The inner walls of her pussy clenched around his cock and held as soft ripples continued to roll through her. She savored the feeling of being held close in their embrace, a warm, sexy cocoon to rest in and catch her breath. However, it didn't take long before reality intruded.
“See how nice we are. Now, let’s talk about your blatant disregard of informing us you would be late for dinner, we didn’t know where you were at. And just so you know, we have to plan the security for the party, so you don’t get to just run willy nilly all over the place,” Dante said, flipping her so quickly she felt dizzy. He smoothed his hand over her ass and she yelled.
“Don’t you dare, I swear on all that is holy, if you spank me I am gonna kick your ass. And why the fuck is willy nilly, and why are you talking like that?”
Dante and Brin chuckled. “Now, sweetheart, we just want you to understand that we are a team and so therefore, you will listen to what we say and suggest. It won’t work any other way, and Brin read a book saying we should be gentler with you,” Dante said and she felt the first spank hit her cheek.
Instead of crying out, Jax moaned. She felt the heat begin and wiggled her ass a little bit to tease them. “Yeah, like this is gonna help. Real gentle.”
“This may be," as another spank was place on the opposite cheek. "And I am pretty sure the gentler was supposed to come in earlier when we were supposed to be discussing things calmly,” Brin said.
“The fuck you say?” Jax yelled as she began to feel the heat rising from the skin where she was smacked.
Chapter Fourteen
The men left to go to Bane's office and she was able to dress in shorts and a t-shirt for her run. She was energized after having finalized the menu for the party and wanted to run free for a time to get her thoughts in order. They had decided to have their ceremony of joining the Senate tonight, before the party. It would be a good way to distract Cat. But they wanted little fanfare, because they felt like someone in the compound was giving the Rogues information. It was going to be simple yet tasteful.
She even pulled out the dress Jo bought for her when they went out shopping. Fredi protested but Jo insisted saying, they had never gotten to have the sister’s time together, and being the big sister, she was allowed to spend whatever she wanted on her sister. She loved the dress though, a bright fuchsia, which was a color she had never worn before. The black high heels she had would look perfect with it. Her men were wearing suits and, damn, they would look sexy.
She stepped out of the front door and nodded to Thomas, who was ready and would be her guard. She wanted to roll her eyes, the self-defense classes were paying off, she had learned a lot of new techniques.
Smiling, she started at a slow pace to make sure Thomas could keep up and when she was assured that he was indeed fit enough to keep pace, she increased it. She ran along a small stream that ran behind the villa. The landscape was beautiful, tall trees covered the area as well as many flowers that were in full bloom. She saw there was a cut path down by the stream and kept to it. It was well worn and perfect for jogging, no one else was around. She could hear Thomas breathing and his footfalls behind her, which was in some way comforting.
She became lost in thought over her two men and how things had progressed. She loved the time that they'd had together. When she was younger, she knew Sasha and Tom were always there for her, but she wanted a family of her own, and she had gotten one.
Because of her father, friends were a luxury she could not afford. Her father's visits were short and far in between. Not that she blamed him, after seeing what Mia had gone through she was certain the Rogues needed to die. It made her sick to her stomach thinking she was related to Roarke and Tina. How had three siblings turned out so differently? No, she was not going to feel sorry for them, they were monsters.
She had longed for a family of her own, and now she had that with her men and the people of the compound, there was no way she would give that up. She couldn't wait to see them so she could tell them how she felt and show them, once again. Maybe they would have time before they had the ceremony to have a little lovin.’ She had a big grin on her face as she rounded the bend in the path and thought to turn around. She turned, jogging in place and smiled at Thomas.
"You doing okay?” she asked, then laughed when she saw the redness of his face, and the wetness on his shirt.
"I am fine. We can keep going if you want,” he said as he huffed out a breath. Then he bent over, trying to catch his breath. “Really, I am good.”
"No, I'm going to turn around here and head back. I want to begin preparations for tonight. I hope Cat will be surprised.” She giggled, not being out of breath at all, and at his nod, she began to run back the way they came.
As they came around the last turn heading back toward the villa, she saw Suzette coming from Bane's office. What fuck was she doing there? Bane had assured her that he had released her from service. Fredi felt the small twinge of jealousy at seeing the beauty of Suzette. She reached up and lightly touched the spot where Bane had fed from her that morning. Was she not enough? What was he not telling her?
She slowed in front of the cottage and began to do some cool down exercises. Thomas joined her and tried to draw her into a conversation about the party. She participated with one-word answers and a couple of mumbles as she thought over the situation. In the end, she straightened up and informed him that she was going in to take a shower and to start preparing food for the party. Her desire to have a little fun had left her, and she was one pissed off wolf.
After showering and trying to shove all thoughts of Suzette and Bane to the back of her mind, she began to gather her tools in the kitchen. Jax had arranged for one of the kitchen assistants from the main house to come over and assist her. Right from the start, Fredi liked Tyra and they worked well together through the afternoon putting together several of the dishes. It was just what Fredi needed to take her mind off what was going on between Bane and Suzette.
