reply. I’ve been in teleconferences most of the morning.” He made it into the foyer and immediately noticed the tension between Meagan and DeVaan. “I would introduce you, but it appears you might already know Meagan.”
Meagan smiled a little too sweetly. “Our paths crossed years ago,” she said, and I got the impression she wanted to speak before DeVaan did. “Isn’t that right, Luke?”
So that was his first name. Funny, he didn’t look like how I pictured a Luke. He was quite handsome with blue eyes that always seemed as if they were in on a secret. At Meagan’s question, his voice took on the soft, seductive tone I remembered from when we’d meet in Delaware.
“If that’s what you want to call it, sweetheart,” he said, and Meagan flinched.
Oh yes, there was something there. In the few short moments since I opened the door, Luke had gone from average ordinary man to a hunter and it was crystal clear to everyone that Meagan was his prey.
Nathaniel cleared his throat. “Your text said you had Abby’s portrait?”
Luke held up the package in his right hand. “Yes, would you like to see?”
Nathaniel looked over at me. He hadn’t told me which picture he’d selected from the photography session he’d arranged not too long ago. “Why don’t you follow me?” he said, and the two men went down the hall. Luke didn’t turn back.
“And with that, I’m out of here,” Meagan said.
Of course, I had two thousand questions I wanted to ask her, but she clearly didn’t want to talk, so I only nodded.
I held the door open for her while she rummaged in her purse for her keys. “Damn it,” she said, digging in her pockets. “I think I left them in the library.”
“I can go get them,” I said. “If you want to wait here.”
“I’ll go with you.”
I thought the two guys would be in the office, so I was surprised to find it empty when we walked past. That meant they were probably in the library, because I doubted Nathaniel took him upstairs to the playroom.
And in fact, the two men were standing by the very chairs we’d recently vacated. I glanced at Meagan, prepared to offer to go get her keys by myself. But she pushed her shoulders back and held her head high, and I knew she was going to follow me inside.
She didn’t follow me, though. She walked right past me, into the library, and up to the two men. “I left my keys.”
Luke snorted. “Likely.”
Meagan glared at him. “Don’t even go getting a big head. I left them here before I knew it was you at the door.”
“I thought you might want to see me,” Luke said. “It’s been what? Two years?”
“You know where to find me. I’m at the club almost every weekend.”
Luke crossed his arms and leaned against the table at his side. “You still hang out at that dive?”
“It’s not that bad,” Meagan said. I really wanted to interrupt and say yes, it was that bad, but I wasn’t about to remind Meagan of the bad experience I’d had there the one time she took me.
“It’s horrible,” Luke said. “But not for long. I’ve put a bid in to buy it.”
Meagan almost dropped her keys again. “You what?”
“I’ve decided to diversify. Open up a new business venture. Someone needs to shake that place up.”
“I guess I’ll have to enjoy it while I can then, before you go and ruin it like you do everything else.” Meagan nodded toward me and Nathaniel. “See you two later. Luke, see you in another two years. Three, if I’m lucky.”
She took a step toward the library door, but Luke blocked her. “If all goes according to plan, the club will be under my management in two months. I’ll send you an invitation to the opening.”
“I’m busy that weekend.”
He smirked and then his voice dropped. “We’ll play it your way for now, sweetheart.”
She started to say something, but instead flipped her hair over her shoulder and marched out of the library. He watched her retreating figure and when she disappeared, he let out his breath in a long exhale before turning around.
Nathaniel raised an eyebrow at him. “That was interesting.”
Luke gave a half smile. “Meagan and I have a bit of unresolved business,” he said, turning back to the package, clearly signaling he didn’t want to discuss it any further. “Let’s get this portrait out. I want to see what you think.”
My heart pounded. I normally didn’t like pictures of myself, but I was really curious to see how this one had turned out. Master DeVaan was a real artist, which was why we had asked him to take my photograph. I remembered the photos he had in the back room of his gallery. They were subtly erotic and graceful.
He slid my framed photo out of the box, but all that was visible was the back. “I went ahead and framed it. Thought that would be easier for hanging.”
Yes, whatever. Just let me see it.
