“You have color in your cheeks again. I hope being here this week has shown you that they really care about you.”
“Yes.” Lily knew they were all good people, though she would never be able to understand how they were so free sexually. It was a side of Beth that she had kept hidden; that was what had hurt.
Beth and Razer got up from the table. “Let me know what Penni says.”
Lily stood up, hugging both Beth and Razer goodbye. She had to try to let her hurt feelings go. She loved Beth and Razer; she didn’t want to damage them with her actions.
Beth gave her a sad smile before leaving.
She ignored Shade as she told everyone else goodnight and then went back downstairs, anxious to call Penni.
She picked her phone up from the nightstand and hit Penni’s number. Listening, she heard it ring twice before Penni’s voice came over the line.
“Hello?”
“Penni, this is Lily.”
“Hi, I was going to call you. I was missing your voice!” Penni said enthusiastically.
“How’s the new job going?” Lily sat down cross-legged on the bed as she talked to Penni.
“Great. I finally got my office organized and the tour set. I can hardly wait.”
“That’s good. I’m glad you’re liking your new boss.”
“Kaden is a dream to work for. He can be a bit uptight, but his wife keeps him under control.”
Lily’s smile disappeared as Shade casually walked into the room, shutting the door and locking it behind him. She barely paid attention to Penni as she talked about her boss’s wife and everyone they had introduced her to since she had arrived.
She watched as Shade straightened from the door, going to the dresser where he took off his shirt then his boots, placing them to the side. Walking barefoot, he went to the large closet that was against the wall where her clothes were kept. Lily wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t angry enough to pack for her. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a keychain, unlocking the other side of the closet that she had assumed had his clothes.
Her mouth dropped open at the vast array of objects in the closet that were neatly arranged. Lily began to get nervous. She had made a terrible mistake in underestimating Shade.
One after the other, he pulled out various items, testing their weight in his hands. He took out a thick ruler, which he smacked against his hand before putting it back in the closet. He then pulled out what looked like a mini-whip with several strands, which he slapped against his thigh before putting it back in the cabinet.
“Lily, are you there?”
“Yes.” Lily didn’t take her eyes off Shade.
“I thought you would be excited for me.” Penni’s disappointment sounded through the line.
Lily dragged her mind back to the conversation she was having. “About what?”
“Going to London for a mini-tour on the day after tomorrow. We’re going to be gone two weeks.”
Oh, God, she wasn’t going to be able to go with Penni; she didn’t have a passport. She was stuck here with the man who had pulled out a thin paddle that looked like it was covered in leather. He smacked it against his palm, this time seeming happy with his choice. Shutting the closet, he walked to the chair and sat down, staring directly into her eyes.
Lily felt like a predator was watching her, readying itself for an attack.
Her eyes went to the door, judging the distance. She had outrun him once today; surely, she could do it again. She tried to take in all the factors, including the time it would take her to unlock the door. She wouldn’t make it. She knew she would have to make a break for the bathroom instead.
Tensing her body, she prepared to make her getaway.
“I’ll call you when I get back.”
“Make sure you do. I’m planning on coming for a visit.”
“That would be fantastic. I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”
Lily jumped from the bed, making a run for the bathroom. She didn’t make it. Halfway there, he had her around the waist.
“Oh, no you don’t.”
“Don’t you dare touch me!” Lily yelled.
“I am going to do more than touch you. I’m going to teach you a lesson that you will never forget, Lily.”
She was about to scream, terrified, when he sat her down on her feet in her corner and took a step back.
Not understanding, she watched him as he pulled the chair to face her, taking a seat.
“I think it’s past time we straighten out a few things.”
Her hand went to the rubber band as she pressed back against the wall.
“Cut it out. You’re in your safe zone and I won’t touch you when you’re there.” Shade leaned back against his chair.
“I joined The Last Riders when I left the military. There are eight original members. When we started the club, we decided women would be members, too. Both the men and women have rules as to how they can join. The men, if they want to enter and we want them as a part of the club, pick two of the eight original members to go up against. If they can handle themselves, they become members. The women need six votes from the eight original members to join. To get the votes, the member either fucks them or has an orgasm as a result of their play.”
“I don’t want to know,” Lily moaned.
“Lily, you’re going to hear it all. No more pretending. Now, to continue, Beth and Winter earned their votes differently. They earned markers. That’s not to say they didn’t earn a few votes the normal way, just not the majority of the votes.” His dispassionate voice discussed her sister and Winter matter-of-factly.
“I really don’t want to hear this,” Lily said, feeling sick, turning her face to the wall.
“After they gain their last vote, the women can get their tat with the date they earned their last vote and became a member.”
Lily turned back to face him. “Beth doesn’t have a tattoo.”
“I believe that Beth and Winter both had their tats placed where no one would see them. I wouldn’t know. I gave them both my marker. I also have never participated in any of their fun with the club. Diamond also.”
“Why?”