***
Fredi was pissed and neither of the men knew why. When they returned from the main villa, she had been dressed and waiting, sitting stiffly in the living room, perched on the edge of the couch.
“Hey, baby, why are you ready so early?” Bane said and walked to her side. She sat frozen while he kissed her cheek. He stood and frowned. “What is wrong?”
“Nothing, you have about thirty minutes before the ceremony, you need to hurry,” she said dismissively, and then sat still when Marshall kissed her. She remained ridged, so both of them had to be in trouble.
“No,” Marshall said briskly and sat down across from her. “We will find out what the hell is wrong first.”
“No you won’t, get your asses up those stairs and get ready, I don’t have the time nor the patience to explain to our leader why we are late. We will discuss it later,” she said firmly and waited, staring at a spot on the wall.
Bane knelt next to her and tried to take her hand in his, but she pulled away. His frown deepened and waited until she was ready to talk. Neither of the men was going to leave until she did.
They sat in silence for five minutes, and she didn’t move. All she could think of was Suzette leaving her mate’s office looking smug and satisfied. After she arrived home, she called the main villa and was informed that both her men had been in Bane’s office and asked not to be disturbed. So they were both in there, all she could think of was them sharing her in some way. Cami and the others tried to talk to her through her powers, and she blocked them, shutting them out. Her sister was pissed, because she could hear her muffled screams, insisting on Fredi answering her. The one time she slipped and allowed the connection, she heard Jo threatening to get on a plane and fly over here if she didn’t talk to her.
Close to tears, she couldn’t answer, because if she started talking about it, then she would cry. Her thoughts had drifted to her mother, she had not been her father’s true mate, and he had slept with her, so she knew it could happen. It was ripping her heart out thi
nking one, if not both, of her men had been with that skank.
Vowing not to ruin the night for Cat by fighting, she turned with a dead expression and looked at both of her men. “I swear on all that is holy, if you do not get your asses up those stairs and get changed in the next five minutes, you had better learn to sleep with one eye open for a mighty long time. I am a chef and good with knives, Lorena doesn’t have anything on me.”
Bane barked out a laugh at her threat and then saw the look in her eyes and looked at Marshall with worry in his eyes, something was very, very wrong, and they needed to fix this fast.
Marshall sat forward and looked at her with a grim expression. “We are not going anywhere until you tell us what the fuck is going on.”
“Fine, you want to know what is going on, I will tell you,” Fredi said, standing calmly and then looking at her mates. “I went out for a run today, and when we were on our way back, Thomas and I were both witness to your skank blood whore leaving your office. So would you like to explain that to me?”
Bane stood in shock and looked at Marshall. “Seriously, we weren’t even in the office. We were in Orfeo’s in a meeting with six other people, Tripp asked not to be disturbed. We were trying to get things settled for Mia’s arrival. Cat thinks she needs a therapist on-call when she arrives.”
Marshall stepped up to her and took her hand in his. “Baby, I am a one-woman cat, and Bane is a one-girl vamp, we would never cheat. I am kinda surprised you didn’t know that.”
Fredi felt the tears gather in her eyes, and looked at her men, shit, she should have trusted them. “I am sorry, I just couldn’t help it when I saw her walking out of the office, it just pissed me off.”
“Well yeah, you threatened to cut our dicks off. I would guess you were a little pissed,” Bane teased and then wiped her eyes. “We can talk about this later, but know I would never betray you in that way. I promise. Go fix your make up and Marshall, let’s get changed, we have about ten minutes to get to our own ceremony.”
They nodded, but before they could leave, Fredi grabbed them both and kissed them passionately, and then with a sniff, she let them go. She needed to get a grip.
Chapter Fifteen
“My fault,” Fredi called as they ran into the hall of the Main house. The other Senate members were waiting for them and were grinning. Obviously they were thinking something else had kept them and none of the trio set them straight, it would take way too long and they had a surprise party to get under way when they were done.
Jax had taken Cat shopping all day in an attempt to hide the decorations that were up around the villa. The plan was for the ballroom to be decorated and ready for the party with all the people inside waiting. They would perform the small ceremony and then Orfeo would say they planned a small dinner party in their honor, but when they opened the door, everyone would yell “Surprise” at Cat.
Orfeo and Tripp were currently looking smug as Fredi and her mates arrive, meaning only one thing, they had succeeded in keeping a secret from their mate. A huge undertaking and one they should be proud of.
They gathered at the small table Tripp set up and he hit his brother, Marshall, on the back.
“Simple,” Fredi said quietly, anxious to get to the party.
Orfeo nodded. “Together we stand, welcoming our new members into the Senate Council. On the authority of the New Council, we begin.”
He continued his formal speech and they all stood at attention listening. Each of them pledged faith to the Senate, and promised to fulfill their duties. When Orfeo grabbed the large challis sitting in the middle of the table, Fredi grinned.
“From my blood to your blood, our powers unite,” he said quietly, took a sip, and passed the cup. Each of the members of the Senate repeated and drank. When it came to Fredi, the last of the group, she said the words and drank. A whirl of power swirled around them and they all felt the bond snap into place.