Luke smiled. “I have to say, I’m really pleased with the way this turned out.”
He slowly turned it around and I forgot how to breathe.
It was stunning.
I couldn’t believe what I saw. The image was so perfect, so beautiful, so … there weren’t words.
“I know it was only to be Abby’s portrait, but when I saw this proof, I just knew,” Luke said.
“I’ve never seen anything so exquisitely beautiful,” Nathaniel whispered. “The angle …”
The image of us was in black-and-white and somehow taken from above. It showed my back, my hair pulled to one side to showcase my collar, and the rope binding my arms behind me. That alone would have made a gorgeous picture, but the addition of Nathaniel was what set it apart.
His head rested in the middle of my lower back, and looking at the picture, I could almost feel his lips pressing against my skin. His hands were splayed across my shoulder blades, highlighting the rings he wore: his wedding band on his left, the ring I gave him to symbolize our D/s relationship on his right.
“I can’t stop looking at it,” I said.
“That’s the highest praise you could possibly give me,” Luke said.
“I love it,” Nathaniel said. “I never imagined it being so incredible.” He slipped an arm around my waist. “And thank you for asking us to pose. This is so much better than what I had imagined.”
“Too bad we have to leave it in the playroom. I’d love to show it off.”
“And shock all our family members?”
“Nah,” I joked. “Just a few of them.”
“You know,” Luke said, “if the bid I put in on the shady BDSM club goes through, I’ll need to redecorate. Would you be opposed to me using some of the other pictures from the session? I can ensure that your identity is protected.”
Nathaniel’s smile faded just a bit. “I’ll have to think about that.”
“Take your time. I’ll give you access to the file so you can see the other pictures.”
Even though we’d agreed the pictures would be for us alone, I kind of liked the idea of showing them off. After all, they were beautiful and Luke said there was no away to identify us from them. I looked forward to talking to Nathaniel about them.
Luke shook Nathaniel’s hand and nodded in my direction. “I need to be on my way. I’m so glad you like the picture. It was an honor to be invited into your playroom.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Nathaniel said.
While he did that, I stayed in the library, looking at the photograph. A few minutes later, Nathaniel came back into the room and slipped his arms around me from behind.
“I still can’t stop looking at it,” I said, leaning back into his embrace.
“It has a hypnotic power about it.”
“It’s so intense and yet tender at the same time.”
He swept my hair to the side, baring my neck. “Just like us?” he asked before dropping a kiss on the nape of my neck.
“Mmm, exactly.”
“What do you think of Luke putting some of our pictures up around
the club?”
His lips were still moving against my skin and it prickled in response. “I like the idea actually,” I said.
I could feel his smile. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“Because you know me and you know being watched turns me on.” I took a deep breath. “But I understand if you don’t want him to use them. If you think it’s too invasive.”
He turned me to face him. “There are two ways to look at it. For one, if someone’s looking at the picture, they’re in the club, right?”
“Right, but some might say you have more to lose.”
“Even if the picture was seen outside the club, all someone would know is it was of a couple with dark hair.”
I took his right hand. “As long as you ensure that this isn’t seen,” I said, twisting his ring. It was platinum and engraved with a unique pattern.
“True, there’s only one of these.”
“But other than that, I say we at least look at the other pictures. We can tell him which ones we wouldn’t mind him using.”
“Okay. I’ll let you know when he sends me the other shots.”
I nodded and he looked down at his watch. “I have another meeting starting in twenty minutes. When are you leaving to get the kids?”
“Not for another couple of hours.”
“Let’s go find a place in the playroom for this.”
“If you think you’ll have time.” My heart pounded just thinking about going into the playroom together, even though I knew we weren’t going to be doing anything.
He played with a strand of my hair. “I think I can spare a few minutes to hang a picture.” Then his voice dropped seductively. “Who knows? It might be that it only takes five minutes to hang the picture. Then I’ll have an entire fifteen minutes to fill.”
I took his hand and we made our way upstairs.