“Because Beth is your sister, Winter is your friend, and Diamond because I could tell that, when you eventually spent more time with her, you would become close friends. I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable around them.”
“I don’t understand.” Lily shook her head.
“Yes, you do. You don’t want to admit it, but you do.”
“No.” As Lily turned her face back to the wall, she heard his deep sigh.
“Lily, I’ve wanted you since the first minute I saw you coming out of the diner with Beth when we first moved to Treepoint. I took one look at you and knew you were mine.”
Lily shook her head, still not facing him.
“Razer unfortunately made his move with Beth first, and I had to lie back and let him see where it was going. I also knew you were young and wanted you to have some time to yourself. I never intended to wait this long for you, but I let Winter convince me to let you finish school. So, I waited.”
“You didn’t suffer waiting, did you, Shade? With a club full of women at your beck and call,” Lily snapped.
“I am no saint. I’ve enjoyed every woman here at the club, but they weren’t you, Lily. Never you. I would fuck them for hours trying to get me through the night so I wouldn’t get on my bike and come for you.”
“You can’t seriously believe I would have gone with you.” Lily stared at his harsh expression.
Understanding dawned on her; his clear blue eyes were telling her he wouldn’t have given her a choice. She started shaking. He wasn’t going to give her a choice now.
“I am no longer going to hide anything from you, and you are going to have to learn to deal with what you can and what you can’t. You have your safe space, and I gave you the summer to get to know me.”
“I got to know too much. That you’re bossy, you’re mean,
and you have sex with too many women.”
“I’m no cowboy,” he mocked.
“You’re no cowboy,” Lily agreed.
“It doesn’t matter what I am or not. I will be the one whose bed you will be in, who puts my ring on your finger, my baby in your belly, and you will let me, Lily.”
“No.” Lily shook her head, denying his words.
“Yes, Lily, you will. You won’t be able to help yourself. I’ll make damn sure of that. Since I want to make sure there are no more secrets between us, I’m going to tell you that Penni is my sister. Actually, my half-sister, but she says that doesn’t count.”
Lily sucked in a deep breath. Her sense of betrayal went so deep that she didn’t know if she could bear it. Beth and now Penni had kept secrets from her.
“Beth didn’t know and Penni thought I asked her to transfer colleges because of Beth. She has no idea of my interest in you.”
Lily refused to look at him.
“Lily, look at me.”
She wanted to deny him, but she still turned her head to look at his grim face.
“I know that this is a lot for you to take in. You don’t do well with surprises; however, there is one last piece of business we need to take care of.
“You have pushed me all week. After I told you that you had earned a spanking, you deliberately tried to raise my temper. I don’t lose my temper, unlike you; instead, you have earned several more strokes. I will give you a chance to explain yourself and you may be able to lessen your punishment, if it’s good enough. Otherwise...” Shade shrugged.
“I will not take a punishment from you. I’m not one of your women who actually care to please you. You can go to Hell. I’m leaving. If you lay one hand on me, I’ll call the police.” It was then Lily realized she no longer had her cell phone.
She frantically looked around the room for it, seeing it lying on the floor where Shade had caught her. Shade saw where she was looking and got up from the chair, walking across the floor to the phone and picking it up. Walking back, he handed it to her before going to the drawer, opening it and then handing her an envelope. He resumed his seat.
“Before you make a call, you should open that envelope.”
Lily knew she shouldn’t, dread filling her at the unopened contents.
Slowly, she tore the envelope open, pulling out the papers and then looking through them. They were ownership papers of The Last Riders, the factory and the house. It showed all the separate names of the corporation.
Her eyes lifted to his, not understanding.
“My name is John Hunter.”
Her eyes went back to the papers, going through them once again. Then horror struck. While the name of all the assets were divided equally among the members, the property that everything was built on, including Beth’s new home that she loved, was owned by Shade. She looked back up at him.
“When we all got out of the service, we wanted to start the business, but they had no capital. They had the ideas; I had the money. My money combined with what they had managed to save was invested in the business. The land, being in my name, was to ensure I wasn’t left without anything since I took the most risk.”
“Beth and Razer’s home...”
“Is on my property,” Shade confirmed her worst fears.
“Oh, God.”
“There’s no need to be upset. I have no intention of taking their home from them… if we come to an agreement.”
“What do you want, Shade?” A lone tear slid down her cheek. She already knew what he was going to say.
“You.”
Lily shook her head. “You can’t be serious. You have to know this just makes me dislike you even more.”
“Lily, you don’t know what you want. You want a man who doesn’t exist. One who will never touch you, pretend you don’t have something seriously messed up going on inside of your head, and willing to put up with you constantly in some kind of trouble.”
“I am not,” Lily snapped. Shade lifted his brow at her response and her inability to deny the truth of the other two statements. “The man I want exists and I know you’re not him.”
“I’m the only man for you.” Menace poured from his eyes before he regained control, shrugging and nodding his head toward the phone. “Make your mind up.”
