ironic really.”

“And Candy?”

ADULT EXCERPT

“Please, please let me come!” Candy begged as she struggled against the hands holding her still. “Please!” Aaron looked up from between her thighs and smiled. Candy didn’t like the look of that smile. “Please, Sirs! Have mercy!”

“What do you think, Tait? Has she earned an orgasm? Should we go easy on her?”

“Hell no, Aaron. And she knows better than to ask. We’ll have to decide on her punishment for that later.” He frowned, but then he laughed and planted another kiss on the nipple he’d been playing with. “She might as well try to relax as she’ll be here a while. I mean relax as well as she can while we torture her with our mouths.”

“I agree. Sorry, babe. You’ve got to wait until you’ve been given permission, unless you want to do without for the rest of the weekend!”

Candy groaned in protest, but held her tongue. She knew that Tait and Aaron would follow through on Aaron’s threat, something she’d learned the hard way. So, she laid back and started at the ceiling, and tried to think about anything but what they were doing to her.

Then Aaron lowered his head and went back to work lapping at her clit. She could feel an orgasm building, threatening her control. She tried to roll to one side to get away from the sensations. If she couldn’t come, she had to make him stop, but Tait, who was lying beside her, removed his mouth from her breast as he shifted his position. Now held her firmly in place with one big hand hooked under her thigh and pressing down firmly on her stomach so she was wide open to Aaron.

Tait was so close to her that she could feel his hard cock pressing into her side as he licked her neck. She wanted to reach out and stroke him, but her hands were bound together and then to the headboard. She struggled but Tait and the ropes held her still.

“Naughty, naughty, Candy. You are looking to get punished, aren’t you?” He licked her neck and then bit her earlobe gently.

“No, Tait. But if you aren’t going to let me come, Aaron has to stop what he’s doing,” she pleaded. “I’m so damned close. I can’t hold back!”

“You can and you will,” Tait commanded, moving his hand from her stomach to the nipple nearest to him. He pinched it hard, tugging and twisting it so that she screamed. It should have driven away her climax but it did the opposite, just has he’d known it would. Bastard! Candy screamed as her climax slammed through her, causing her back to bow and then her whole body twitched and thrashed against her restraints.

The two men stopped their ministrations, with Aaron sliding up beside her on the bed. He mirrored Tait’s position, pulling her other leg over his arm so she was spread wide open between them.

“Aaron, I do believe our little Candy Apple just came.” Tait’s voice almost purred with the sound of pleasurable anticipation. Candy felt her stomach flip-flop as they wondered just what would make him so happy about her breaking a rule. Just what punishment did he have in mind?

“She did, indeed, and without permission. I guess she wants her ass to match her nickname. You want that baby? You want your ass to be just as red and shiny as the candy apple you are named for?”

“No, Aaron!”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, no, Sir. Please!”

“Then I guess you shouldn’t have come, should you? You were warned.” He turned to his best friend. “Tait, untie the rope from the headboard and let’s reposition her for punishment.”

Tait quickly complied and Candy soon found herself standing on the floor, her legs spread widely. Her still bound hands were on the bed and she cradled her head in them. The men stood on either side of her, massaging her ass. It felt so good. She could feel the desire start to rise again, even as the first hand landed on her ass.

Smack. It was Aaron. Smack. Smack. Smack. Aaron three more times on her left cheek. Then four from Tait on her right.

A hand moved between her thighs. She knew she was literally dripping with desire as a second hand joined the first. She could feel the two sets of poking and prodding fingers and the masculine laughs of satisfaction as she moaned loudly when one hand slid two fingers inside her pussy while the other rubbed her clit.

She tried to push back against them. Just a little more friction and she knew she could come, but they weren’t having any of it. In fact, once she moved, they pulled her legs wider apart and then went back to spanking her, alternating now. Smack, smack. On and on and on until she didn’t think she could take it anymore.

“Please, Sirs!”

“Please what?”

“Please forgive me for coming without permission!”

“Oh, subbie. You know we’ll always forgive you, but you have to learn control. Aaron’s going to spank your pussy now, and if you can reframe from coming, you’ll have permission to come as much as you want for the rest of the night.”

“And if I fail?”

“What we said earlier. You won’t be coming again for the rest of the weekend.”