“Well, holy shit,” Bane said and laughed.
‘Can you hear me?’ Cat asked grinning.
‘YES!!!’ Cami screamed and suddenly they were all holding their heads, the women of the New Council were chattering and cheering.
***
Cat had certainly been shocked when she and Jax had returned from an afternoon of shopping and went right to the ceremony. As soon as she opened the door to the main hall and set her bags down, she had been informed that her men were ready for the ceremony.
When Orfeo announced a small intimate get-together, she had been surprised and happy, and luckily led the way as they went into the large dining room. Just as the door opened, all of her friends and family yelled, “Surprise!” Both Orfeo and Tripp were standing behind her, each holding a single red rose. She was so overwhelmed she began to cry, which Jax promptly blamed on the pregnancy hormones. They all laughed as the hugs and well wishes began.
Fredi was now in the kitchen in the main house putting the finishing touches on her dishes. Marshall and Bane had briefly come in, each of them giving her a kiss and encouraging her to hurry and join them at the party. She had smiled and shooed them out as she had turned to pull another casserole out of the oven.
Now that her job in the kitchen was finished, she could find no more excuses not to join the party. She was hesitant, as she had not really gotten to know everyone yet. Just as she finished washing her hands, for the second time, when Cat and Jax came bursting through the door to the kitchen.
"Fredi, you're a genius!” Jax told her as she embraced her.
Cat shoved Jax out of the way, "Hey! It's my turn. Fredi, how can I ever thank you? Everything is so yummy and it's all my favorites!"
"Happy birthday, Cat,” Fredi said as she hugged her. "I'm so glad you're happy with it all. You have been so great to me, both you and Jax, this was a perfect way for me to show how thankful I am to have both of you."
"Oh, honey, you’re making me cry, thank you so much.” All three embraced each other this time, laughing and wiping their eyes.
"We had better get back out there, and you are coming with us, no more work. The staff has everything under control now so no arguments,” Jax said as she took each one of their hands and they headed out to the party.
As they entered the ballroom where the party was in full swing, Fredi saw her men speaking with Orfeo. Just as she went to go join them, she hesitated. Seeing Suzette this afternoon had shaken the foundation of her relationship with Bane. All of what had happened came rushing back. She needed answers. She watched Jax join her men, who were sitting in lounge chairs out on the patio talking with Orfeo's parents. The doors had been left open, as tonight was cool and comfortable.
Cat went up to Orfeo and flung her arms around his neck. He laughed and embraced her. Marshall and Bane turned as one and met her eyes from across the room. She felt the heat sizzle all the way down her spine. They came to her with determination in their eyes. She knew she was in trouble and that they knew something was up. She stood tall and raised her chin, defying them with her eyes.
Marshall took her hand and pulled her toward the library. Bane grabbed her other hand and when she tried to take it back, he gripped her tighter. They entered and walked over to an alcove with two cozy chairs sitting together. Marshall pushed her into one and then they both knelt in front of her.
“We love you, and only you. Today when you thought we were cheating on you, it nearly broke my heart that you didn’t trust us. I get that you have a past, but we are your future. Marshall and I are the only men who will ever love you, and the only men you had better ever love. We planned to do this in a much more intimate setting, but you know Mr. Impatient over here thought we should do it now. So, Frederica, will you do us the honor of formally marrying both Marshall and I?”
She felt the tears again gather in her eyes and Marshall held out a small box, inside was a ring, one she would have only ever dreamed of having. A diamond surrounded by sapphires fit for a Queen.
“Yes, yes, I will marry you,” Fredi said and fell into B
ane and Marshalls waiting arms as they grinned.
‘Thank the Gods, may we all get back to the whole party thing now. I was thinking even though Cat is pregnant, we need to begin planning a few things, we decided our first girls’ night needs to be in person—for effect. So we are planning a quick weekend trip,’ Cami announced, and all the men groaned.
As they began to rise, a loud explosion rocked the room. Fredi froze as she heard the screams coming from what sounded like the front lawn. It seemed that everyone had froze for a split second in shock, then the men took charge.
Brin, who had been holding Jax on his lap, picked her up and began to run toward the kitchen. Fredi saw Orfeo grab Cat as Marshall and Bane reached her.
"Fredi! Come on!” Marshall grabbed her hand and pulled her along with the crowd as Bane came up behind her.
They enter the kitchen to see people heading down a back staircase into what she assumed was the basement.
"Where are we going?” Fredi's voice shook as she asked Marshall.
"There is a safe room downstairs where you will stay with everyone until we find out what is going on,” Bane answered her as they helped her down the stairs.
"You're not staying with me?” she asked with a hint of panic in her voice as she stopped at the bottom.
They moved to the side in order to give others a way to pass by them. Both men surrounded her, giving her their warmth and their love. She could feel the panic all around her, rising.
"Sweetness, we need to go see what we’re dealing with, what has happened. This is part of what we do. While we do that, we need to know that you're safe. This is the safest place for you. Thomas, Kurt, and a few others will be staying here to guard you,” Marshall told her as he laid his hand against the side of her face and kissed her softly.