“Beth and Razer can build another house,” Lily argued.
“They certainly can, but it won’t be that house.”
“Razer and you are like brothers; you wouldn’t do that to him,” Lily called his bluff.
“Yes, I would.”
She thought about his cold-blooded approach to everything he dealt with and knew he wasn’t bluffing.
“I can’t do this.” She pointed back and forth between them.
“I’m not going to rush you. We can go as slow as you want. I’m a patient man.” If he tells me he’s a patient man one more time, I’m going to scream, Lily thought.
“I’m going to talk to Diamond.”
“I’ll take you to see her tomorrow, after you get finished at the church.”
“If I can find a way, I will leave.” Lily had every intention of finding a way out of his trap.
“You can leave now, Lily. It’s your decision.”
“Okay.” Lily gave in, left with no choice until she could make sure Beth didn’t lose her house. Beth had protected her too many years to let her lose her house without trying to save it. If Shade was true to his word, he wouldn’t pressure her, and she could find a way out of this mess. Beth would be angry and make her leave if she ever found out. She would forfeit the house she loved to protect her; Lily couldn’t do less.
Chapter 18
“Good, now that it’s settled, we need to take care of your punishment for nearly ripping my balls off.”
“I became caught up in our lesson,” Lily defended her actions.
“You were pissed at me for something. Care to tell?”
Lily remained silent.
“All right.” Shade leaned forward. “Let’s begin with Jewell. She closed the door to my office when Cash called. Kaley broke the rules. I really didn’t give a fuck if she tried to join the club or not. She would never have gotten enough votes to anyway, so it’s no loss.
“Now, let’s talk about your punishment. I’m going to be lenient this time,” he paused at Lily’s unladylike snort, “and give you your choice of punishment.”
“What are the choices?” Lily had no doubt she wasn’t going to be happy with any of them.
“You can take the spanking you deserve, or you can sleep in the bed tonight, or you can give me one kiss. Take your pick.”
“You’re not serious?”
“Yes, I am being more than fair. It hurt like hell when you grabbed my nuts. None of your choices involve excruciating pain.”
“That strap looks like it’s going to hurt.”
“I plan for you to enjoy that.” Shade gave her a grin.
Lily shivered, and it wasn’t from pleasure.
“Which one?” Shade prompted her. “Would you like me to pick for you?”
“No!”
Lily was stuck. She was going to have to pick one. She really didn’t want a spanking with that strap, but the other two were just as bad. The kiss was totally out; she couldn’t imagine touching her mouth to his.
“I’ll sleep in the bed,” Lily said reluctantly.
“You sure?”
Lily nodded her head.
“Fine. You can get ready for bed.” Shade got up from the chair, turning the television on.
Lily gathered her pajamas before going into the bathroom. Pulling off her clothes, she walked down the three steps into the shower. She turned it on, feeling the water hit her body at different areas. She took her time, as the shower was becoming an obsession of hers. Each time she took one, she felt absolutely decadent.
Lily bowed her head, confused with why he wanted her when he had a variety of women to choose from, not only in the club but also in town. Every woman in t
own who was single, and some who were married, had been chasing him since he had rode into town.
Reluctantly getting out of the shower, she blow-dried her hair to take even more time delaying the inevitable. She wanted to flick the rubber band, but she didn’t.
Dressed in her thick pajamas, she opened the door, going into the bedroom. She wanted to go to the corner; instead, she forced her feet toward the bed.
Shade didn’t take his attention away from the television as Lily climbed into the bed, clinging to the side as much as she could without falling out. Shade then turned the television off and went into the bathroom. Lily relaxed when he left the room, letting herself get even more comfortable when she heard the shower. She drifted in and out of sleep, too tense to slip into a deep slumber.
When the door opened, however, she pretended to be asleep. She felt the bed dip on the other side of the bed and felt Shade reach out to turn off the lights. With her back to him, Lily opened her eyes and saw he had left the bathroom light on. She continued to lie tensely, feeling him move under the covers, getting comfortable.
She was trying not to panic. If he rolled one inch closer to her, though, she would go to the corner. Lily didn’t know how long she lay tensed before she realized he was already asleep. She forced herself to relax again, her fingertips lying against the red rubber band as if it would protect her.
Closing her eyes, she drifted off to sleep, thinking she had gotten one over on Shade. This wasn’t a punishment; she was glad to be out of the corner.
* * *
Shade forced his body to remain still long after Lily had managed to fall asleep. The whole bed had practically shaken with her frightened tremors. When he was sure she had finally gone into a deep sleep, he rolled closer to her, fitting her against him as his warmth seeped into her chilled body.
He let his fingers play with the wisps of hair on the pillow. He was an expert at moving his body a centimeter at a time. All his years of experience had led to this one moment that he had waited years for: Lily in his bed, holding her close.
After she had been hurt back in the summer, he had purchased a whole new bed. None of the women had lain in the bed Lily was lying on now.