Chapter Ten
ABBY
On Wednesday night, two days later, I found myself kneeling in Daniel’s playroom for a demo with Nathaniel. My head was lowered and I closed my eyes as the almost highlike sensation I always got when we did something in front of people rushed through my veins. I couldn’t explain why, but lately the need for that high was growing and I was glad Nathaniel had these opportunities for us to be in front of people. I was on a platform in the playroom, and that only added to my excitement. I felt as if I were onstage.
I didn’t know what he had planned for tonight, but I had a feeling it was something different. He didn’t have me naked this time. And he’d had me wait in a side room while he talked with the other Dominants in private before we began.
Now I heard the sound of Nathaniel’s footsteps as they came near me. Then there was silence as he stood before me and I focused on the black leather of his shoes, which was all I could see with my eyes downcast. Excitement flooded my body.
“Hello, Abigail,” he said.
“Hello, Master.”
“Stand up for me.”
I slowly rose to my feet and met his gaze. His lips were curved up in a sultry smile that hinted at deliciously evil plans.
“I have one command for you today that you are not to disobey,” he said. “You are not to sit in the chair on the platform. Understood?”
I looked around. A chair sat to his side near the edge of the platform.
Simple enough. “Yes, Master.”
“Tell me, what is the one thing you are not to do?” he commanded.
“I am not allowed to sit in the chair on the platform, Master.”
“Excellent.” He looked down to the crowd. “Cole?”
My heart jumped to my chest. Cole? Nathaniel was going to invite him to participate? No wonder he’d asked me to wait outside while he spoke to the crowd. He probably wanted them to make note of the look of complete shock on my face.
I watched as the man in question rose from the crowd and climbed the stairs to join us on the platform. He wore a gray three-piece suit and it was beautiful. After being married to Nathaniel for as long as I had been, I knew a thing or two about men’s suits. The one Cole had on was clearly custom-made. It should have been ridiculous that he wore it to a BDSM meeting where he would be part of a demo session, but somehow on him it worked.
He appeared to know the impact seeing him dressed in such a manner had on me. The corner of his mouth lifted in a brief smile of acknowledgment before his expression once more took on the look I’d seen on him before in a playroom setting.
“Abigail,” Nathaniel said. “I’ve asked Cole to run the scene from here. Any command from him you can take as a command from me.”
The reason why I wasn’t naked suddenly made more sense. “Yes, Master.”
He nodded to Cole and walked down the steps.
“How are you doing today, Abby?” Cole asked.
“Slightly more anxious now, Sir.”
He chuckled. “Because of me?”
“Yes, Sir. Your reputation precedes you.”
“I’m sure you have nothing to worry about. Master West speaks very highly of you.”
“Thank you, Sir.” Nathaniel’s indirect praise warmed me and made me want to show everyone it wasn’t misplaced. Whatever Cole threw my way, I’d handle.
“Tell me your safe words.”
“Red, yellow, and green, Sir.”
“Very good. Go sit in the chair.”
I actually took a step toward it before I remembered that was the one thing Nathaniel told me not to do. I looked at him for some sort of direction, but his expression gave me no hint as to what I was supposed to do.
“Are you hesitating, sub?” Cole asked.
“No, Sir.” I shook my head.
“And yet you aren’t moving. It was a very simple command, one I would think a submissive of your experience would not find hard to carry out.”
“Yes, Sir. But you said—”
He snapped his fingers. “Silence. I know what I said.”
I was screwed either way. If I sat in the chair I would be breaking Nathaniel’s command, but if I didn’t I would be breaking Cole’s. There was simply no way to obey.
You are not allowed to sit in the chair on the platform.
Unless …
I squared my shoulders and walked over to the chair. It was a metal folding chair, and it didn’t weigh much. I picked it up and started carrying it past him to the stairs. A look of complete shock covered his face.
“What are you doing, Abby?” he asked.
“Master’s command was that I was not allowed to sit in the chair on the platform, Sir. I’m going to put it on the floor and then sit in it, so I can obey your command.”
There was subdued laughter from those watching and it occurred to me that my loophole was Not A Very Good Thing.
“Put. It. Down,” he said in a harsh voice.
I put it down.
“Now sit in it.”
I sat.
There was the thump, thump, thump again as he walked toward me. He crossed his arms and looked at me with blue eyes so cold I actually shivered.